Dean's Corner
Dear Students, Faculty and Alumni:
Holly J. Humphrey, MD
Professor of Medicine and
Dean for Medical Education
In 1999, the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to the
organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in recognition
of its pioneering humanitarian work throughout the globe. In the words of the Nobel Committee, the critical factor underlying the award was not simply the organization's clinical interventions with suffering populations, but also the doctors' willingness to show each victim a human face, stand for respect for that person's dignity, and [serve] as a source of hope for peace and reconciliation.
Many of our students similarly feel a strong moral duty to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need and to utilize the resources and privilege of our comparatively wealthy society to help the world's poorest and sickest communities. In truth, it would be short-sighted to ignore the health and well-being of our fellow global citizens. Recent events such as the Avian Bird Flu and SARS have demonstrated in the strongest possible terms that health is a global public good. While globalization has increased our risk and exposure to global pandemics, it is also true that these same forces of globalization are at the root of successful efforts to contain and control these diseases. It is through international cooperation and pooling all our collective resources that we will be most successful in combating illness.
This 2007 winter edition of the Pritzker Pulse focuses on student opportunities to become involved in international health. In story after story, our students detail their own experiences working on behalf of global health. Their service takes many forms-from direct care to patients, to raising and distributing pharmaceutical supplies, to clinical research efforts, to public advocacy-but all were undertaken with the goal of acting as citizens of the world and in contributing to the health of our global village.
The Pritzker School of Medicine strongly supports student involvement in international experiences. This year, we act as co-sponsors for an important new educational opportunity at our school-The Geographic Medical Scholars Program- which provides didactic and experiential training that will prepare our students to A Quarterly Publication of the Pritzker School of Medicine work in health care organizations overseas. For information about the Geographic Medical Scholars Programs as well as the various student organizations in international medicine, sponsored research opportunities abroad, overseas clinical rotations, and other global public health opportunities, please visit our website.
Sincerely,
Holly J. Humphrey, MD
Professor of Medicine and Dean for Medical Education
