Medact

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

Health Through Peace Skillshare
2016-04-09 10:00 - 16:30 (Europe/London)
On April 9th, we’re holding a Health Through Peace Skillshare, where you can gain some campaigning skills and connect with the current Health Through Peace action groups.
10.00 – 10.30: Welcome and Introductions Please bring an item/photograph to share that speaks to you personally about the health peace movement, or your involvement/interest in campaigning/activism.
10.30 – 12.30: Nuclear Weapons: Campaigning effectively as health professionals With speaker training from Rebecca Sharkey (ICAN) and a discussion on nuclear weapons and health led by Frank Boulton (Medact)

The detonation of just one nuclear weapon in or over a city, whether by accident or design, would have utterly devastating health consequences. The most immediate effects are heat and blast, which immediately kill tens of thousands near the epicentre and affect more tens of thousands lucky enough to be a little further out or relatively sheltered. In addition, powerful X-rays can cause acute radiation syndrome which, even in the absence of physical injuries, can kill within hours or days. Finally, highly radioactive ‘fission products’ within the mushroom cloud fall out onto ground downwind from the detonation, causing further radiation damage to exposed people and animals. Even those who have no physical injury are at higher risk of contracting leukaemias or other cancers in later life. Devastation of local health facilities mean that there will be no effective health care system for the survivors. At this workshop, you can learn more about how to campaign effectively about nuclear weapons as members of the health community.

12.30 – 13.30: Bring and Share lunch
13.30 – 15.00: Health vs. the Arms Trade Campaigning workshop led by Campaign Against the Arms Trade: UK-made weaponry has played a central role in Saudi Arabia’s attacks on Yemen. The UK has continued to support Saudi air strikes and provide arms– an astonishing £2.8 billion since the bombing started – despite strong evidence that war crimes may have been committed. Homes, schools and hospitals have been bombed, and CAAT is pursuing legal action against the UK government unless it stops arming Saudi Arabia. Join us to find out more about the UK arms trade and arms sales to Saudi, and get some practical ideas for action you can take to help to stop arming Saudi.
15.00: Coffee/Tea break 15.30 – 16.00: Update from the Medact Refugee Solidarity Group! 16.00 – 16.30: Reflections on the day and next steps! Please contact Rhianna at rhiannalouise@medact.org if you would like to come!

Medact seminar - Competence, Consent, Confidentiality, and Digital Security
2016-03-23 16:00 - 19:00 (Europe/London)
March 23, 2016 1600-1900h
Royal Society of Medicine 1 Wimpole St London W1G 0AE
Questions around informed patient consent are complicated enough for most UK citizens. When dealing with asylum seeking survivors of serious human rights abuses, these issues become substantially more complex. This is particularly true when permission is sought for audit, evaluation, research, and teaching and where the dissemination of patient-identifiable information carries significant risks to the patient and those they care about.
Programme
Each topic will be introduced by the named speaker followed by discussion Competence to give consent and to give evidence Cornelius Katona: Royal College of Psychiatrists Asylum Mental Health Working Group What are we seeking consent for? Frank Arnold: Medact anti-torture working group What constitutes adequately informed consent? Hugh Davies: Research Ethics Advisor – Health Research Authority Achieving digital security of confidential clinical information Steve Ross-Talbot: visiting professor of computer sciences, Kingston universityPlaces are limited, please book via Chris Venables at Medact: chrisvenables@medact.org This meeting is part of the series of seminars on documenting torture generously hosted at the RSM for Medact. Previous sessions have included:

Photo-documentation of torture scars
Going to court in asylum cases
Recognition of vulnerable persons subjected to administrative immigration detention.

Killing for Peace - launch of Medact Brighton
2016-03-16 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London)
Chair: Centre for applied Philosophy, Politics and Ethics, University of Brighton Speaker 1. (Veterans for Peace) Modern war on the ground Speaker 2. (Brighton University) Modern war from the air Speaker 3. (Doctors of the World) What we do to survivors who escape to the UK Speaker 4. (Medact) Modern wars – Syria: more like Vietnam than Spain We are in a state of permanent war across the Middle East punctuated by sporadic atrocities against Western populations. This has already lasted more than 13 years, and is spreading. The death, damage and displacement are immense and distributed across the globe, from Ramadi to London to Raqqa to Paris. It afflicts civilians, particularly children and women, but also those whose idealism and patriotism are abused in service of these misconceived conflicts. Western leaders have no rational plan to end the carnage. Indeed their every invasion, bombing, drone attack and arms sale adds to the disaster. We need a rational and humane way out of these blind alleys. We need to tell our leaders in terms they can’t ignore – too much is more than enough. Stop deluding yourselves and misleading us. Killing for peace won’t work. Most of us have sat through too many meetings harangued or anaesthetised by too many speakers. The audience will be given as much time as possible to contribute practical proposals; up to half the meeting will be given over to the floor. Please bring your ideas and energy. Book your ticket here!

