Newsletters

MIH Can October 2023 Issue

October 2023 | Issue 6

In this issue:

Message from the Founder           

I'm thrilled to share some exciting updates from our collaborative—which may be the only global public health organization that works to boost systems of integrative health. We've been on an incredible journey of growth and progress.

Since my Fellowship at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, we've welcomed new members, including some highly acclaimed scholars from Harvard University. We have also been honored to welcome two founding members of the Boston Women’s Health Collective, creators of the life-changing books, Our Bodies Our Selves. This expansion of our membership is very positive. Our organization has also seen a significant uptick in team diversification. We now have teams focused on film, social media, human resources, senior administration, research, knowledge translation, and more. And yes, we're changing our name so we have a team for that too. Additionally, we're pleased to announce we've established a Board of Directors, a vital step in our organizational evolution.

Our webinars, held every two weeks, highlight scholarly and practical ways to improve health of young ones, women or the environment, with leading lights from around the world. They are now being co-sponsored by the Women's Health Research Network, composed of alumni from the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health’s Takemi Program in International Health. This collaboration is enhancing our events and bolstering our knowledge-sharing efforts.

We are delighted that we have completed projects such as Wellbeing Convene during COVID-19, And Still She Rises, the Break the Stigma Campaign and others. Notably, Dr. Emilie Salomons and Dr. Kate Levett recently trained a couple our partner groups, the National Institute of Naturopathy and the Fernandez Hospital group, in acupressure for healthy pregnancy and childbirth in India, with a video documenting their efforts. This is both an educational and research project which fits well into our work, as it focuses on bolstering natural, indigenous forms of health promotion, disease prevention and treatment.

This year's work in India also includes the launch of our clinical trial of yoga as a treatment for osteoporosis, a project with promising potential to literally save millions of lives as osteoporosis is a huge yet largely ignored public health concern. We are working with Columbia University's Dr Loren Fishman, the musculoskeletal specialist in India who did the US trials of these 12 yoga poses to treat osteoporosis, with success, as well as one of partner universities in Kerala, whose patients are from lower income groups. This is very positive as yoga, despite its origins in India, is seen as a practice of the wealthy. We have been working to spread this practice for some time to other groups of people.

We're also in the early planning stages of a global collective healing project in collaboration with colleagues from Harvard and beyond. This project poses the question: How can we heal the planet and human health, together? I want to express my deep gratitude to the dedicated people who have been instrumental in advancing our mission. The hard work and commitment of our team are truly inspiring. I am grateful to be working with such incredible people. As we continue this journey, I am confident that we are well-positioned to make a lasting impact on global health. Thank you for your dedication, and I'm excited to see what the future holds for us.

Dr. Farah M Shroff

Wellbeing Festival: Celebrating Local Mind-Body Health          

Event Details: Saturday January 20th at Robson Square Sun Room & Gallery Room, 1:30-4:30 pm PST

Event Description: MIHCan will facilitate an event centred around BIWOC (Black Indigenous Women of Colour) themes, with workshops focusing on wellbeing including nutrition, yoga, dance, painting, and drawing. This is MIHCan’s first in-person gathering since the pandemic and an opportunity for the local public to be immersed in an educational event with underlying BIWOC themes, a core principle of MIHCan’s goal of igniting improved mental and physical health for marginalized groups. This event is a follow up from an article written by our founder and lead, Dr. Farah Shroff; the article is called Flames of Transformation https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fgwh.2023.1126934/full and discusses disproportionate health issues that arose for racialized women in Canada during the pandemic. The paper has many recommendations related to improving the health of racialized Canadian women.

Why Join This Event?: MIHCan's initiatives for improved mental and physical health are designed improve health for all and are evidence-based. Scientifically backed information, some published by our members at UBC, about the health benefits of yoga, meditation, exercise, and nutrition will be communicated in a digestible form through interactive workshops.

About the Workshops: Workshops will highlight how individuals can practise sustainability in their journey to better self-care and wellbeing. Many teachings in nutrition and exercise are sustainable--not requiring significant resources or harmful environmental consumerism. Workshops will emphasize self-care and planetary wellbeing. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Shroff, the author of the article that inspired this event, will be a featured speaker. Dr. Shroff's insights will include perspectives on the intersection of sustainability, self-care, and well-being. Additionally, we hope to promote the appreciation of nature as part of physical/mental well-being by encouraging participants to engage in nature walks or meditation in scenic areas of their municipality.

Stay tuned for updates regarding speakers and organizations involved with this event!

COVID-19 Catalyst Project      

MIHCan's COVID Catalyst Study is almost complete. We carried out virtual focus groups in Canada, Mexico, Egypt/Sudan, India, and the U.S. and found that women's health could improve through: greater dialog about mental health; valuing front line workers; developing digital technologies to continue flexible workplace locations and for greater access to tele-counseling and tele-medicine. MIHCan is very excited about this study as it is promoting solutions to women's health. This is one of the ways that MIHCan shows leadership: our focus is steadfastly about improving health even when evidence shows that prospects are dim.

You can read the paper here: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/16/10104

As part of our COVID-19 catalyst project, a paper, 'And Still She Rises' was published by our founder Dr. Shroff and fellow colleagues affiliated with Harvard University, the University of British Columbia, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Suez Canal University, and the Indian Institute of Public Health Gandhinagar.  This paper is based on the policy study conducted by MIHCan that aimed to explore how the changes introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic have catalyzed potential improvements in global women's health toward the creation of a more equitable post-pandemic world. This was a mixed methods study with a total of 280 participants from India, Egypt/Sudan Canada, and the U.S./Mexico.

You can read this paper at: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/16/10104

Our Founder presented on Digital Health solutions for Women's Health at the UN Commission on the Status of Women, UNCSW67, in March 2023 in New York City--the largest gathering of women in the world. The theme for UNCSW 67 matched one of the themes of And Still She Rises--digital health technologies to improve women's health. Dr Shroff's presentation was balanced, in that it also included some of the downsides of technology dependence such as human rights violations and surveillance concerns, musculoskeletal and eye health problems with prolonged screen use, and screen dependency disorder.

One of the recommendations of the MIHCan scholarly article, And Still She Rises, was to improve global mental wellbeing through more open conversations about mental wellbeing. MIHCan thus led a campaign in the study regions of the COVID Catalyst Study--Canada, India, Egypt, Mexico, USA. Break the Stigma was led by Madeson Todd, UBC medical student, and highlighted the voices of professionals, patients, elders and others who spoke about mental wellbeing, highlighting the importance of moving past shame and fear of mental illness. You can learn more about Break the Stigma here: https://maa.med.ubc.ca/break-the-stigma-campaign/
And you can access previous interviews with professionals, patients, elders, and more here:
https://www.youtube.com/@maternalinfanthealthcanada2761/videos


Break the Stigma interview with MIHCan Member Shirley Ross (pictured left) conducted by Madeson Todd (pictured right). Shirley is a retired nurse, mother, communications expert who shared her unique story and relationships with anxiety, OCD, and her mental health journey.

You can access this interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vrQvLYSnE0

MIHCan's Acupressure Training in India

Upon the request of the Fernandez Hospital Foundation in Hyderabad and the National Institute of Naturopathy in Pune, MIHCan members Dr. Emilie Salomons and Dr. Kate Levett conducted two-week-long training intensives in Hyderabad and Pune, India.
Dr. Emilie Salomons shared her thoughts on the experience: "Over the course of two weeks, we worked with multiple groups of dedicated healthcare professionals who were eager to learn more about using acupuncture and acupressure to support and promote respectful and humanized pregnancy care and methods to support physiological birth. Both organizations were leaders in promoting humanized care. Fernandez Hospital not only transparently displayed monthly birth and intervention statistics throughout the facility but also embraced a multi-faceted approach to integrative care, featuring in-house midwives, doulas, physiotherapists, and birth educators."
Our aim was to hand over knowledge, skills, as well as mentoring for the trainees and the local future trainers. Together, we trained a total of 105 healthcare workers, including naturopathic physicians, midwives, obstetricians, doulas, physiotherapists, and nurses. We explored a range of techniques and strategies for using acupuncture and acupressure to support healthy pregnancies, pain management, the promotion of physiological birth, and to improve postpartum recovery
With acupuncture and acupressure already acknowledged and supported under the AYUSH ministry of government, acceptance and implementation of the modality was seamless. We have since conducted virtual follow-up sessions with the trainees and received highly positive feedback regarding the clinical application and integration of these modalities. We are also in the process of conducting a 6 month impact review, which we look forward to sharing once complete.
The film of this project will be up soon, so stay tuned! You will find it here: https://maa.med.ubc.ca/videos-and-media/

MIHCan Updates

Wellbeing Convene
We hosted a virtual wellbeing series called Wellbeing Convene during COVID-19 that was free and open to all. This webinar series highlighted the importance of building skills for wellbeing and creating community during this time of isolation. The sessions included yoga, dance, self-compassion, mental health first aid, narrative medicine, and more. 90% of the participants in this series found it beneficial to their mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. An upcoming article will be published in Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, examining this wellbeing series and its impacts.

Lullaby Agents 
This year we have made a huge amount of progress including a new project, Lullaby Agents, which is about music for improving health and revitalizing language. This is in conjunction with colleagues from Harvard University and others.

The Network Towards Health Unity Conference 
Our founder, Dr. Shroff, was a Keynote Speaker at The Network Towards Health Unity Conference at the University of Sharjah in Dubai recently! This international health conference focused on global health policy and equity. Dr. Shroff's gave a Keynote on 'Catalyzing Health for All: Promoting a Culture of Learning for Policymakers.'
Pictured here, you can see Dr. Shroff accepting a prize for her work.

Minofest
Dr. Shroff will be the closing Keynote speaker with the CEO of CanWaCH, for MinoFest, a conference for researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and community-members who are focused on creating better perinatal health outcomes for racialized people. The organizers aim to provide a better understanding of the impact, burden and knowledge practices of racialized perinatal health care in Canada. This conference will take place on November 30th 2023 in Toronto, Ontario.

Past Webinars

We have had wonderfully inspiring and informative webinars this year! If you weren't able to attend live, you can access all of our previous webinar recordings at : https://maa.med.ubc.ca/webinars/

January 2023
Topic: Experiences of working with Tribal Populations for Reproductive Health
Speaker: Dr. Kranti Suresh Vora

March 2023
Topic: Quality of prenatal care in Primary Network of Brazil from 2012 to 2018: What can (and should) improve?
Speaker: Dr. Elaine Thumé

May 2023
Topic: Assessing Factors that Impact Maternal Health Outcomes in the Maroodijeh Region, Somaliland; a Mixed Methods Study
Speaker: Ifrah Abdi

July 2023
Topic: Assessing the impact of the Global Women's Health Movement
Speaker: Norma Swenson

September 2023
Topic: Adolescent Health in Bangladesh: a gender perspective
Speaker: Mahmuda Rahman Khan

Upcoming Webinars

November 30th 2023 at 8:00 AM/PDT
Topic: Building Resilient Bones to Make Peak Bone Mass and Prevent Osteoporosis
Speakers: Sarah Mapes and Dr. Doug Lucas
Link: https://healthyseminars.com/MIH-Canada

January 18th 2024 at 8:00 AM/PDT
Topic: A must-read: An Anthology of Canadian Birth Stories: Inspiration and Essential Guidance for Parents, Parents-to-be, and Healthcare Providers
Speaker: Laura Pascoe and Angela Douglas

September 12th 2024 (Tentative)
Topic: Hypertensive disorder of pregnancy among women in South Western Uganda
Speaker: Dr. Henry Lugobe

Partner Highlight: Dr. Pooja Shenoy 

MIHCan would like to highlight one our partners in India who took the Acupressure and Massage in Labour course. Dr. Pooja Shenoy is now leading the trainings for both patients and hospital staff. Dr. Shenoy was working as an Obstetrician for 9 years before she found her calling and left her profession as an Obstetrician. She joined Fernandez Hospital in 2017. Today she is a Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator, a Certified Birth Doula, a Certified Hypnobirthing Practitioner, a Board Certified Lactation Counsellor and an Infant Massage Practitioner. She strives to empower pregnant couples and helps them have positive birth experiences. She strongly believes that pregnancy and birth are transformative events in a woman's life and her aim is to ensure that women, pregnant or not are treated with compassion, dignity, and respect.

Member Spotlight: Tomi 

MIHCan would like to highlight one of our team members. Tomi is a community resources professional with a keen interest in the use of creative methods to promote wellbeing, aged care, mental health advocacy including perinatal health. Since joining Maternal and Infant Health Canada, Tomi has learned a lot about the organization and its initiatives. Tomi leads the webinar team which includes planning and coordinating MIHCan Webinar events in the area of maternal and infant health research, including: women's health, public health, infant, child, adolescent health, environmental health issues and more. When not working or experimenting with food, Tomi enjoys nature walks, bicycle rides, visiting art galleries, and attending art events within the state, researching new and inspiring places to visit/go, and volunteering.

In Memorium 


MIHCan has lost a friend. We are mourning the sudden passing of Dr. Thomas Agan, OB/GYN and Head of the Teaching Hospital at the University of Calabar, Nigeria. May he rest in peace.

Fundraising Opportunities

MIHCan is a 100% volunteer driven collaborative. Fundraising is still the key to catalyzing our projects. If you, or someone you know would like to donate or host a fundraiser, please click here or feel free to contact us to learn more about how your donations can impact the health of those who identify as women, young ones, and the environment in Canada, India, and beyond. Furthermore, we offer a UBC Faculty of Medicine tax receipt!
Contact us
Donate to MIHCan

MIH Can May 2021 Issue

May 2021 | Issue 5

In this issue:

  • Message from the Founder
  • MIHCan Panel at the WHO Assembly
  • Project Updates
  • Upcoming Webinars
  • Education Sessions and Outreach Review of 2021
  • Harvard Takemi Fellowship Appointment
  • Partner Highlight: Dr. Damaris Pasitau
  • Member Spotlight: Eva Sullivan
  • MIHCan Student Club
  • Fundraising Opportunities

Message from the Founder           

Over the past year MIHCan has taken the opportunity of being at home to create more projects in Canada. The silver linings of the pandemic have been in our work with a local Indigenous healing centre, developing a partnership with a local Neighbourhood House, hosting well-being webinars that are free to all, and providing essential support during times of isolation in this pandemic. We are also conducting an innovative health policy research project, the COVID Catalyst Study, focusing on improving women’s health despite great challenges posed by the pandemic. This global study promises to find ways to catalyze the benefits of technology for health information, tele-health, and other technological boons to improve access and outcomes for women’s mental and physical well-being.

