Recorded presentation

Ashwini Sehgal, MD, Center for Reducing Health Disparities, Case Western Reserve University, MetroHealth Medical Center, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH 44109, 216-778-7728, axs81@cwru.edu

While there is a long history of health activism in the United States, attempts to actually teach the techniques of health activism have been relatively limited. Over the last five years, we have offered an elective course entitled Activism and Medicine to a total of 100 medical and public health students at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio (syllabus available at www.home.cwru.edu/activism).

The goals of the course are (a) to help students understand the social, political, and economic factors influencing health, (b) to learn about activism from practicing activists, and (c) to prepare for future activism. The course consists of weekly seminars with local or national health activists who talk about their motivations for becoming activists, the obstacles they encountered, and important tasks for future work. Students then write a brief description of a proposed activist project they may carry out in the future, such as a research project or a community service project.

After completing the course, several students have carried out the projects they designed. Examples include published studies on (a) barriers to transplantation among blacks, women, and the poor, (b) physician lobbying of members of Congress, (c) internet sales of ciprofloxacin following an anthrax outbreak, and (d) the economic and health consequences of selling a kidney.

We believe this course can be a model for using modest resources and pre-existing activists to educate a new generation of health activists. Challenges include limited funding for the course and competing demands on students' time.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe a model for teaching health activism.
• Discuss examples of activist projects.
• List challenges in teaching health activism.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation