Medact

Fossil Free Health Liverpool - divestment film and discussion
2017-05-14 18:00 - 19:30 UTC | HUS bar, HUS Tempest Building, 12 Tithebarn Street, Liverpool, L2 2DT, United Kingdom
This is the last in a series of health focused events during Global Divestment Mobilisation week. Please join us at the HUS bar, Liverpool where organisers of fossil free health, the health divestment campaign, will discuss why now, more than ever, health institutions must divest fossil fuels. Climate change is potentially the biggest threat to global health this century, and health institutions must show leadership in saying we will not fund the industries that are driving the problem. Two years ago we produced the groundbreaking report Unhealthy Investments, which has influenced health divestment decisions in countries around the world. At this event we’ll be presenting a new report that profiles some of those case studies, and outlines how to undertake the divestment process.
Speakers will discuss:

The health impacts of climate change,
What divestment means for action on climate change,
What the campaign has achieved so far,
and how you can get involved!

Speakers include Eliot Waterhouse, fossil free health campaigner at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Dr Geraint Davies, University of Liverpool, and Alice Munro, Fossil Free Health coordinator, Medact.
Spaces are limited so please RSVP below.

Fossil Free Health Bristol - divestment film and discussion
2017-05-10 19:00 - 20:30 UTC | Wills Memorial Building, University of Bristol, Queens Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, United Kingdom
It’s Global Divestment Mobilisation week, and Medact, together with Medsin and Healthy Planet, are running a series of events to discuss why now, more than ever, health institutions must divest fossil fuels. Climate change is potentially the biggest threat to global health this century, and health institutions must show leadership in saying we will not fund the industries that are driving the problem. Two years ago Medact and partners produced the groundbreaking report Unhealthy Investments, which has influenced health divestment decisions in countries around the world. At this event we’ll be presenting a new report that profiles some of those case studies, and outlines how to undertake the divestment process.
Speakers will discuss:

The health impacts of climate change,
What divestment means for action on climate change,
What the campaign has achieved so far,
and how you can get involved!

The event will be hosted by Mia Thomas, director of Healthy Planet. Speakers include Green Party Councillor Carla Denyer, and Stephen Le Fanu, Fossil Free Bristol.
Please RSVP below.

Fossil Free Health Edinburgh - divestment film and discussion
2017-05-09 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Edinburgh Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL, United Kingdom
It’s Global Divestment Mobilisation week, and Medact, together with Medsin and Healthy Planet, are running a series of events to discuss why now, more than ever, health institutions must divest fossil fuels. Climate change is potentially the biggest threat to global health this century, and health institutions must show leadership in saying we will not fund the industries that are driving the problem. Two years ago Medact and partners produced the groundbreaking report Unhealthy Investments, which has influenced health divestment decisions in countries around the world. At this event we’ll be presenting a new report that profiles some of those case studies, and outlines how to undertake the divestment process.
Speakers will discuss:

The health impacts of climate change,
What divestment means for action on climate change,
What the campaign has achieved so far,
and how you can get involved!

The event will be hosted by Eleanor Dow, medical student and former Director of Healthy Planet, Speakers include Ric Lander, Divest Lothian, with further speakers TBA.
Please RSVP below.

Lancet Countdown: Panel discussion
2017-03-13 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | 308 Huxley Building, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ, United Kingdom
On the 13th of March, the Lancet Countdown will be hosting a panel discussion in London, bringing together a range of global tracking initiatives to discuss how they can work together, track progress on the Paris agreement, and ultimately hold governments to account.
Speakers at this panel debate will include:

Professor Anthony Costello, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health at the World Health Organization
Professor Peng Gong, Director of the Centre for Earth System Science at Tsinghua Centre
Dr Rishma Maini, Senior Disaster Risk Reduction Public Health Registrar in Global Public Health at Public Health England
Dr Joy Shumake-Guillemot, Head of Joint WHO-WMO Office on Climate and Health

The event will be held in association with Imperial College London and is free for all to attend via the eventbrite page

#ourNHS march
2017-03-04 12:00 - 17:00 UTC | Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9EZ, United Kingdom
#OUR NHS PROMOWatch this video on YouTube
National demonstration for a fully funded and publically owned NHS and social care service.

Medsin Global Health Conference 2017 - Seeing the Spectrum
2017-02-25 - 2017-02-26 | University College London, Gower St, Kings Cross, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
One of the favourite events of the Medsin annual calendar, the 2017 Global Health Conference aims to bring students from all over the UK together to raise awareness about gender and its impact on health. There will be opportunities for attendees to learn through panels, debates, workshops, exhibitions and discussion. The conference will focus on four main themes across two days:

What is gender?
LGBTQ + health
Gender within conflict and development
Working towards a better and equal future

Attendees should go away inspired and passionate about gender and health, and equipped with the tools and knowledge to go forward and better the world we share.
For tickets, see: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/medsin-global-health-conference-2017-seeing-the-spectrum-tickets-31238350748?aff=es2
Note: the Saturday will take place at UCL; the Sunday at King’s College.