MIHCan is heartened by the growing anti-racism movements in Canada and other countries and these movements are linked to movements to decolonize global public health. MIHCan celebrates this important time in history, while simultaneously, recognizing that women, particularly racialized/working class and otherwise marginalized women, are struggling with job losses, financial instability, and health challenges during this pandemic.  We continue to work towards meeting health needs of women, children, and communities here in Canada and abroad through education, research, and innovation. Our primary innovation is integrative health systems which are largely ignored in most global public health initiatives.

Please join us for these upcoming free events:

May 25th: Maternal Mental Health Webinar, 8am PST
Listed here on our Facebook Page

May 27th: Bootcamp! Power Up Your Workout!
Email mihcancares@gmail.com for your free registration.

May 28th: MIHCAN's Panel at the World Health Assembly, 8am PST
Listed here on our Facebook Page

Wishing You All Good Health,
Farah

Dr. Farah M Shroff

MIHCan Panel at the WHO Assembly           

MIHCan is over the moon about our upcoming panel at the World Health Assembly on Friday, May 28th at 8:00 AM (PDT). The WHO hosts this major meeting of global decision-makers, and selected our proposal out of a large number of others. Please join us as we celebrate women's work and leadership during the pandemic.

Title: "Women Power, Politics, and the Pandemic: celebrating Women's Leadership"
Click here to view the Graduate Institute Geneva event

Moderator: Dr. Soha Bayoumi (Harvard and John Hopkins University)

Speakers: Dr. Farah Shroff (Founder and Lead of MIHCan), Dr. Satya Lakshmi (National Institute of Naturopathy in India), Dr. Soha Bayoumi (Harvard), Agnes Binagwaho (Former Minister of Health in Rwanda), and Dr. Marcia Castro (Harvard TH Chan, School of Public Health)

Project Updates    

MIHCan’s COVID-19 Catalyst Study Progress
Our COVID catalyst study focuses on creating better health for women around the world through health policies. We are carrying out a survey of approximately 300 people and five virtual focus groups based in Canada, Mexico, Egypt/Sudan, India, and the U.S. MIHCan is very excited about this study as it is promoting solutions to women's health. This is one of the ways that MIHCan shows leadership: our focus is steadfastly about improving health even when evidence shows that prospects are dim.

Traditional Systems of Healing and their Effects on non-Indigenous Canadians
We have also started a project with our Indigenous partners on Vancouver Island on traditional systems of healing and their effects on non-Indigenous Canadians. We are working on profiles of Indigenous women leaders in health and our eventual plans for this project are to bring healers from Turtle Island together with healers in Ayurvedic and other natural systems of medicine from around the world.

Canadian Care Aids National Leadership and Well-being Training Program
In Canada, we have plans to work with care aides in national training programs related to leadership and well-being. While not new, the situation of care aides has been highlighted by the pandemic: most care aids are women and the majority of them are racialized women at the bottom of the health care hierarchy.

Expanding Work to East Africa
MIHCan has done work internationally, our geographic reach has been extended to East Africa. MIHCan has been working in Kenya, where we have carried out projects in public health education in rural villages. These include a photo-voice project on women’s health, and developed a video about creating a better world with farmers.

Maternal Health Project in Laos
MIHCan worked in Laos over the past year, where we were invited to the Savannakhet province—the most poverty-stricken province in the country—to help initiate a project regarding maternal health problems.

Educational Webinar Expands to In-Person Training in Kerala, India
Dr. Helene Bertrand, a family physician in Vancouver who does research on reducing back pain, and has developed a technique that teaches non-physicians to diagnose the problem by measuring the SI joints and then a simple lunge. After a fantastic webinar, our partners in India were so impressed with Dr. Bertrand’s presentation that she was invited to Kerala to train in person. Dr. Bertrand was able to carry out the training in January 2020 and now our partners are replicating Dr. Bertrands' work in a population that is very different from Canada. We look forward to updates on the efficacy of this cost-effective technique within this population.

Upcoming Webinars

Our next highly anticipated webinar will be on maternal health in developing countries with a focus on India. We will also be including commentary by Ria Saha discussing the fear of childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

May 2021
Topic: Maternal mental health in developing countries.
Speakers: Dr. Suresh Jungari
Additional commentary:  Fear of childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic in India.
Speaker: Ria Saha
Link: https://healthyseminars.com/MIH-Canada

Summer 2021
TBD- Stay tuned!

Education Sessions and Outreach Review of 2021: Soon to be Available on our Website

January 2021
Topic: An introduction and exploration of The Traditional Chinese and Indigenous Medicines Program in British Columbia (TCIMP)
Speaker: Dr. Rachel Eni

March 2021
Topic: Title: Exploring Mahavakyaam (Ancient Secrets Meditation) with Female Future Social Workers in the Classroom for WellBeing.
Speaker: Dr Indrani Margolin

Harvard Takemi Fellowship Appointment  

MIHCan’s founder and lead was selected as a Takemi Fellow at the Chan Centre of Public Health at Harvard University. This very prestigious fellowship is highly competitive as it is designed for national public health leaders to come together and do their research for about a year. Dr. Shroff’s work at Harvard will focus on MIHCan and MIHCan's studies.  We believe this is a golden opportunity for MIHCan to grow and be in a global spotlight.

Partner Highlight: Dr. Damaris Pasitau 

Dr. Damaris Parsitau is one of Kenya‘s leading feminist scholars and actors. She has worked in the United States at Harvard University and was a Brookings Fellow. She is an expert In many areas related to women’s health such as female genital mutilation and cutting. Dr. Damaris Seleina Parsitau holds a Ph.D. degree in Religion and Gender Studies from Kenyatta University and is Associate Professor of Religion and Gender Studies at Egerton University in Kenya. She is the President of the African Association for the Study of Religion in Africa. Dr. Parsitau served as the Director of the Institute of Women Gender and Development Studies.  In 2018-2019, she was appointed a Research Associate at Harvard University’s Women Studies in Religion Programme (WSRP) and carried out research on Pentecostalism and Women Bodies in Kenya. In 2017, Damaris served as an Echidna Global Scholar at the Brookings Institutions, Centre for Universal Education (CUE), Washington DC, where she spent her sabbatical leave researching Maasai Girls education in Kenya and creating a non-profit organization, the Let Maasai Girls learn Initiative, her non-profit organization whose central aim is to inspire Maasai girls to go to school and become agents of change in their society. Damaris previously held Visiting Research Fellowships at the University of Cambridge in England and the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She is also a community mobilizer and leader a social influencer and policy blogger and an advocate for social justice and gender equality.

Member Spotlight: Eva Sullivan

Eva is a qualitative researcher who is involved in researching the sustainability of surgical and maternity services in rural British Columbia at the Centre for Rural Health Research. She is passionate about health equity and social justice. She began volunteering for MIH Can in 2016 and has stayed involved ever since as she was drawn to the group’s innovative and interdisciplinary approach to improving maternal and child health in Canada and abroad. Eva has served MIHCan in events organizing and moderating, coordinating our webinars, creating videos and many other tasks.

