Press Release--Retriever Weekly
PHOTOS
Contact:  Andrea Kalfoglou, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Health Administration and Policy Program
akalfogl@umbc.edu
(410) 455-2061

“Attending the American Society for Bioethics and Humanity (ASBH) Annual Meeting this past week was the best thing that I have done this semester,” said Health Administration and Policy Program (HAPP) student Edwin Mayah.  Edwin, who came to the U.S. from Liberia five years ago, reports that the keynote address given by Dr. Nancy Scheper-Hughes on Global Justice and the Traffic of Human Organs made a big impression on him. 

Edwin was one of six undergraduate HAPP majors – all members of the new public health track – who attended the ASBH Annual Meeting in Washington DC October 18-21 (www.asbh.org ) with HAPP assistant professor Andrea Kalfoglou.  The students attended many sessions relevant to their studies including HPV vaccination policy, breaking cycles of injustice, and ethical considerations for pandemic influenza.  Beatrice Babalola said that attending these sessions expanded her perceptions about career opportunities.  “I never knew that people could build a career thinking about these kinds of issues that I’ve been intrigued by throughout my undergraduate studies.”

The students were invited to three special events including a social mixer with the President of ASBH and other senior members of the Society, the student interest affinity group, and a “meet the professor” session. 

HAPP student Jacquiline Wanjohi says, “The best part of the conference was the opportunity to talk to graduate school professors like Gail Geller from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and graduate students who gave me important insight on what I plan to study in graduate school.  I’m now planning to take the bioethics course offered to HAPP students through the philosophy department and to integrate bioethics into my graduate studies.”  

Gina Fitzmaurice, a Junior HAPP student reports, “the experience was great!  The environment was casual and comfortable, and I met a lot of very intelligent and passionate people.  Most of the attendees were very eager to meet and give advice to students.”

As a result of this experience, these six students have joined the ASBH student listserv and are working with other undergraduates from around the country to found an undergraduate bioethics network (others interested in joining this listserv may contact Chirag Patel at Chirag.B.Patel@uth.tmc.edu ) The HAPP students are also working on proposals to submit to the National Undergraduate Bioethics Conference that will be held at Union College in Schenectady, NY April 4-5, 2008.  More information on the NUBC can be found at http://ethics.union.edu/nubc.html