St. George's Global Health Conference 2017
2017-02-25 | St George’s – University of London, Cranmer Terrace, London, SW17 0RE, United Kingdom
Challenging Borders
Addressing Barriers to Global Health
St George’s University of London Medsin Group is hosting their annual Global Health Conference 2017. ‘Challenging Borders: Addressing the barriers to Global Health’ will take place on Saturday 25th February.
The conference aims to shine a spotlight on the impact of division as an obstacle to global health. Borders can be physical, such as nation lines or geographical impediments, man-made, such as walls and prisons, but also more abstract, such as stigma towards mental health. All create a barrier to personal, community, and international well-being. Many examples exist today, and none more topical than the myriad issues surrounding migrant health. Success has been varied in addressing these barriers.
‘Challenging Borders’ focuses on the effects of these barriers on health and what can be done to overcome them. The day will consist of a morning of talks and in the afternoon attendees will have the opportunity to engage in stimulating interactive sessions to broaden their understanding and approach to these issues. We are announcing the line up of high-profile speakers and organisations throughout the coming weeks. Tickets are available from St George’s Student Union website and you can stay up to date through our Facebook Page.
Tickets: https://www.sgsu.org.uk/ents/event/794/
Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/742508639247932/

Doctors Against Diesel Workshop
2017-02-22 18:30 - 20:30 UTC | Royal College of GPs, 30 Euston Square, London, NW1 2FB, United Kingdom
This is the first meeting of the recently formed campaign Doctors Against Diesel. We invite nurses, doctors and allied health professionals to join us to learn about health and diesel, discuss health messaging, and share ideas for how health professionals can support the wider campaign for a rapid phase out of diesel vehicles.
Prof. Jonathan Grigg, author of the Royal Colleges Report Every Breath We Take will summarise the evidence and campaign so far. Then we’d like your feedback on a range of ideas that we will present, as well as listen to any ideas that you can bring to the meeting. There will be no time commitment beyond the meeting, but of course any support you can give to the campaign will be valuable.

Climate Refugees, The Climate Crisis and Population Displacement - Building a Trade Union and Civil Society Response
2017-02-11 10:00 - 17:00 UTC | NUT Conference Centre, Hamilton House, Mabledon Place, Euston, , London, WC1H 9BD, United Kingdom
This conference from the Campaign Against Climate Change Trade Union Group aims to dispel refugee myths, work on a new Protocol for the international protection of those affected by climate change, raise demands for stronger action, and agree a climate refugees campaign statement.
Expert Contributions from:
Prof Joanna Haigh (Grantham Institute at Imperial College), Asad Rehman (FoE), Clara Paillard (PCS), Amjad Abdulla (Alliance of Small Island States tbc), Dave Green (FBU), Sharan Burrow (ITUC, tbc), Wilf Sullivan (TUC), Zak Cochrane (Stand Up To Racism), NUT, PSI, Zita Holbourne (PCS), Jonathan Neale (Global Climate Jobs), Suzanne Jeffery (Campaign Against Climate Change), and more.
Four Workshops on:

Unions and campaigns for climate jobs.
Raising awareness of climate change impacts at national and global level.
Unions and campaign groups challenging xenophobia and hostility to refugees and migrants.
Joint work to draft a new Protocol for the international protection of those affected by climate change.

Panel Debate on Overconsumption vs. Overpopulation - KCL Sustainability Week
2017-02-08 18:30 - 20:00 UTC | King’s College London – Strand Building, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom
What is the true driver of environmental, social and economic disorder in the 21st century?
The world is confronted with a multitude of environmental, social and economic challenges.
How do we contain global warming? How do we feed, provide for and educate the 10, 11 or even 12 billion people expected this century? And what about biodiversity? Surely, the fishes, insects and animals need a home too? After all, they were here first.
It is unquestionable that a rapidly growing global population places additional pressures on our ecosystems, communities and politics. But is mitigating the above challenges merely a question of reducing or stabilising population growth? Or is challenging and changing our consumptive ways the answer, particularly as we are consuming more resources than in any other time in the history of civilization?
Is there room for 12 billion to thrive if we change our diet, switch to renewable energy across the globe or implement genuinely progressive reforms to wealth redistribution and land access?
Addressing these questions with evidence, compassion and an open-mind will be key to ensuring a stable planet with thriving citizens for centuries to come.
We encourage you join us as and a diverse panel of speakers as we get to grips with one of the defining issues of our time in one of our headline events for Sustainability Week 2017.
The event will be chaired by Olivia Preston, Operations Sustainability Manager at King’s and panellists include:

Asad Rehman – Senior Climate Campaigner, Friends of the Earth
Kate Raworth – Author of Doughnut Economics and Visiting Research Associate, Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute
Alistair Currie – Head of Campaigns, Population Matters
David Powell – Environment Lead, New Economics Foundation

Entry is on a first come, first serve basis.
For details of other events happening during Sustainability Week, please visit our blog:
http://blogs.kcl.ac.uk/sustainability/week/

Emergency Protest - UK Doctors & Nurses in Solidarity With Syria
2016-12-17 14:00 UTC
Healthcare workers of the UK: grab your uniforms and activate the power of your voice. The bloodshed must stop now.
Join Medact for a solidarity action at Parliament Square next Saturday. We hope to add our voices to the demands of the Syrian and the international humanitarian and medical community for the following:1. End both indiscriminate and targeted attacks on civilians, hospitals and schools across Syria;2. Pressure the Syrian government to allow delivery of aid to besieged cities in Syria;3. Demand the UK government conduct airdrops of aid;4. Provide safe passage to all trapped including the remaining 100,000 people in Aleppo;5. Grant asylum to refugees.
The protest is being organised by Medact’s Arms & Militarisation group (MAM) in collaboration with Syria solidarity activist groups. All are welcome.
When
Saturday 17th December, at 2pm
Where
Parliament Square, London SW1P 3JX
Bring your scrubs/uniform and stethoscopes.
See the Facebook page for more details.

Are we still in the Age of Stupid?
2016-12-09 19:00 - 20:30 (Europe/London)
The Age of Stupid was an award-winning film made in 2009. Set in 2055, in a world ravaged by catastrophic climate change, an archivist (Pete Postlethwaite) reviews archival footage back “when we could have saved ourselves”, trying to discern where it all went wrong. Seven years on from the film’s release, do we still need to ask if we are living in ‘the age of stupid?’
Join Age of Stupid producer Lizzie Gillet, Guardian’s environment editor John Vidal, Chief Executive of London Cycling Campaign Ashok Sinha, and The Grantham Institute for Climate Change’s Professor Joanna Haigh, to review clips from the original film and explore the question – Are we still in the Age of Stupid?

Forum 2016 - Healthy Planet, Better World
2016-12-09 - 2016-12-10 | Friends House, 173-177 Euston Rd, Kings Cross, , London , NW1 2BJ, United Kingdom
Human health is dependent on a healthy environment. Yet we are damaging ecosystems and depleting natural resources in ways that undermine our ability to sustain healthy and equitable societies.
Climate change, desertification, ocean acidification and biodiversity loss are among many ecological threats to health. These impact on health via multiple pathways that include reducing food and water security, altering disease patterns, increasing the frequency of extreme weather events, and multiplying the risk of conflict.
The threats posed by climate change and wider environmental degradation are serious. According to a Lancet-UCL Commission, climate change could be “sufficient to trigger a discontinuity in the long-term progression of humanity”. Indeed, on the basis of current emission trajectories, “temperature rises in the next 85 years may be incompatible with an organised global community”.
However, the challenge this represents also presents a number of opportunities to promote health, both short and long-term. These include reducing air pollution, promoting active forms of transport, healthier food systems, and working towards a fairer, more equal economy and society.
The health community has both a mandate and an interest in calling for the social, political and economic actions required to mitigate and adapt to environmental change.
For more details about the event see: the conference page
For recordings and resources see: presentation resources from the conference

The Man Who Saved The World - film screening by Medact Tyneside
2016-11-04 19:30 - 21:30 (Europe/London)
A film screening organised by Medact Tyneside. Tickets £5. For more details, see the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/484547781735762/ Or contact Elizabeth Waterston.

Risking their Health - Children in the Armed Forces
2016-10-18 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
Speakers include: Joe Glenton (Afghanistan veteran, author of ‘Soldier Box’, and journalist) Sally Slotowitz (a psychologist, and an author of the report, David Gee (Author of ‘Spectacle, Reality and Resistance: Confronting a Culture of Militarism and UK Coordinator of Child Soldiers International)
This is the launch of Britain’s only public health report into the long term health impacts of the British military’s recruitment of children. The UK is the only country in Europe to recruit 16 year olds and the only permanent member of the UN Security Council to recruit under 18s into the armed forces. It faces pressure from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the UK’s Joint Committee on Human Rights and many other organisations to raise the recruitment age to 18, the age of majority.
Medact’s report details the risks to health that are disproportionately faced by child recruits, including self-harm, suicide, death or injury from combat, and post-traumatic stress disorder. It also examines how recruitment is concentrated in areas of socio-economic disadvantage, and how this and other recruitment practices lead to those children who are most vulnerable to trauma-related health problems ending up on the front line.