MIHCan Student Club

The Maternal and Infant Health student club has been working on recruitment, goals, and summer plans for the past few months. Flyers for the club have been sent out to groups on social media to gather interest. We have filled up all our VP positions. Through club meetings, we have brainstormed goals for the summer and upcoming academic year. Highlights from the club's goals include education and awareness on social determinants of health that impact maternal and infant health outcomes and using an intersectionality lens to assess women's experience in health care. The summer will include bi-weekly "book club" meetings to discuss a novel that all members will read on the topic of maternal health. Additionally, we hope to continue recruiting so that by September we have enough members to plan and host events on campus. We have an enthusiastic and passionate group of people that are eager to learn and are looking forward to getting the ball rolling on maternal and infant health awareness on campus.

- Tali Elbakyan (UBC MIHCan Student Club President)

Fundraising Opportunities

MIHCan is a 100% volunteer driven collaborative. Fundraising is still the key to catalyzing our projects. If you, or someone you know would like to donate or host a fundraiser, please click here or feel free to contact us to learn more about how your donations can impact the lives and well-being of women and children in India and beyond. Furthermore, we offer a UBC Faculty of Medicine tax receipt!
Donate to MIHCan
Contact us

MIH Can November 2020 Issue

 

November 2020 | Issue 4

In this issue:

Message from the Founder           

As we draw to the end of 2020, those of us who work to improve the lives of womxn are called to do more. The global pandemic has posed a great many challenges to womxn’si  safety, livelihoods, mental and physical wellbeing.  At MIHCan we are acutely aware of these barriers but this year we are conducting a study to see how this time of great change can be a potential catalyst for women’s health from a policy angle. We are also pleased to continue presenting a series of webinars that are aimed at providing tools for people to understand the health issues of children and womxn in more in-depth ways.

Our webinars have proven to be fruitful. Dr. Hélène Bertrand’s webinar earlier this year piqued the curiosity of one of MIHCan’s partners in Kerala, AIMS, and they invited her to visit them, which she did! This partnership promises to bring about better back health, a huge problem around the world. Other webinars have also bred fertile connections between our members in Canada and abroad.

Two other trips from Canada were canceled, and our wonderful seminar series, to be launched with Dr. Kranti Vohra from the Indian Institute of Public Health, was postponed, as you may expect. Thanks to technology,  we have none-the-less stayed in regular communication. Our partners in India are working hard to keep their amazing work going and thanks to their dedication, some parts of the country are faring reasonably well. We are pleased that new members, Indigenous healers Nola and George (Hoomiis) Jeffrey have joined MIHCan. Professor Manuel Pina, a fine arts professor who focuses on healing, also joined us this year, along with Dr Vidhu Sharma and Dr Marie Tarrant, a breastfeeding researcher. We are grateful for the contributions of all our members, partners and honorary patrons. They give of their time with great generosity and grace.

We hope that you enjoy a holiday season filled with connection and meaningful interactions with those you care about. May this year come to a close with kindness, perseverance, and togetherness.

Dr. Farah M Shroff

i Spelling womxn this way includes those who identify as womxn, including transgendered and non-binary womxn.

Research Underway    

MIHCan’s COVID-19 Catalyst Study
The pandemic has revealed a deepening of pre-existing inequalities and burden on womxn (United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women).  Yet, it is also a time where global attention pushes us to act toward a more healthful future while there is an appetite for it. With this in mind, MIHCan has embarked on a new study that considers how COVID-19 can be used as a catalyst to improve womxns health globally. Pundits are warning that the world is regressing to a time when women's health and human rights are steeply challenged. Most work on COVID-19 reveals a bleak reality for women in the realm of work health and social life. Our study, on the other hand, aims to craft a more positive future for all of us.

We are surveying and hosting focus groups with global experts and stakeholders for recommendations and input on policies that would benefit womxn. We recognize that the current pandemic has posed many challenges to womxn's health. We are trying to shed a light on a more equitable health post-COVID-19 future. If you would like to participate in the COVID Catalyst Study please contact Christa Klingensmith at christasibbett@yahoo.com. Your ideas in this regard can help us formulate a path forward!

Our other study, in the analysis phase, is on health promotion and disease prevention through yoga and Ayurveda.

Upcoming Webinars

January 2021
Topic: An introduction and exploration of The Traditional Chinese and Indigenous Medicines Program in British Columbia (TCIMP)
Speaker: Dr. Rachel Eni

March 2021
Topic: A recent study of women's health in British Columbia, Canada.
Speaker: Dr. Cecilia Benoit

Education Sessions and Outreach Review of 2020: Available on Our Website

Since 2018, MIHCan has been providing and hosting bimonthly webinars on maternal and infant health, led by experts in their fields. Here is a recap of the webinars we have provided this year.

“Low back pain in pregnancy: a new approach to assess, diagnose and treat in 5 mins or less.” 
Presenter: Dr. Hélène Bertrand

“Factors Affecting the Use of Midwifery Services in Remote Nepal”
Presenter: Dr. Cathy Ellis

“Covid19- Experiences from Kerala and India”
Presenter: Dr. Vijayakumar
Discussant: Dr.Jan Hajek

“A Qualitative Inquiry on Pregnant and Postpartum Women’s Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic”
Presenter: Dr. Hamideh Bayrampour
Discussant: Dr Suresh Jangari

The Effect of the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative and Maternity Care Practices on Breastfeeding Outcomes"
Presenter: Dr. Marie Tarrant
Discussant: Dr. Kranti Vora

“Acupressure for pregnancy and childbirth: an exploration of the evidence-based uses of acupressure as well as a demonstration of how to perform and teach acupressure for pre-birth and labour”
Presenter: Dr. Emilie Salomons

Live Public Events

Local work we are pursuing:
COVID-19 and the resulting isolation, financial concerns, fear of illness, amongst other factors, have created stress for many people. Members of MIHCan are working to support better well-being through the challenging times we are facing in this pandemic. Wellbeing Convene during COVID-19 is a series of webinars that aims to support participants to build tools for their wellness and to connect with others. Please let us know if you’d like to attend one of the webinars, which will continue into 2021.

Pregnancy and Postpartum Integrative Care Clinic for Marginalized Communities in the Lower Mainland:
Mental and physical health status disparities continue to exist for most marginalized communities, despite decades of efforts. This is especially so for BIPOC and LGBTQIA2S+ womxn and trans men facing intersecting discrimination along with the emotional and physical challenges associated with their pregnancy and postpartum period. MIHCan is proposing a project to address these inequities, by establishing a free acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine clinic that provides preventative, non-invasive, non-pharmacological, Indigenously based, culturally sensitive and emotionally supportive care. This project would be followed by an evaluation of the qualitative impact of the project on it’s participants.

MIHCan Work In India 

              

Dr. Hélène Bertrand: Dr. Bertrand is a family physician who specializes in pain and is also a clinical instructor at the Department of Family Practice at UBC. Her research interests include low back pain, painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, and new ways to address neuropathic pain. She has developed a new method to diagnose and treat low back pain, which provides pain relief in less than five minutes to 80% of sufferers and allows them to use the specific exercises at home whenever their pain returns. Watch a video explanation of her method here.

