Key Points:
- Represent the MSS at external meetings, as well as connect and collaborate with the IFMSA-Qc and CFMS-GH for large-scale projects.
- Implement initiatives including: the Global Health and Social Medicine Certificate Program, contact-free collections for the homeless, and sustainability guidelines for both in-person events and individual contributions.
- Promote global health education and advocacy by consistently communicating global health news and local/global opportunities for involvement to you, the student body, at both the Montreal and Outaouais campus!
Platform:
Hi everyone!
My name is Ericka Iny and this year I’m running for VP Global Health Junior. I would absolutely love to take on this role and continue to promote McGill’s involvement in global health. Should you wish this as well (keep reading!), I will be sure to keep in close contact with you¾the student body¾regarding new initiatives and opportunities, because it is truly as a collective that we can effect change. While I can’t promise to solve climate change singlehandedly, I can implement and promote local projects to reduce our individual carbon footprints, as well as collaborate with the IFMSA-Qc and CFMS-GH to support green projects and sustainability guidelines on a larger scale.
If you’re not familiar with global health, you might be thinking that sustainability is the only approach. While this is an incredibly relevant topic, rest assured that global health encompasses a variety of issues (including access to health care, climate change, sanitation, etc.)¾each of which I will ensure to share with you. Though our curriculum admittedly explores an overwhelming number of subjects, it does not always provide tangible, nor presently relevant, opportunities with respect to global health. This is where I will come in. Whether it be sharing our local (or global) context, providing involvement opportunities, or organizing seminars to bridge the gap between education and action, I will hold both global health interests, and your role in such initiatives, as my top priority.
Now, onto these initiatives. Given our current situation considering Coronavirus, there is a lot of uncertainty regarding in-person events. However, one of the beauties of global health is the possibility of contributing from afar.
Firstly, I would like to implement the Global Health and Social Medicine Certificate Program, which unfortunately was not active. Using CFMS guidelines in collaboration with the faculty, I think that formal education, advocacy training, and experiential learning, will provide recognized incentive for global health involvement.
With the winter months coming, I am worried for our homeless populations¾in both Montreal and Outaouais¾who are most vulnerable, not only to the ongoing pandemic but also the hardships faced during our cruel winters. In collaboration with local shelters I plan to organize a contact-free collection of food, clothing, and necessities such as hand-sanitizer created by the pandemic.
Moreover, when we return to hosting in-person events, I will work with the MSS committee to abide by the MSS Guidelines for Sustainable Events which include the use of reusable containers and cutlery, sustainable food options, and donating left-over foods (when it is deemed safe).
Though for the time being, amidst the bans on reusable mugs/bags as well as an immense consumption of single-use masks, I will share seemingly small (but effective) actions that approach the pandemic with a green perspective, all the while prioritizing safety. Safe disposal of single-use masks, as well as shortages in supplies for healthcare workers, continue to impede on global health. If reusable masks nearly eradicate these issues, then why do so many people continue using disposable ones? It comes down to education and accessibility, both of which I plan to facilitate for upcoming findings.
While I might be passionate about these topics, I understand that you may not have the time to read endless pages of conflicting research, so rest assured that¾unlike this platform¾I will stay concise!
Whether it be virtually or in-person, I will be sure to represent the MSS at external meetings, connect and collaborate with the IFMSA and CFMS, as well as provide educational opportunities on topics including: responsible consumption and climate action, health equity and inclusivity, food security, etc.
Feel free to reach out to me through Facebook or by email, as I am very flexible and always open to your suggestions, ideas, and collaboration. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to chat!
That being said, thank you for taking the time to read this!
Best of luck and stay safe,
Ericka Iny