Oxford Global Health Group (OGHG)

oxfordghg [at] gmail.com

The Oxford Global Health Group is an enthusiastic student society that aims to promote interest in international health issues and raise money for various medical charities.

The society started in 2004 with a World AIDS Day event which included speeches from the co-discoverers of HIV and the International President of Medecins Sans Frontieres. Since then the group has run similar speaker events for World TB Day and World Malaria Day.

In addition, the society regularly invites speakers to talk to our members on a wide range of global health topics. These small group masterclasses take the form of a short talk followed by a lively and informal discussion.

In the past, masterclass topics have included:

• Tropical medicine

• Disaster medicine

• Practicing different medical and surgical specialties in the developing world

• Social problems that contribute to global healthcare inequalities

We also aim to run masterclasses during which members can learn practical tropical skills.

In the past, OGHG has raised funds for:

• The Oxford Homeless Medical Fund, which provides medical services to the homeless people in Oxford who do not have access to a regular GP.

• Tanzanear, a charity founded by Mr. Freeland, Consultant Paediatric ENT Surgeon, which sponsors schools for deaf children in Moshi, Tanzania

Currently, we are supporting Social Aid for the Elimination of Rape (SAFER), a Canadian NGO which aims to provide medical supplies, equipment, and expertise to address the immediate medical needs of sexual violence survivors in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Fundraising events include the annual "Food for Thought" Dinner: an evening of food and entertainment that highlights global inequalities in wealth by serving an indulgent three course meal to 20% of the guests while the rest eat vegetable curry!

2008 saw the first ever OGHG Careers' Fair. This brought together speakers with experience of working in the Third World, and gave students and young doctors the opportunity to meet them and ask for advice. Again, this was a great success and we are already planning another fair for March 2009.

We are also currently in the process of establishing a Resource Library which will be at the disposal of all OGHG members. It will be a growing collection of books, journals, DVDs and leaflets which members can borrow free of charge. As with all other OGHG projects, members' requests and suggestions will guide us and we will always try to address them.

We are always on the look-out for new, enthusiastic people who share our interest in Global Health, and so if you would like to be involved, however much, please don't hesitate to contact us!

For more information, visit the OGHG website

The OGHG is the Oxford incarnation of the Medsin Global Health Education Project (GHEP)

Committee

President: Mary Keniger

Vice-President: Maria Dudareva

Secretary: Genna Macdonald

Treasurer: Richard Morton

Webmaster & Communications: Jeremy Fabes