After the very well received webinar she provided for MIHCan in January, Dr. Bertrand went to India to meet MIHCan partners. There, she was able to teach this new method and help establish the research project aimed to recommence once the COVID pandemic has subsided. Here is an excerpt from her trip account:

“I spent 4 days in Kochi with Dr. Prabhakaran shepherding me between the AIMS hospital and his clinic. I gave lectures and met the medical residents who will be carrying out this research project. Together, we examined and treated many low back pain patients, each resident learning how to examine the sacroiliac joints, how to instruct patients to perform the proper corrective exercises, making sure the exercise was carried out for two solid minutes. As I was leaving, they said: “we never saw so many patients leave the office with a big smile”. As Dr. Prabhakaran’s clinic is now a Covid hospital, unfortunately, it will be a while before the back-pain research project starts. On my one day off, the driver took me sightseeing, visiting ports, churches and museums after which he took me to a large, modern shopping centre where we met up with Dr. Prabhakaran. What a contrast! Modern shopping and medical centres amidst millennia of history. The trip was unforgettable.”

Partner highlight: Dr. Satya Lakshmi

Dr. Satya Lakshmi is the Director of the National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) in Pune, India. NIN was founded by Mahatma Gandhi and she sits in the same desk as he did. This year, NIN hosted a series of celebrations for the Gandhi Jayanti, a celebration of his legacy and Drs. Shroff and Garg of MIHCan spoke about his health legacy.

Dr. Satya is an award winning womxn’s rights activist. She has also been recognized for her work as a naturopathic physician, a peace activist and more. She is happy to work with MIHCan as our aims of creating healthier communities align well. She wishes everyone a safe and healthy holiday season, with dreams of a future with no more pandemics.

Spotlight on Dr. Emilie Salomons, a Founding MIHCan Member

Dr. Emilie Salomons is a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine who focuses on improving womxn’s health through the perinatal period. She has dedicated her clinical practice to people who face infertility, as well as pregnancy and postpartum struggles; she works to improve their overall physical and mental health, through the use of herbs, acupuncture and other modalities. Dr. Salomons has also worked with low-income, LGBTQIA2S+, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities locally, to quell addictions, to support pregnancies and more. She has volunteered and worked in Uganda, Nepal, Mexico and other nations of the Global South, training doulas, midwives and other allied health workers in acupressure and acupuncture for improving and maintaining optimal health for childbearing womxn. Dr. Salomons has been an indefatigable MIHCan pillar. She has contributed to the education, research, and innovation work of the organization in myriad ways.

MIHCan Student Club

The AMS MIHCan club is growing its membership and enjoyed co-hosting our November 9th event "Healthy Communities through Indigenous Systems of Medicine." During this event, Dr. Emilie Salomons facilitated in-depth conversations with participants about maternal fetal health, and postpartum care with integrative health systems.

Fundraising Opportunities

MIHCan is a 100% volunteer driven collaborative. Fundraising is still the key to catalyzing our projects. If you, or someone you know would like to donate or host a fundraiser, please click here or feel free to contact us to learn more about how your donations can impact the lives and well-being of women and children in India and beyond. Furthermore, we offer a UBC Faculty of Medicine tax receipt!
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MIH Can November 2019 Issue

 

 

November 2019 | Issue 3   

In this issue:

Greetings and Happy Fall! 
                     

 

Those of us who are passionate about working in global health gain a great deal of courage from people like our partners in India. Take for example, one of CHETNA staff: a single mother in a semi-rural area, paying her mortgage on her own, always holding the needs of her child up high so that she can persevere. The circumstances in which she lives are challenging as patriarchal norms surround her; being divorced in her social setting is unusual and eyebrow raising. Yet she keeps fighting to improve nutritional status of other women.

Being connected with our partners in India gives us a strong base, and we are currently creating a relationship with an Indigenous health centre in BC. MIHCan’s work is about making a difference abroad, as well as focusing on Canadians and our important role in the world. Why should we care? Why should we care about people who live far away from us, or whose lives are very different from our own? Caring about the wellbeing of Canadians and people in other nations is a longstanding Canadian tradition. It surprises some Canadians to know that our stellar reputation in other countries is based on our partnerships, which are supportive and understanding of the ways in which nations create self-reliance and development. Members of MIHCan recently published a paper called Power of Partnerships, about Canada’s role in improving maternal health. We believe that Canada not only has a great deal of women’s health expertise to offer the world, but that we have a responsibility to act. 

Our federal government’s feminist policies make Canada stand out. In polarizing times like these, it seems even more critical that we hold our role as a caring nation close to our hearts. Educating ourselves about the win-win of better health for all through a more equal playing field is even more important, as hatred now can pass off as good political leadership. Speaking out for women and children, from a well-rounded public health perspective, is key to the work of MIHCan. We host and participate in many events, speak to the media and carry out research, highlighting the importance of the lives of women and children. I am constantly inspired by the words of Oriah Mountain Dreamer, a Canadian, whose words we sing in our choir: 

"I want to know if you can see Beauty

even when it is not pretty

every day.

And if you can source your own life

from its presence”
          -Oriah Mountain Dreamer

Our persistent work, in the face of the realities that exist in the world, pretty or not, is key to MIHCan’s ethos.

Research Underway     

MIHCan is working on an exploratory study to appraise the feasibility of Ayurveda—a traditional medical system—in reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in India. MIH Can considers this a gap in global MNCH knowledge, as the majority of people in the Global South access traditional/integrative health practitioners as their primary care providers. Through focus groups and interviews, MIHCan we have obtained the perspectives of Ayurvedic practitioners, including those who specialize in maternal and child health (MNCH), Ayurvedic college educators, and experts in MNCH in India. With the newly-established AYUSH ministry signaling an interest in traditional medicine, MIHCan views this an opportune moment to examine the potential benefits of traditional medicine integrative health practices in MNCH disease prevention. 

We are working with Dr. Kranti Vohra, maternal health researcher of the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar, on a plan to study stress reduction in rural Adivasi (Indigenous) women during the perinatal period. We are planning to carry out a yoga intervention and evaluate its impacts.

Upcoming Webinar

Our next highly anticipated webinar will be on a new innovative phone texting based pre/postnatal education application.

November 19th 8:30pm PST
Topic: SmartMom: Teaching by Texting
Speaker: Dr. Patti Janssen, a Professor and Co-lead of the Maternal Child Health Theme at the UBC School of Population and Public Health
Discussant: Dr. Kranti Vohra, a maternal health researcher for the Indian Institute of Public Health will be offering insight and commentary on the application of this program in India and throughout the Global South.

Education Sessions and Outreach Review of 2019

Here are some MIHCan events from 2019: 

February
Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day
MIHCan was thrilled that the city of Vancouver proclaimed February 12th to be Sexual Health and Reproductive Awareness Day. We celebrated the day with livestreams from Taz Dhanani, Raguram Bhaskar, Praveen Varshney, Willie Clark, Dr. Peter Berman, and Dr. Shroff in Pune with one of MIHCan's partners, Masum. 

March
Founding of the Maternal and Infant Health Canada Club at UBC
We were very pleased to announce the formation of the AMS Maternal and Infant Health Canada Club at UBC on March 4th. Continue reading to learn more about the progress the UBC club has made!

May Webinar
Topic: Pragmatic Approaches to Studying Wholistic Therapies
This presentation discussed methodological approaches to clinical research, with an examination of designs such as case study, n-of-1 study, whole system research, and patient-oriented research. 

Speaker: Dr. Brenda Leung, ND, PhD

June
Women Deliver 2019
Several MIHCan members participated in Women Deliver 2019 and other events that focused on Indigenous women and local women's movements that were held concurrently. The city was buzzing with women's rights and health activists and visionaries! The world was looking at Canada's leadership in feminism as a shining example of where other nations could go. It was an uplifting whirlwind of meetings, intellectual richness and possibilities for change. We reveled at being the centre of this wheel of change. It was a plateau moment for those of us who have worked from the margins to bring women's health rights to the centre. World leaders took the stage in Vancouver to show the world that they cared about women--what a breath of fresh air! Keeping this momentum going is important and MIHCan intends to do our part.