The launch event will feed medical evidence into the national campaign to increase the minimum age of army recruitment to 18. We hope that it will also engage the local population in Brighton in thinking about what we can do in local schools and clubs to get young people, teachers, and parents talking more openly about militarisation.
We will be providing attendees with a copy of the report, and a ForcesWatch ‘Education not Militarisation’ toolkit to help them find ways to derail the militarist narrative and campaign against militarisation in educational institutions.

Brighton University, School of Humanities (Room G7), Pavilion Parade, (Pavilion street entrance) BN2 1RD**
** Directions from Brighton Station: Exit Brighton train station by the main entrance and walk down the footpath straight ahead. You’ll pass several bus stops on the right and then join a high street with shops on either side called Queens Road. Go down Queens Road and take the third left onto Church Street. As you’re going down Church Street, cross over and walk on the right hand side of the road. After 5 minutes the follow the pavement as it bends round to the right, and carry on past the traffic lights. Cross over at the next set of traffic lights and carry on down the road. There will be a park on the right and an unobstructed view of Brighton Pavilion. When you see this, you will be just outside the Humanities building.

East London People’s Health Assembly
2016-10-07 - 2016-10-09
The London People’s Health Movement (PHM), in collaboration with local organisations including Keep Our NHS Public, Docs not Cops, Social Action for Health, Medact and Queen Mary’s University , is organising a three-day People’s Health Assembly in East London in October 2016. This event will follow the tradition of the global PHM in working closely with local organisations, building on local knowledge and strengthening local networks in the continuing struggle for equity and the right to health.
Why attend this event
Recent political events have laid bare the divisions that run through our society. While our leaders are deserting us, newly politicised people seek to forge a new path. But what form will this change take? For over five years, the public sector has been struggling under austerity measures, and poverty is on the rise. The People’s Health Assembly will look at the fractures within our community, how they affect health, and how people are mobilising to fight back and ensure better physical and mental health outcomes. The assembly is being held in East London and aims to be inclusive, community-led and address local concerns.
Issues:
The Assembly will explore some of the most critical local concerns: – The NHS: what are the current challenges to providing universal healthcare, free at the point of use? – Housing: what are the impacts of gentrification on wellbeing? How is your community resisting rent hikes and eviction? – Migrants: how have xenophobia and the recent rise in hate crimes affected your community? How has migration enriched East London?Please get in touch if you would like to participate!
PHALondon2016@gmail.com

Medact Oxford Launch - Moving forward with hospital food
2016-09-28 18:00 - 19:30 UTC
Hospital food is key to the wellbeing of patients and staff alike. Interest in improving hospital food is gathering momentum. Join us for some locally produced nibbles at 6pm followed at 6.30pm by speakers Liz Atherton (Medact), Sam Williamson (Public Health Registrar) and the Oxford Food Network. Come and find out about the improvements that are already being made and how we can all help to move towards healthier and more sustainable hospital food. All welcome. For more information and to keep up to date see the facebook events page

Lecture Theatre 1, John Radcliffe Hospital

AGM 2016
2016-09-17 11:00 - 17:00 UTC
All members welcome! There is time to join if you are not yet a member.
The date for this year’s Annual General Meeting is Saturday 17th September, and the location is confirmed at LSHTM (see below).
This year’s Annual General Meeting will take place on Saturday 17th September, 11-12.45 in the Rose Room, LSHTM. The formal proceedings of the AGM – including elections to the Board of Trustees and voting on Motions – will take place in the morning. This will be followed in the afternoon by workshops from 13.30 – 16.30 focusing on the activities of Medact’s Arms & Militarisation group and Refugee Solidarity group. The former will be introduced by Andrew Feinstein, internationally acclaimed author of The Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade; and the latter by Rohan Talbot of Medical Aid for Palestinians, who will discuss their new campaign calling for equal access to aid and protection for Palestinian refugees from Syria.
All Medact members are welcome to attend.
The AGM is the business meeting of Medact and serves three main functions:

A chance for members to receive an update and ask questions about the last year of Medact’s work and our future plans;
Elections to the Board of Trustees;
Voting on motions, e.g. Amendments to the constitution.