Medact Refugee Solidarity Group meeting
2016-03-07 18:30 - 20:30 (Europe/London)
On Monday 7th March at 18.30, the Medact Refugee Solidarity Group will hold their second meeting at the Grayston Centre in London. The group will be creating placards for their next action, which is to take part in the Surround Yarslwood Demonstration on 12th March. They will also be discussing broader project ideas, along with specific plans for Refugee Week in June, and going to one of the Greek Islands to volunteer in support of refugees. All are welcome! If you’d like to join them, please get in touch with paulinelatil@medact.org

Stop Trident March & Rally
2016-02-27 12:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London)
Medact at the Stop Trident March and Rally Saturday 27th February at 12 noon in central London
Medact, emphasising the health impact and humanitarian consequences of the use of nuclear weapons, is one of the supporting organisations for the CND-led Stop Trident March and Rally being held in London on Saturday 27th February at 12 noon. Nuclear weapons are the most destructive and most indiscriminate instruments of war ever created. Their use—and even their possession—goes against every principle of international humanitarian law. Indeed, it is likely that humanity could not survive a nuclear war using even a fraction of the arsenals in existence today. In Spring or Summer of this year, the United Kingdom government will decide on whether to renew its Trident nuclear weapons system. It is very likely that the government, backed by Parliament, will commit to funding the total replacement of the current system – meaning we will have nuclear weapons well into the second half of the 21st century. In doing so, they will be ignoring the growing global movement that is calling for a total ban on nuclear weapons – as has happened with land-mines (1997) and cluster munitions (2008). The UK will also be undermining the potential role it could play as a global leader for nuclear disarmament – failing to recognise that nuclear weapons have no part to play in tackling the global crises we currently face. As the UK Government approaches this ‘Main Gate Decision’ on the renewal of Trident, we believe that now is the time to stand up and be counted. In the months and years to come, we need to build a stronger movement to create a more positive vision for health and security in the 21st century. Please join Medact staff, members and supporters (and thousands of others!) at 12 noon on Saturday 27th February in central London. We’re also hoping to meet up with other health professionals who are marching to highlight how diverting spending from Trident could help fund vital services within the National Health Service.
Where are we meeting?
We’ll be meeting at 11.30am in the Patisserie Valerie near Marble Arch for a pre-march coffee/hot-chocolate – and you’re very welcome to join us. Alternatively, meet us outside Patisserre Valerie at 12 noon, and we’ll head to the start of the march at Marble Arch together. After the march, we’ll head to Westminster Quaker Meeting House, where’ll there’s usually tea and coffee – and an escape from the cold! If you can’t find us on the day – please text or phone Chris Venables (07907 161 225) or Rhianna Louise (07714 194 714). Also, please join the Facebook event and follow us on Twitter.
Other sources of information about the march
CND Facebook Event / CND Event Webpage ‘Care Not Warfare’ Group Facebook Event

Click here to find out more about Medact’s position on Trident and nuclear disarmament.

Support Refugees Group Meeting
2016-02-15 18:30 - 20:00 (Europe/London)
On Monday 15th February at 18.30, we’re holding the first meeting of the new ‘health through peace’ Support Refugees group. If you would like to be part of this group of health professionals and students uniting in support of refugees in the UK, please join us to: – Discuss our vision, aims and activities – Discuss a skills/training session – Plan our first actions – such as our involvement in Refugee Week in June, and our presence at the Surround Yarslwood demonstration on 12th March All are welcome – get in touch with paulinelatil@medact.org if you’d like to join us!

Medact Newcastle - Tax & Health
2016-02-04 19:00 (Europe/London)
Medact Tyneside and Medsin present Taxing Health a lecture by Dr Guddi Singh on The Relationship Between Tax and Human Health. Dr Guddi Singh is a Medact member, now training in Paediatrics in London. She has a Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard University and has previously worked with the World Health Organisation. She is passionate about social justice, human health and challenging barriers to access to health.
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Thursday 4th February at 7.00 pm Barbara Strang Teaching Centre G.36 Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle All welcome ~ Admission free

Health Through Peace - 'Next Steps' Workshop
2016-01-16 10:30 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
On the 16th January 2016 from 10.30 – 17.00, we will be holding a workshop at the Medact offices in London. This is an opportunity for anyone who wants to be a part of the #healthpeace movement to meet, and plan together the next steps we can take over the coming year. The workshop will be fun, action-focused and a springboard for the revitalisation of the #healthpeace movement following the November conference. Are you able to join us to plan the next steps of the Health Peace movement on 16th January? Please fill in the form at the end of this page or get in touch for more information. You can also join the workshop’s facebook page here. Health Through Peace 2015 - Join the movement!Watch this video on YouTube 16th January Workshop Draft Agenda 10.30 – 11.00 – Arrivals, Tea and Coffee 11.00 – 11.40 – Welcome and Introductions 11.40 – 12.00 – Introduction to the health peace movement 12.00 – 12.30 – Building a movement 12.30 – 1.30 – Lunch 1.30 – 2.45 – Action Planning 2.45 – 3.15 – Coffee 3.15 – 4.30 – Next Steps 4.30 – 5.00 – Reflections on the day

Short Film Screenings: Critical Degrees
2015-12-08 14:15 - 17:45 (Europe/London)
As world leaders gather in Paris to discuss a new possible agreement to reduce the threat of climate change, Medact and Shorts On Tap are inviting young people to join us for an exploration of this critical issue, at the foremost institution for film, the BFI Southbank on Tuesday, December 8th. We will present a selection of short films and documentaries, followed by a panel discussion, featuring special guests and experts. This is a FREE EVENT – all welcome. Please register here. We’re targeting this event towards students and young people because it is important that these generations have an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions. Doors open at 2:15pm (BFI NFT2 screen) Films screening start at 3pm Show ends approximately at 4:45pm @ShortsOnTap @Medact @BFI #COP21 #CLIMATECHANGE #LoveShortFilm