August Webinar
Topic: Quality Improvement Initiatives to Address Disproportionate HIV Burden Among Female Adolescents Living with HIV (ALHIVs) - Lessons from the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN)

Speaker: Dr. Henrietta Ezegbe

September Webinar
Topic: Re-defining Perimenopause for women.
Dr. Prior, a leader in research on the menstrual cycle, shared her insight into menopause care. 

Speaker: Dr. Jerilynn Prior

Live Public Events

June 1: Chalo Chalo! Health Research in India
This presentation was part of a national panel of South Asian Studies in Canada as part of the Social Sciences and Humanities Congress. Dr. Shroff discussed the enthusiasm that many people in Canada have for the work in and about India, particularly the diaspora. Engaging the diaspora in health and development efforts is a productive way to leverage immigrant Canadians’ love for their ancestral lands.

October 7th: Sparking Better Health Film Premiere
We had a wonderful event at the beginning of October, featuring Dr. Emilie Salomons. Dr. Salomons did a fabulous job discussing MIH Can with the group of participants who gathered together to learn about our work and see our video. The video, Sparking Health: the Research of Maternal and Infant Health Canada, featured Drs: Dorothy Shaw, Arun Garg, Emilie Salomons, and Nerges Mistry (the Director of the Foundation for Medical Research in Mumbai). It was a well attended and active event, with deep learning from the participants who had diverse lived experiences. We are appreciative of the funding support given to us by UBC's Women Deliver, which profiled our Founder, Dr. Shroff here.


November 7: Fanning the Flames: the Research of MIHCan
Dr. Shroff spoke alongside Carolina Judkowicz and Alexandra Gillis about MIHCan’s education, research, and outreach. We gave an overview of our goals and outreach, emphasizing our work with Canadians and the importance of maintaining bridges between Canada and the Global South. 

November 16: Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls Conference
Dr. Shroff and Alexandra Gillis went to École Panorama Ridge Secondary to lead the Dream Beam Boost Esteem workshop for the Dream It, Be It Girls Conference 2019. The workshop was aimed at helping young self-identifying girls from high schools around the city to take charge of their future.The workshop was followed by stimulating discussions among peers and facilitators. After all, our level of self-esteem and self confidence is often based upon our beliefs about ourselves.This workshop provides an opportunity for girls to achieve the self-esteem and self-confidence they want. Our nonjudgmental, non-directive questioning process can help you uncover self-limiting and self-defeating beliefs you hold about yourself. MIHCan took part in this conference not only to help boost esteem in young girls but to introduce them to the importance of getting involved in nonprofit and volunteer work for the benefit of their academic futures and the future of the world.

Partner Highlight: Dr. Kranti Suresh Vora 

Dr. Kranti Suresh Vora has an MD (ObGyn) from Gujarat University, a MPH from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (USA), and a PhD from the University of Maryland (USA). Her past experience extends from private practice specializing in infertility, to working in UNFPA led government of Gujarat project and in academic institutes. She began her public health career as a consultant in SEWA, Ahmedabad. Dr. Vora has worked as a faculty at IIPH, Gandhinagar since October 2012. She has managed various projects in maternal health area with international partners such as Karolinska Institutet (Sweden), the University of Aberdeen (UK), and Unicef Afghanistan. She is currently visiting faculty at the University of Canberra (Australia).

Dr. Vora has managed projects related to innovations to improve maternal child health including use of ICT for increased utilization.

Member Highlight: Dr. Woollard  


Robert F Woollard, MD, CCFP, FCFP
Professor, UBC Department of Family Practice

Dr. Woollard is Professor of Family Practice at UBC. He has extensive national and international experience in the fields of medical education, the social accountability of medical schools, ecosystem approaches to health, and sustainable development. He is actively involved in Nepal with a new national medical school, school of public health, and nursing school founded on the principles of social accountability. He also works in East Africa on matters of social accountability, primary care, and accreditation systems. He co-chairs the Global Consensus on Social Accountability for Medical Schools (GCSA) and does extensive work in this area with many international bodies. He was a lead organizer for the World Summit on Social Accountability that led to the Tunis Declaration. His primary research focus is the study of complex adaptive systems as they apply to the intersection between human and environmental health. His book, “Fatal Consumption: Rethinking Sustainable Development” details some of his work in this regard. He is Associate Director of the Rural Coordination Centre of BC (RCCbc). He also provides central leadership in the development of a Canadian national strategy for addressing educational and service needs for surgical and obstetrical services in rural Canada—in particular Aboriginal service access for birthing. He was instrumental in establishing the mobile clinic for agricultural workers. Above all he is a husband, father and grandfather.

UBC Student Club

Our UBC student club is finalizing their groundwork so that they can meaningfully explore global health disparities. They have created a constitution, put an executive in place and more. We look forward to seeing the club flourish!

CanWaCH

MIHCan is a member of CanWaCH and this year Dr. Shroff will be attending the AGM in Ottawa.
Here’s a poster that Chris Laugen, Jimmy Minhas, and Dr. Shroff made:

. 

GivingTuesday

GivingTuesday is on December 3rd. Come join us on GivingTuesday to show the world the power of generosity, and how we, as a community, can empower and improve the health of mothers and babies in India. 

Donations can be made through our Giving Tuesday MIH Can page. Please share this event with all your friends and encourage them to do the same! 

You can follow MIH Can on Facebook to stay connected with upcoming events and educational sessions!

Other Fundraising Opportunities

Fundraising is still the key to catalyzing our projects. If you, or someone you know would like to donate or host a fundraiser, please click here or feel free to contact us to learn more about how your donations can impact the lives and well-being of women and children in India and beyond.

Donate to MIH Can
Contact us

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MIH Can November 2018 Issue

November, 2018                                                                                       Issue 2

In this issue:

Greetings and Happy Fall!                       

Maternal and Infant Health Canada is so pleased to be part of global efforts to improve the health of vulnerable members of the human family. There are many people and organizations in the Global South, Canada and elsewhere that are working to improve the health of women and children. This summer, while working in central Kenya, in Nyeri county, I was privileged to work with many heros and sheros who bring hope and care to communities in rural and underserved areas. It was incredibly inspiring to witness the work of volunteer community members who brought compassion and caring to children and families living with HIV. Many mothers around me had adopted children whose mothers had died in childbirth or from HIV. Local, neighborhood solutions are so powerful. The organization with which I did some work, Vision Gardens, is entirely run by volunteers, except for their one paid staff. They work tirelessly to show kindness, lend an ear and make real and significant changes in peoples' lives. I was told about a young man, who had lost his parents and only lived with his sister, was ready to commit suicide because his uncle had denied him the right to perform a traditional ceremony. Volunteers spoke to the uncle and convinced him to agree to the ceremony. Then when they learned more about the lives of the children, one of the volunteers adopted both siblings. I met one of the siblings, who many years later, has a full life. I had the opportunity to do some training with Vision Gardens and found the volunteers to be full of laughter and humility. I am filled with hope when I meet people who are so highly motivated to bring about a better world.

We hope you enjoy this time of harvest and thanksgiving.

