Global
USC Students Help Jamaican Children
- USC School of Pharmacy students Aubrey Monreau and Ruth Awosika talk to Jamaican children about poison prevention.
By Gabrielle Olya on January 25, 2010 7:38 AM
Over the holiday break, 10 USC School of Pharmacy students traveled to Jamaica for a service-learning project.
The mission was to develop a global-active pharmacy voice while volunteering and learning about Jamaica’s health infrastructure.
Among the students participating were Aubrey Monreau, Saleema Kapadia, Toni Codling-Garrett, Susan Won, Christina Yu and Ruth Awosika, all members of the Student National Pharmaceutical Association. Other USC participants were undergraduates Abimbola Oduguwa, Keshia Groves, Ayeetin Azah and Iyesha Robinson, members of the African Americans in Health Organization.
The trip included gift-giving of toys and clothes donated by USC students and faculty members, as well as learning sessions. The pharmacy focused sessions gave the USC students a chance to speak with children and teenagers about poison prevention, HIV/AIDS awareness and hygiene. The lessons included puppet shows and sing-alongs.
“Project Jamaica was a rewarding, life-changing experience we all will never forget,” said lead coordinator Awosika. “I honestly wouldn’t know where to start telling you in words how exciting it was working with the children and meeting the beautiful people of Jamaica.”
During the trip, students visited the pediatric ward of the Cornwall Regional hospital, the Blossoms Gardens and SOS Village orphanages, the Westhaven Home for the Physically Challenged and the Genderville Safety Home for teenage girls.
In addition to providing toys, clothes and health education information to the children at these centers, the students had the opportunity to meet with the Caribbean Association of Pharmacists executive members, the Jamaica minister of health and the senior medical officer and pharmacy department supervisor at Cornwall Regional Hospital. They also met with the University of Technology School of Pharmacy administration, which is establishing the first PharmD program in the Carribbean.
“We felt like we were able to bring the Christmas spirit everywhere we went, from the little ones sick in the hospital to those living in safety homes and orphanages,” Awosika said. “We might be many miles away, but the children and administrators of the facilities now know that someone cares.”
Awosika looks forward to the next Project Jamaica. “Every site has asked us to promise to return, and we must return to continue and develop a true relationship with the children; it’s not just a one-time thing.”
TAGS: honors and awards, pharmacy
Latest Global stories
- USC Team Mends Discord in Mexico January 30, 2012 1:55 PM
- Ostrow School Resident Provides Care in Thailand January 27, 2012 8:17 AM
- Mexico Program Targets Care for Mentally Ill January 23, 2012 10:28 AM
-
For Journalists »
-
USC in the News
for 2/8/2012 »-
The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
-
-
Campus News
- Capital Connections
- USC faculty, staff and alumni in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento
- In Print
- New and recent books written or edited by USC faculty and staff
- Family Matters
- Achievements and awards
- Obituaries