The AGM is also a good chance to meet Board members and office staff. All AGM papers (motions and nominations) will be available on-line on this dedicated page. In the past we have sent all papers in the post, but having everything on-line saves us both time and money.
WORKSHOPS (13.30 – 16.30):
The meeting will be followed by workshops, starting with one led by Medact’s Arms & Militarisation group, followed by a workshop led by Medact’s Refugee Solidarity group. Please see below for further details. Come and hear about their exciting work and future plans. All members are welcome!
Health and the International Arms Trade
Delivered by the Medact Arms and Militarisation Group, and introduced by Andrew Feinstein, author of ‘the Shadow World: Inside the Global Arms Trade.’
The Medact Arms and Militarisation group are a new group of Medact members who are developing projects and campaigns that harness the voice of the health community to combat the militarisation of society and illuminate and campaign against the devastating impacts of the international arms trade on health and health systems across the world. This workshop will explore militarisation and the arms trade as drivers of global ill-health. It will also discuss the specific relationship between health workers, arms, militarisation and violent conflict. The arms control group will present their current campaign against the UK’s sale of arms to Saudi Arabia, and discuss upcoming events and new projects into health workers’ conscientious objection to military taxation and to the militarisation of health education, campaigns against the bombing of hospitals and healthcare facilities in war zones, and research into the damage done to Syria’s health systems.
Access to Healthcare Rights in the UK
Delivered by the Medact Refugee Solidarity Group on behalf of Doctors of the World, and introduced by Rohan Talbot from Medical Aid for Palestinians
The Medact Refugee Solidarity group are a new group of Medact members who are working to raise awareness and mobilise the health community to advocate for the rights of forced migrants. Their work stretches across education, advocacy and direct action. At this workshop they will be launching their new Education project in which they will be delivering training from Doctors of the World on access to healthcare rights in universities and workplaces across the UK. They are looking to form a collective of healthcare students and professionals who can deliver this training. No previous experience is required, you simply need to attend a training session – and they will be delivering the first of these in this workshop! At the workshop, you will hear more about the group and their other areas of work. They will then give an overview of the asylum process and immigration statuses, before exploring entitlement to healthcare in the UK, barriers to accessing this healthcare, how to identify victims of trafficking and modern day slavery, and why defending access to healthcare is important. Read more about the groups here.
Date/Time:
Saturday 17th September, from 11:00 until 12:45 (followed by workshops in the afternoon from 13.30 – 16.30. Lunch is not provided but there are many food outlets nearby.)
Location:
The Rose Room – London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (map: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/contact/keppel_st_lower_ground_floor_map.pdf )

Resolutions proposed for Medact Annual General Meeting 17 September 2016

The AGM agrees to remove Richard Maule as Auditor with effect from 17 September 2016.
The AGM agrees to appoint Judith Brookfield of Brookfield Accountants, London SW2, as Independent Examiner with effect from 17 September 2016.
The AGM agrees that approval of the 2015/16 accounts is delegated to the Board of Trustees.
The AGM agrees that the fixing of the remuneration of the Independent Examiner is delegated to the Board of Trustees.
The AGM resolves by Special Resolution that the amendments contained in Resolution 6 from the AGM in 2014 be deleted.

(as of 13 September 2016)
Proposed new Trustees
Alice Bell is head of communications at the climate charity, 10:10, with responsibility for media strategy, supporter engagement, profile raising and outreach. Alice previously worked as an academic and writer specialising in the politics of science, technology and medicine. She has degrees in history of science, sociology of education, and science communication. She’s also lectured in science communication at Imperial and set up an interdisciplinary undergraduate course on climate change for the college. She was Head of Public Engagement at Sussex’s Science Policy Research Unit and has taught at UCL and City University’s Journalism School. As a journalist, she’s written for a range of publications including the Guardian, Open Democracy, the Observer, the Times, Times Higher, Research Fortnight, Al Jazeera, China Dialogue, Red Pepper and the Wellcome Trust’s Mosaic magazine. As a student she worked part-time at the Science Museum and, if you ask nicely, will tell you how to set fire to bubbles.
Judy El-Bushra has long-standing experience in development and peacebuilding NGOs, mainly focused on East and Central Africa and the Horn of Africa. Through this work she gained experience in project design and management, training, research and evaluation, as well as grant-related fundraising and strategic and organisational management. Thematically her main interest is in gender and peacebuilding, a subject in which she has been researching, publishing and advising for the last 20 or so years. She was a founder member of the Ammerdown Group of peacebuilding specialists working on a new approach to UK security policy.
Jo Howard is a Solicitor in the Public and Regulatory Law team at Bates Wells Braithwaite, the leading charity law firm in the UK. BWB has led on various legal reforms that have impacted on the whole charitable sector, for example the rewriting of guidance on political campaigning for charities. During her training at BWB, Jo worked with clients ranging from household-name charities to start-ups and advised on a range of matters including governance, membership issues, data protection and charity administration. In her new role, Jo will advise on a range of public and regulatory law matters, such as judicial review, public inquiries and health and social care. Jo has a particular focus on information law, education and healthcare. Jo has previously served as a Trustee of The Squad Club in Merton.
Paul Cotterill trained as a nurse, before specialising in ophthalmics. After work in London and Switzerland he spent several years in Bangladesh, India and Tanzania, primarily with aid agency Concern Worldwide. Returning to the UK in the late 1990s, Paul became involved in urban regeneration and community development work. He lives in Lancashire. He has been a trustee to several charities, including the Lankelly Chase Foundation and has had governance roles in primary and higher education. He is currently Chair of Governors at a secondary school in Skelmersdale, Lancashire. He has also been a magistrate and a Non-Executive Director in the NHS. He still fancies himself as a decent left arm swing bowler, despite being very clearly over the hill. Don’t ever get him on his favourite author, Franz Kafka, or he’ll bore you to tears.
If you wish to submit a motion, or would like to stand for election to the Board, please contact the office by telephone on 0207 324 4739 or email office@medact.org.