-Dr. Farah Shroff (MIH Can founder)

MIH Can Has a New Logo!

             

Maternal and Infant Health Canada is very appreciative of the kind act bestowed upon us by ReThink Canada, the amazing Vancouver based creative agency that gave us our new logo. Mitch McKarney and Hans Theissen were the two gracious talents behind the design. We'd like to thank them and the others at ReThink! for this lovely flower image. They thought carefully about the work that we do, to improve the lives of women, children and communities here and abroad. The inner flower is the child and the middle flower is the mother with the larger flower representing the community. For us, the logo really speaks to the beauty of all flowers blossoming, like we hope that all people have the opportunity to shine and be truly well.

Web-based Educational Sessions Update

Our webinar educational session are now well on their way!

Dr. Emilie Salomons provided a well received lecture via webinar on May 23, 2018. The topic, 'An Introduction to Acupuncture and Acupressure for Pregnancy and Childbirth', explored the history and modern research on Chinese medicine and it's role in supporting pregnancy and childbirth.

Dr. Brenda Leung will be presenting a webinar on Applied Research Methods for Naturopathic Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, and other Traditional Holistic Practices, December 15th, 2018. Register here to watch the live webinar.

If you have a topic you would like to present, please share your ideas by emailing: mihcancares@gmail.com.

Live MIH Can Events and Workshops for 2018 

Here are a few other MIH Can events from 2018:

February: After MIH Can prompted this proclamation; February 12th, 2018 marked Vancouver's first anniversary of the International Day for Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness. We look forward to many more.

February: MIH Can co sponsored an event during which Drs Shroff and Ansari spoke about women's health in Canada and the Global South.

March: Drs Ansari and Ezegbeh, represented MIH Can at the South Asia Conference of the Pacific Northwest (SACPAN), during which they presented a talk on maternal and child health.

November: Drs Hamideh Bayrampour and Duncan Etches gave an innovative lecture, Getting to health: Here and Abroad at UBC on November 5th, 2018. Dr. Bayrampour discussed her novel research on maternal mental health, exposing barriers that preclude better screening and ultimately better well-being for pregnant women; while Dr. Etches spoke about the health impacts of climate change and environmental degradation and urged us all to take political action to spurn better health.

Ground Work in India

In March, Dr. Shroff went to India and was able to meet with many of the MIH Can partners, including, MASUM, Pune University, and CHETNA. She was also able to visit areas where these amazing organizations were working, and connected with the women and children supported by the groups.

Representing MIH Can, Dr. Shroff provided several lectures and workshops for CHETNA and the public health institute, including a maternal health workshop for some of the most effected women and children, in what CHETNA described as a 'rural slum' in Ahmedabad.

Dr. Farah Shroff during a CHETNA organized maternal health workshop
Women Deliver Update 
Did you know that Women Deliver, the global conference, is coming to Vancouver in 2019 - June 3-6th? Its purpose is not simply a conference but also to leave a legacy in the country selected for the conference. The conference was launched by the Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, in October 2017 at the Vancouver Convention Centre where the Women Deliver conference will take place. There is a Canadian mobilization across all sectors and as a representative of the CanWACH Board, I was honoured to attend a round table with Minster Bibeau on August 21st 2018 where several key BC stakeholders in the cross-sector mobilization were present to share their planned activities, including two Olympic champions and the president of our BC Women’s Foundation, Genesa Greening, who is chairing the mobilization group. CanWACH is the umbrella for the Canadian mobilization for Women Deliver. Dr. Jan Christilaw, known to many of you, has been the initiator of a pre-Women Deliver conference on global Indigenous Women’s Health a with our own indigenous leaders taking on the role of sharing this conference to create a legacy for Canada’s indigenous women. Dr. Lori Brotto, the Executive Director of the Women’s Health Research Institute was also present at the round table and the annual WHRI symposium has been scheduled the Friday before the main Women Deliver conference and will include global women’s health researchers. In terms of MIHCan, I encourage you to explore the website and consider attending because the networking opportunities in terms of the global community is wonderful and MIHCan will fit right in. We are still in time to submit an abstract about MIHCan’s work. https://wd2019.org
Also, UBC has a Women Deliver website and a very excited community and there are opportunities for some small grant funding for events leading up to Women Deliver. https://events.ubc.ca/women-deliver-2019/
Lots of opportunity and I will keep you posted as things evolve.Regards,
Dr. Dorothy Shaw

MIH Can Partner Hightlight: CHETNA                        

CHETNA's approach to health embraces the life cycle of gender equity and human rights within the wide cultural, economic and political environment. It recognises the needs of children, youth and women at the critical stages of life viz. Children (0-10 years), Adolescents and Youth (11-24 years) and Women (25+)Life Cycle Approach

Over the years, women’s health needs have been addressed through maternal and child health programmes, focusing primarily on narrow aspect of their lives. With new knowledge and changing perspectives, women’s health is now being viewed holistically – as a continuum of care that starts before birth and progresses cumulatively through childhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age. This lifecycle approach extends beyond women’s reproductive role to encompass women’s health at every stage and in every aspect of their lives. Through this approach, other health issues affecting women that were previously overlooked, or thought not to exist, have become more apparent.

Henceforth, the determinants and responses to women’s health profile must consider all factors -and not only biological ones- such as the economic, social and cultural factors that affect their status, as well as gender relations between women and men. There is therefore a need for a new paradigm shift. This shift in perspectives will bring into focus the gender dimension in women’s health.
A Word From MIH Can's Ambassador of Advancement

I learnt about MIH Can last year and its vision touched me deeply. I had been to India as few years before and saw firsthand how poverty effects the masses; especially women and children. I kept thinking how blessed my life has been and wondered what I could do to help, especially with fundraising. MIH Can resonated with me because they go into rural areas and work together with the local people to support, educate and ultimately empower them. In my opinion, MIH Can brings people together and addresses the health and cultural needs of the community. When my father was Chancellor of UBC, he encouraged projects like this—reaching out across borders to share knowledge for wellbeing.

Robyn Wyman                                                                

A Word from MIH Can's Newest Student Volunteers

We are a group of students mainly in the faculty of arts at UBC who are volunteering for MIH Can because we would like to do our part to alleviate some of the disparities that exist in global health. We chose MIH Can to volunteer with because many of us come from the Global South and have seen the tragic lost of life that is largely related to poverty. We want to be part of the solution in our discipline we study the larger causes that lead to the suffering and death of women and children. MIH Can has given us a tangible vehicle that helps us articulate the issues. In this photo, we are missing Tanaz, who is a political science graduate from UBC who has been working with MIH Can for over a year. Like us, she is also passionate about the global work that MIH Can facilitates and loves meeting with potential partners in the health-care field.

We'd like to thank MIH Can's Director of Philanthropy, Shirley Ross, for all her guidance. To find more information about us or what MIH Can stands for, please visit our Facebook page, Maternal and Infant Health Canada.

Mishal Tahir, Kim-Sa Ngo, Ryan Liew, Carolina Judkowicz (missing: Tanaz Dhanani)

Upcoming Events

Dr. Brenda Leung will be presenting a webinar via Healthy Seminars, on Applied Research Methods for Naturopathic Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, and other Traditional Holistic Practices, December 15th, 2018.

