Think global, act local! A Global Health in Emergency Medicine (GHEM) Open Meeting

One of the ways to address the challenge of global disparity, as a health care provider, is to  pack your bags, say goodbye to your family, your practice, and put yourself at the bedside of people who suffer its ills. Even if you are able to do this, how do you integrate the themes that inspired you upon your return?   Are there others ways to remain involved, closer to home?  It is with great pleasure that we continue to showcase the depths of Toronto’s EM community, and its commitment to global health.  For this “open” meeting,  a panel discussion available to the public, we are exploring how physicians and nurses have combined a world view with a Toronto career.  

Panelists:
Wendy Lai – Wendy is an emergency physician at Humber River Hospital, has done 5 missions with MSF, is on the Board of Directors for MSF-Canada, and volunteers at the Community Volunteer Clinic in Scarborough, which is part of the Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health Care. She is part of a group of concerned citizens, called Ripple Refugee Project, that is sponsoring a refugee Syrian family to settle in Canada.

Raghu Venugopal – Raghu is an emergency physician at UHN, has been active with MSF on 6 field assignments, is on the MSF Board of Directors and as allocator for MSF’s telemedicine system. He has supported the University of Toronto Addis Ababa collaboration in the past, and with Dr. Wendy Lai, co-sponsored a Syrian family of 8 recently, with hopes of more families to follow.

Vanessa Wright – Vanessa is a Nurse Practitioner at Women’s College Hospital’s Crossroads Clinic, where she provides comprehensive medical services to newly arrived refugee patients. She has supported the educational partnership between Addis Ababa University and the University of Toronto, and worked as a Field Nurse for MSF. She sits of the health advisory council for the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture.

Moderator:
James Maskalyk – James is an emergency physician at St. Mike’s, and has been active in global health since 2001.  He has worked with MSF as physician and journalist, and currently directs both GHEM and the Toronto based program, TAAAC-EM that teaches emergency medicine in Ethiopia, and supports the growth of the specialty.