Paper crane folding day for Hiroshima commemoration
2016-08-16 10:30 - 12:00 (Europe/London)
To be held at Jesmond Library St Georges Terrace Jesmond Newcastle upon Tyne

Nuclear Convoy meeting
2016-07-31 10:00 (Europe/London)
At Broad Acre House Market St Newcastle upon Tyne

Humanity in Healthcare - Training the Trainer
2016-07-14 09:00 - 13:30 (Europe/London)
The Medact Refugee Solidarity Group, in partnership with Doctors of the World UK, are currently working on an education project to deliver access to healthcare training in universities and workplaces across the UK. We are hoping to form a collective of healthcare students and professionals who can undergo training and then deliver this across the country. Anna Miller, Right to Care project lead from DOTW, will be delivering this training to Medact members. This will include a three hour training session and time for tea/coffee and chance to discuss getting involved with the Medact Refugee Solidarity group. We need to have a rough idea of numbers so if interested please confirm attendance via refugeesolidarity@medact.org. If you are unable to make the training but keen to get involved we are also holding our next meeting the same evening, at 6.30pm. Look forward to seeing you there. Medact Refugee Solidarity Group

Launch of Shale Gas Production in England Report
2016-07-07 10:00 - 12:00 UTC
Medact are launching an update of our 2015 report Health and Fracking. Since the release of the first teport over 350 new peer reviewed studies have been published, with significant implications for health locally, and climate change globe.
Dr David McCoy. Director of Medact, and Professor John Middleton, in-coming President of the Faculty of Public Health, will present the findings of an updated analysis of available evidence, and be available for questions.

This is an update of Medact’s 2015 report Health and Fracking.
Since the first report was released Medact’s director David McCoy has provided expert witness testimony to the public inquiry into fracking in Lancashire.
The launch will take place in the same week that the Secretary of State Greg Clark will receive a recommendation from Wendy McKay, the inspector who chaired the inquiry into fracking in Lancashire, on whether to overrule the local planning decision regarding Cuadrilla’s application to explore for shale gas.
We are currently awaiting release of a report by the Committee on Climate Change about the implications of fracking for climate change.

The event is free to attend but spaces are limited so please register.
Read the report: Shale Gas Production in England – an updated public health assessment

Blair Protest - Chilcot: Time for Truth and Justice
2016-07-06 10:00 - 12:00 (Europe/London)
After a seven year wait the Chilcot Report is finally going to be published on June 6th. Despite its astounding length (2.3 million words) it is highly likely that it will fall short of an outright condemnation of the Iraq war and fail to apportion blame to those who were truly responsible for the catastrophe. We are joining this protest on the day of publication outside the QEII Centre to demand #IraqTruthAndJustice

Tracking Health Through Peace
2016-07-04 18:00 - 20:00 (Europe/London)
Medact and Queen Mary University London (QMUL) are holding an event called ‘Tracking Health Through Peace‘ on July 4.
The panel discussion and Q&A will be held at the Morris Lecture Theatre in the Robin Brooke Centre, from 6-8pm. We are offering a limited number of free tickets to people who email us at healthpeace@medact.org ! The discussion will be based around the latest report from the Global Peace Index, which is the world’s pre-eminent think tank measuring peace. There is a growing global inequality in peace, and low peace levels have a profound impact on health systems and health indicators. Academics and campaigners working on peace and health will be tying in this latest research on peace levels with national health indicators. They will also discuss the development and importance of the movement for peace in the health community.
Speakers:

Helen Tanner, Global Peace Index Ambassador

Dr Frank Boulton, Medact trustee and medical academic

Dr Helen Leveret, Medact Refugee Solidarity Group

Ben Clavey, Medact Arms Control Group

Chaired by Dr Jonathan Kennedy from Queen Mary University London (QMUL)
To register, please visit: https://www.tickettailor.com/buy-tickets/57950/6ae6 An event poster is also available: here Please do promote this event in any way you can – on social media or via your various networks. We use #healthpeace for all Health Through Peace events and campaigns.