Fundraiser night!
Please join the MIH Can team Saturday November 17th.
We are hosting a fundraiser event at Bimini's Public House, starting at 10pm. Tickets can be bought either in person or online for $10, with each ticket including cover and a free drink for one person. All proceeds of the night go to MIHCan, a non-profit organization that aims to ameliorate the health outcomes of mothers and their babies in India. MIHCan is targeting international wellness issues by encouraging more training for traditional birth attendants, increased medical attention, and focused research on preventable risk factors that endanger infant and maternal health. We hope you can make it!

GivingTuesday opens the giving season by allowing charities, companies, and individuals to join together for their favourite causes. On November 27th, join us on GivingTuesday to show the world the power of generosity, and how we, as a community, can empower mothers and babies in India.
Please share this event with all your friends and encourage them to do the same!
Donations can be made through our Giving Tuesday MIH Can page http://givingtuesday.ca/partners/maternal-infant-health-canada-mih-can

Follow MIH Can on Facebook to stay connected with upcoming events and educational sessions!

Fundraising

Fundraising is still the key to catalyzing our projects. If you, or someone you know would like to donate, please click here or feel free to contact us to learn more about how your donations can impact the lives and wellbeing of women and children in India and beyond.
Donate to MIH Can
Contact us

MIH Can December 2017 Issue

Maternal Infant Health Canada

December, 2017                                                                      Issue 1
Happy festive season to all! 

As 2017 comes to an end, MIH Can is grateful for the progress the group has made and for the fun we’ve had in promoting the health and human rights of children and women around the world with a focus on India. Our educational events are enriching and we feel gratified that people learn about the realities of peoples’ lives, no matter how far away they are.

Our other activities this year have been equally as spicy, inspiring and heart-warming. We have updated our website and created a Facebook page, so we invite you to have a look at the new site and follow us on Facebook.

Our team is amazing, here and in India. It has been wonderful to expand our team in both countries. We are working on some new developments so there’ll be lots to report in the next edition!

-Dr. Farah Shroff (MIH Can founder)

In this issue:

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Awareness Day

We are happy to announce that thanks to the work of MIH Can, mayor Gregor Robertson, of the City of Vancouver, has proclaimed every February 12th, Sexual and Reproductive Health Awareness Day. This continues every year and gives us the opportunity to build bridges between our work here and the work of our partners in India.
Media on the proclamation: CBC , National Post

New partnerships                                                   

MIH Can has recently established new partners in: CHETNA, Sudha Navavarapu, SNEHA, MASUM and Common Health. We have added links to our partners on our newly updated website, and invite you to have a look.

Educational sessions are under way!

Another major advancement in our project has been the launch of our educational sessions, the most recent of which was Nov. 1St. Maternal Health and Food Security. Issues from a global perspective. The session featured Dr. Farah Shroff and Dr. Nadra Ansari. They were joined by researcher Sudha Nagavarapu and the Director of CHETNA, Pallavi Patel, both live from India. We envision these events getting stronger and involving greater participation over time – one of the ways we know we can bridge our languages and our knowledge.

We are also excited to share that we now have a platform to live stream and record our sessions. For better access and affordability, we plan to create an educational sessions library, to allow our partners access to the recordings. If you have a topic you would like to present, please share your ideas by emailing: mihcancares@gmail.com.

Women Deliver event

MIH Can was invited to participate in the Women Deliver event on November 16th, hosted by Sophie Gregor Trudeau. Speakers included, Prime Minister Justine Trudeau, BC Premier John Horgan, Squamish Nation Youth Leader Adina Williams and Women Deliver CEO Katja Iverson. Women Deliver is a leading, global advocate for girls’ and women’s health, rights, and wellbeing, Women Deliver brings together diverse voices and interests to drive progress for gender equality, particularly in maternal, sexual, and reproductive health and rights.
We welcome the addition of the Varshneys to our team
“As Development Directors, we are pleased to support the efforts of the amazing MIH Can team by providing some financial support, advice & guidance and creating awareness of their wonderful work.  Thank you to all of you for your volunteer efforts to improve the lives of women and children in India!” – Praveen & Anuja Varshney, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
A big thank you to our three honorary patrons

We would like to thank the honourary patrons who joined our team earlier this year, The Honourable Mobina Jaffer, the Honourable Don Davies and the Honourable Dr. Asha Seth. We appreciate their support immensely.
A word from the Honourable Dr. Asha Seth
“I wish to express my sincere thanks and gratitude to the MIH Can team for giving me an opportunity to serve as Honorary Patron of MIH Can. My special thanks to Dr. Farah Shroff.As a doctor and Senator, the world of Maternal and Newborn Health Care is my passion. Worldwide advocacy for better health for women and children are a mantra by which I live. It gives me great pleasure and pride to be Honorary Patron of MIH Can.”Dr. Seth travelled to India in March 2017, to advocate for better health globally for women and children. The visit included New Delhi and Lucknow, where Dr. Seth visited the offices and programs of Nutrition International (formerly known as Micronutrient Initiative.) Through these first-hand experiences with nutrition programming at the grassroots level, Dr. Seth’s commitment to advocating for nutrition has grown – particularly for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health care.During Dr. Seth's visit to India,  she had opportunity to speak to a group of medical peers at the All Indian Institute for Medical Sciences in Delhi try to reinforced the importance of improving nutrition.“The cause nearest to my heart is the plight of maternal, newborn and Child health care globally. As a physician who has delivered thousands of babies, it has been my calling to care for women and children,” said Seth.
A word from the Honorable Don Davies
It is a tremendous honour to serve as an honorary patron of Maternal and Infant Health Canada.I am humbled by the incredible work that your organization is doing to reduce maternal and infant mortality and improve health outcomes in one of the poorest regions of India. I share your strongly held belief that Canada can, and must, do more to promote maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health throughout the world.According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), while combined overall global contributions to development assistance reached a new peak of $142.6 billion US in 2016, Canada's contribution has actually shrunk under the current federal government. Canada's official development assistance, which stood at $3.9 billion US in 2016, shrank by 4.4 per cent compared to the previous year and only accounted for about 0.26 per cent of our country's gross national income (GNI).That's well below the 0.32 average for the 29 Development Assistance Committee (DAC) countries and the 0.7 percent target originally established by Lester B. Pearson and adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1970.Looking forward, I will continue calling on the federal government to honour Canada’s word by matching our rhetoric with the resources we pledged over four decades ago.

Upcoming events

MIH Can is planning a private fundraising event attended by various personalities from the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver community at large, in the spring of 2018.

If you would like to attend or host your own event, please email: mihcancares@gmail.com

Follow MIH Can on Facebook to stay connected with upcoming events and educational sessions!
Next steps for MIH Can
Into the future, we will be inviting contributions that will help put our work in the public eye, on both sides of the globe. We also hope to continue to strengthen the relationship with our partners in India. Dr. Farah Shroff was invited to Laos to start a Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) project which is up and running in the areas of health education, water, sanitation and reducing violence against women. We hope to keep in touch with this project and other MNCH work around the world. We plan to continue to expand our education sessions, including, Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) training, nutrition and more.Finally, the future also holds the possibility for a large collaboration to produce multi-year research and data that will support the continuation of our work.
Fundraising
In 2017, we established great partnerships and created an incredible team of maternal and infant health experts. Moving to 2018, fundraising will be the key to catalyzing our projects. If you, or someone you know would like to donate, please click here or feel free to contact us to learn more about how your donations can impact the lives and wellbeing of women and children in India and beyond.
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