Global Health Symposium April 30 – Daily Recap: Weekend Conference
This weekend, students participated in the Annual Global Health Symposium Conference. During an intensive 2 days, they had the opportunity to share and receive feedback on their Master’s scholarly paper and thesis projects with their peers and faculty. Presentations spanned topics as diverse as the relationship between colonialism and patterns of current government healthcare spending in Sub Saharan Africa, to homelessness and alcohol dependency in Hamilton, Canada. Other overarching global health topic areas presented on included: women’s health, child health, mental health, health systems and promotion, nutrition, refugee/migrant health, infectious diseases, environmental health, Indigenous health, and disease surveillance.
Global Health Reflections: Spotlight on Sylvia Gawad (McMaster)
Sylvia Gawad did her undergrad in biochemistry, worked two years at a bank, during which time she also founded the foundation Seeds of the East.
What is your project about, and what inspired you to pursue it?
I am so excited about it. My project is about the lack of integration and barriers of education for Syrian refugees living in Canada, and I am focusing on how entrepreneurship and informal education can be used as an avenue to bridge gaps. I believe that entrepreneurship is the solution to a nation, and hence I am hoping motivate, encourage and empower Syrian refugees to be able to create a business or to get education or transferable skills. This would boost Canada’s economy and would give agency to the people. Entrepreneurship is seen as a business study, and will try to combine the business mindset with the social mindset, and show how that can create a positive health impact.
Which elements of the conference did you enjoy the most?
The speakers were the highlight for me. The talk of Dr. Satya Dash showed me that innovation is not a solution to one country, but to multiple health disparities around the world, which inspired me to essentially continue the path of entrepreneurship. The talk of Dr. Anil Bhat showed me that there is one person can create incredible change and impact. I think we look at the world and we think that it is so complex that we cannot do anything about it, that we are powerless. The speakers of this weekend show the opposite, by showing that one person can be leading for global impact. That is very motivating and inspires me to do more, to go back, and actually start with the practicum and give it my all.
The Student Communications Committee
Student Blog