Health and Fracking Masterclass
2016-06-10 11:00 - 16:30 UTC
The prospect of unconventional shale gas production through hydraulic fracturing has become a contentious public health issue worldwide. Medact are organising this masterclass in partnership with the Faculty of Public Health, the aim of which is to provide an opportunity for public health professionals to learn about the process of high volume hydraulic fracturing for shale gas production, the role that shale gas may play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the social, economic and health impacts of shale gas production.
Listen to audio recordings from the event:

Speakers
Dr David McCoy, Dr Patrick Saunders, Dr Jo Hawkins, Dr Grant Allen, Professor John Middleton, Professor David Smythe, Professor Ernest Rutter, Professor Simon Capewell
Programme
11:00 Welcome and Introductions, Alice Munro
11:15 Overview of Fracking and its impact on health, Dr David McCoy
11:50 Risk to human health from direct exposures to hazards, Dr Patrick Saunders, followed by questions
12:30 Lunch
13:15 Fracking and Regulatory Issues, Dr Jo Hawkins
14:00 Climate change Impacts of Fracking: Emerging science from the USA and the potential for translation to the UK, Dr Grant Allen
14:45 Coffee break
15:00 Panel discussion: Uncertainties Regarding Health and Fracking Chair: John Middleton. Prof. David Smythe, Prof. Ernest Rutter and Prof Simon Capewell
16:30 Close
17:00 Drinks at Three Tuns, Lee Croft, Sheffield

Health Needs of Forced Migrants
2016-05-27 09:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London)
Medact Member Sophie North is on the organising committee for the following conference at the University of East Anglia. For more info contact Sophie or email migranthealth@uea.ac.uk
Do you work with Asylum Seekers, Refugees, Individuals who have been Trafficked and People from other Migrant Groups?
Are you interested in providing support to individuals from such communities?
If so, we would like to inform you about a very exciting upcoming conference at the University of East Anglia on the 27th of May 2016.
This conference is bringing together many of the leaders in this field to offer unique and exciting training and networking opportunities to delegates on how best to support asylum seekers, unaccompanied asylum seeking children, refugees, individuals who have been trafficked and people from other migrant groups.
Key Note Speakers include:

Maurice Wren, Chief Executive of The Refugee Council
Alex Fraser, Head of Refugee Support at the British Red Cross
Dr Angela Burnett, Lead Doctor, London Clinic of Freedom from Torture
Andrew Keefe, Director of National Clinical Services, Freedom from Torture
Gervais Koulungou-Mambs, British Red Cross, Norwich
A panel of ‘Experts by Experience’ from across the globe

An array of workshops will allow delegates time to explore areas which are of particular relevance to their field of work.
Workshops include:

Supporting survivors of human trafficking, Dr Sian Oram, Lecturer in Women’s Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, Kings College London
Honour Based Violence, Bal Howard, Suffolk Constabulary
Working with Survivors of Torture, Dr Frank Arnold, Medact
Exploring the Mental Health Needs of Forced Migrant Groups, Professor Cornelius Katona, Medical Director of the Helen Bamber Foundation
Addressing Sexual Health in Migrant Groups, Samantha Gilliham, Doctors of the World
Supporting Pregnant Asylum Seeking Women, Rosalind Bragg, Director of Maternity Action
Supporting Asylum Seeking Children, Clare Shortall, Family Clinic Lead, Doctors of the World
“No choices about me without me” Hearing Voices from a panel of Experts by Experience
Working across languages, Nicky Glegg, Translation Consultant

Places cost £120 or £80 for students and charities. To secure a place please book now at https://www.uea.ac.uk/medicine-health-sciences/continuing-professional-development/mhc

Health Through Peace Cornwall
2016-05-14 10:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London)
Medact believes that health professionals have an important role to play in working towards peace and a more sustainable idea of security. In November 2015, we ran the ‘Health Through Peace’ conference which saw 700 members of the health community come together to discuss the impact of war, violence and militarism on health. Since then, a growing group of health students and professionals have been taking forward the energy and vision of this conference, campaigning on issues from refugee rights and healthcare, to nuclear weapons and the arms trade. We want to engage with members of the health community alongside peace and social activists across the UK, to discuss how we can build and strengthen the health through peace movement over the coming months and years. We need to harness our collective skills and energy, and work together to be effective drivers of a strong and sustainable movement for peace. At the Health Through Peace Workshop in Truro on May 14, 2016 we will be discussing how we can build a progressive movement for peace in the health community there. All are welcome – join us to plan how we can work together towards a more peaceful, healthier world. Register your place here! Facilitated by Medact, and Helen Tanner Training and Consultancy.

