Blog by Dr. Migita D’cruz The novel coronavirus pandemic has been called the great equalizer or leveller of society. The grim reality, however, is that it is anything but that. The global response to the pandemic has accentuated, if not exacerbated existing social inequities and one of the corollaries to this is compromised mental […]
Category: Blog
A Kafkaesque Pandemic
Blog by Cormac Francis Mullins and JJ Coughlan During the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, it was difficult not to experience a sense of claustrophobia. Confined to one’s room and sequestered from society and family, the dystopian universe we had been faced with felt oppressive and nightmarish. In many senses, it felt “Kafkaesque.” As […]
Addressing OB/GYN Care Access for Refugee Women Using Traditional Dance Exchanges
Blog by Shilpa Darivemula Resettlement and the challenges it poses are defined and documented health issues for refugee families, particularly for refugee women who may lack access to obstetric and gynecologic care. A refugee background has been associated with higher risks of preterm birth, infant mortality and morbidity, and postpartum depression due to limited access […]
‘Saving Face’ and Public Health Policy During Covid-19
Blog by Arthur Rose and Luna Dolezal Criticisms of the Chinese response to the coronavirus pandemic have frequently used “saving face” to explain China’s politicized public health strategy. “Saving face” has also been used to explain Japan’s delayed decision to cancel the 2020 Olympics and Pakistan’s return to work on the Belt and Road project. […]
The Added Challenges of a Pandemic Without Universal Coverage in America
Blog by Sonia Ruparell A 25 year-old woman walked into the ER carrying a portable oxygen tank, wearing a colorful homemade mask. I noticed her heart rate was high as she laid down on the gurney, complaining of terrible pain in her arms and legs. In her backpack was a notebook with all of […]
The Opportunity of Crisis
Blog by Austin O Carroll The Chinese understand the word crisis to mean danger with opportunity. A crisis can harness many responses, some of which can resolve in a short space of time what have been age-old problems. The issue of homelessness has dominated Irish media headlines for over a decade. It has also been […]
Abortion Care during COVID-19 pandemic
Blog by Neha R. Pidatala During the current COVID-19 pandemic, many states in the US have ordered or supported the cessation of both medical and surgical abortion, while few have directed only the surgical abortion to halt. Some states have threatened jail times and massive fines if the laws are not upheld. Ohio singled out […]
‘Never Forget’: Fictionalising the Holocaust Survivor with Dementia
Article Summary by Sue Vice I was prompted to think about the topic of Holocaust survivors with dementia by reading Emma Healey’s intriguing 2014 novel Elizabeth is Missing. The novel’s premise is that the central character Maud, who lives with an undiagnosed condition of memory-loss, can nonetheless solve a wartime mystery because her long-term recall […]
Accessing Health—and Continuing Research—in a Time of Lockdown: Covid-19 and LJMU’s Liverpool Health Commission
Blog by Gerard Diver LJMU’s Liverpool Health Commission (2019-2020) is a UK-wide project aimed at influencing the development of health policies in relation to the first 1000 days of life (covering the period from conception to age two). Prior to the arrival of the Coronavirus, the Commission had spent seven months gathering oral evidence from […]
The Impact of Communication on Access to Genetic Testing for Limited English Proficient Populations
The last time my grandmother returned from the doctor’s office, she handed me a pamphlet that explained her condition and the different procedures she could undergo. Then she asked me what she should do. As an immigrant from Nicaragua, her preferred language is Spanish. Even though she knows basic English, it’s difficult for her to […]