By Vanessa Nason, news correspondent
As students prepare for finals and make arrangements to head back home, Northeastern University’s Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice (IUHRP) has its focus on something a little different: a final game of dodgeball.
In September, Senior Vice President of Northeastern Steve Kadish asked John Auerbach, the director of the IUHRP, to spearhead Northeastern’s efforts in raising awareness and funds for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. In response, the IUHRP has been holding events to inform the Northeastern’s community about the epidemic and to raise money for Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health (PIH), two charitable medical organizations. This, they believe, is the best way to make an impact.
“The choice to focus our donations on Doctors Without Borders came with careful consideration,” Wendy Pernal, the Project Director at the IUHRP, said. “We wanted to be sure to support a program that was on the front lines of the epidemic.”
Doctors Without Borders is currently leading the efforts to build treatment centers in the areas of West Africa most severely affected by the disease. They are currently operating six Ebola case management centers to provide services to sick individuals in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
“[They] have provided services to more than 5,000 individuals in the affected areas, more than 3,000 of which were confirmed Ebola cases,” Pernal said. “With more than 1,200 patients surviving, we could see that Doctors Without Borders were doing good work in the face of a serious epidemic.”
In addition, PIH has been combating the outbreak by working with and supporting other health organizations in the area.
The IUHRP began its work in September in Curry Student Center setting up an informational table. Along with Partners in Health Engage and the Student National Pharmaceutical Association (SNPhA), they displayed a board about the outbreak and collected monetary donations. The next day, they held a panel at the Cabral Center sponsored by the Bouvé College of Health Sciences, the IUHRP, NU Integrated Initiative in Global Health, PIH Engage, SNPhA and the Northeastern African Student Organization.
The panel featured doctorsNahid Bhadelia andAdam Levine both of whom had recently returned from helping the outbreak in West Africa. They were then joined in a Q&A panel by Northeastern professors Richard Wamai and Michael Pollastri.
“Our panel was very successful,” Francesca Napolitano, junior pharmacy major on co-op at the IUHRP, said. “We filled Cabral Center with over 100 students, faculty and staff members and we learned a great deal…about the current conditions in West Africa and the challenges facing the population and those providing care. Their stories were inspiring and provided us with hope that this outbreak can be contained.”
Napolitano, along with Auerbach; Pernal,a senior pharmacy major; Katie Zheng, senior pharmacy major and fellow at the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship; and Nicole Bourque, senior health sciences major, worked to to organize the events and fundraisers held throughout the semester. In addition to the table at Curry and the informational panel, Napolitano helped organize two fundraisers with Uno’s and Boloco. Zheng and Napolitano also helped Phi Lambda Sigma, the Pharmacy Leadership Society, to organize a two–day Ebola candy filled Spooky Gram event held around Halloween.
All profits from the second day went to Doctors Without Borders and Partners in Health.
“As fast as the Ebola epidemic has grown, I think it is vital that we help out in any small way that we can,” third-year nursing major Madeleine Bernstein said. “Time is of the essence regarding the spreading devastation of Ebola.”
Angie Huang, a third-year health sciences major, agreed.
“There’s always a possibility that the epidemic could come to Boston,” she said.
Dodge Ebola, their final event of the semester, will be held on Sunday.
“We wanted to have a more interactive fundraiser, so we thought a dodgeball tournament would be a fun way for students to get involved,” Napolitano said.
The tournament is asking for a minimum donation of $5 per person each team.
Winners of the game will receive prizes including a meal at Rebecca’s Cafe, and will have their team photo featured as the myNEU photo of the week. All money raised will be donated directly to Doctors Without Borders. Pernal further acknowledges that treating outbreaks takes not only initiative and infrastructure but also worldwide support, and that this is Northeastern’s contribution to such efforts.
“As an institution that encourages global connections, experiential learning and initiatives on global health, it was natural that we step forward and address the needs of West Africa,” Pernal said.
The push to fund efforts that could help end Ebola stems from Northeastern’s commitment to being a member of the global community, and IUHRP is prepared to continue fundraising if the epidemic persists into the next year.
“Our hope is that efforts from around the globe will result in the end of this epidemic,” Napolitano said.
Photo courtesy, Francesca Napolitano