Medact London Launch - film night screening 'The Divide'
2016-05-05 18:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London)
Medact members in London are joining together to form a local group! To celebrate the launch of Medact London, they are screening “The Divide” on 5th May at the Lush shop on Oxford Street, and the director Katharine Round will be attending for a Q&A session. The film aims to explore the growing gap between the rich and the poor in the UK and the US. It is inspired by the book “the Spirit Level” by Kate Pickett and Richard Wilkinson. http://thedividedocumentary.com/about Trailer: http://thedividedocumentary.com/trailer?r Tickets cost £4.50, and can be purchased here. We hope to see you there!

Oxford Health Through Peace Network Day
2016-04-16 10:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
Medact believes that health professionals are uniquely placed to address the root drivers of war and conflict; and to work towards peace and a more sustainable idea of security. In November 2015, we ran the ‘Health Through Peace’ conference which saw 700 members of the health community come together to discuss the impact of war, violence and militarism on health.
Since then, a growing group of health students and professionals have been taking forward the energy and vision of this conference. See more about their recent activity on this page!
We need to harness our collective skills and energy, and work together to be effective drivers of a strong and sustainable movement for peace. The Oxford Health Through Peace Network Day is an opportunity for health professionals and students working on issues related to peace and security in and around Oxford to network, promote their campaigns and events, and more generally begin to work as partners in the Health Through Peace movement. It’s also an opportunity for members of the health community who wish to be involved in the movement to find out more!
If you would like to join us, please get in touch with Rhianna at rhiannalouise@medact.org

Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics and Medact Conference 2016
2016-04-14 09:45 - 16:30 UTC
Resources from the event are now available on this page
Antibiotics and Farming: Prescriptions for change
14th April 2016, Kennedy Lecture Theatre, Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, WC1N 1EH
The critical nature of antimicrobial resistance has been well documented by experts across the globe, and the inappropriate use of drugs in livestock farming is widely recognised as a contributory risk.
The UK Government-appointed O’Neill Review found that there is “compelling” scientific evidence that antibiotic resistance is being transmitted from farm animals to humans and states that this warrants a significant reduction in farm antibiotic use. The recent finding of colistin-resistant E. coli from pigs and humans in England and Wales is the latest sign that the future efficacy of our antibiotics is under threat.
And yet, the overuse of these vital medicines within the farming sector continues. Across Europe, twice as many antibiotics are used in farm animals than are used in humans. Routine, purely preventative dosing of groups of healthy animals remains legal within the EU, despite opposition from the European Medicines Agency and several European countries. In the UK, veterinary use of antibiotics classified as “critically important for humans” is at an all-time high.
Our conference will bring together multi-disciplinary stakeholders; from policy-makers, health professionals, livestock farmers and veterinarians, to scientists, civil-society and environmental groups. The event will explore practical steps to reduce farm antibiotic use; drawing on successful interventions taking place across the EU.
Download the full Agenda here
Travel
Train – King’s Cross and Euston mainline railway stations are within walking distance and the Institute is easily accessible by underground from other national and international rail terminals including Charing Cross, Waterloo, Victoria, Marylebone, Paddington and Liverpool Street. The closest underground stations are Holborn on the Central Line and Russell Square on the Piccadilly Line.
Parking – There are no parking facilities for delegates but there are National Car Parks in Marchmont Street and Judd Street. There are also meters on the roads adjacent to the Institute.
A map is also available from the institute’s website
Facilities for the disabled
All the conference facilities including the lecture theatre are easily accessible by wheelchair and the theatre is fitted with an induction loop system. Please confirm if you would like to make use of these facilities.
Refreshments
Tea and coffee will be provided as will a sandwich lunch. Please let us know as soon as possible if you have any dietary requirements.
For more information, please contact Claire cwest@saveourantibiotics.eu, 07814 910 295
The Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics is a coalition of health, medical, environmental and animal welfare groups campaigning to stop the overuse of antibiotics in animal farming. It was founded by Compassion in World Farming, the Soil Association and Sustain and is supported by the Jeremy Coller Foundation
Medact is a London-based global health charity whose goal is to inspire and enable health professionals to act on the social, political, ecological and economic determinants of health and health inequality. Its work with Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics is part of a larger body of work supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
