All posts by Jennifer Segal

About Jennifer Segal

Jennifer Segal is a communication and grassroots advocacy intern at the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases. She is pursuing her masters in communication and digital technology at The Johns Hopkins University. She enjoys Spartan football, blogging, tweeting, and playing with her puggle.

Reading List 12/27/2010

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It is a cold and for some of you, a very snow Monday! I hope that today’s reading list will keep you company as you sip tea and try to keep warm. To start us off the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative has received 1.5 million dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to work on control of the pork tapeworm in poor African communities. In an interesting article, low-income countries trying to keep tuberculosis (TB) under control may be able to seek help in rats trained to sniff out TB. Finally, TOMS Shoes gave out their 1 millionth pair of shoes last week, helping to protect kids from acquiring diseases such as hookworm.

The Schistosomiasis Control Initiative’s Next Target: Cysticercosis, Robert Herriman, the Examiner
Giant Rats Detect Tuberculosis, Nathan Seppa, Science News
Toms donates shoes to kids in Argentina, Michael Warren, Associate Press

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Weekly Blog Round Up! 12/20-12-24

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This Week on End the Neglect…

1. Sunday was Alyssa Milano’s birthday; we recognized Alyssa and all of her support of NTDs on Monday.
2. Amanda Miller, the Global Networks Asia Program Officer wrote her first blog entries for End the Neglect this week. Her first entry discussed inadequate sanitation in India and her second post will be up tomorrow, titled: Fa la la la la la la la Lymphatic Filariasis!
3. Malaria No More, Managing Director Mark Green, summed up the latest Malaria World Report.
4. Lymphatic Filariasis has been a common topic this week on End the Neglect, our first post highlighted a recent article about the progress of the WHO’s 2020 elimination goal of Lymphatic Filariasis. As well as we featured the footage from the 6th Meeting of the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis
5.The Carter Center’s work on the eradication of Guinea Worm was publicized this week, we shared links to a recent international article and CNN video.
6. The UK Department of International Development (DFID) announced a £25 million grant for  Imperial’s Schistosomiasis Control Initiative.
7. We also remembered Dr. Rene Le Berre, who spent his life working to eradicate the world of river blindness. Dr. Le Berre passed away earlier this week.
8. Alanna Shaikh, our weekly guest blogger, wrote about worms in relation to bible history and the holidays.

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African Countries Urged to Plan Against Neglected Tropical Diseases

Africa, Global Development, Global Health, NTDs, policy, Public Health, , , ,

Ghana Web posted an article yesterday about the three-day Regional Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs) Consultative meeting which opened in Accra on Tuesday. One of the goals of the the  meeting is to help , “articulate strategies for accelerating resource mobilization and scaling up access to interventions against NTDs Africa.”

Dr. Neeraj Mistry, the Managing Director of Global Network for NTDs said “countries should decide on how best to embark on and proceed with the development of an integrated NTD control programme in a manner that promoted efficiency and local ownership, which were prerequisites for sustainability.”

The full article posted on Ghana Web can be found here.

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May the PHONE be with you!

Global Development, Global Health, grassroots, Public Health, , , , mhealth

By: Jennifer Segal

On the heels of last week’s Mhealth Summit here in DC, last night I attended a roundtable discussion hosted at the Johns Hopkins University called: On the Move: The Power of Mobile Communication.
Panelists included five mobile communication experts:
Alan Rosenblatt, Associate Director, Center for American Progress
Adam Segal, Founder/President, The 2050 Group
Adele Waugaman, Senior Director, UN Foundation Technology Partnerships; Communications Director, mHealth Alliance
Josh Nesbit, Executive Director, Frontline SMS: Medic
Katherine Maher, ICT Program Officer

The diverse group of panelists made for fascinating discussions and Q & A about the power of mobile communications. Perhaps the most interesting to me personally, were the discussions brought up by Adele Waugaman and Josh Nesbit, the two global health panelists.

Waugaman discussed the initiatives the United Nations is undertaking to improve technologies in health care and disaster emergencies in developing nations. She discussed the important role that cell phones played in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake. Cell phone shelped find survivors, and guided aid workers and doctors to the areas where most attention was needed., Waugaman leads the $30M partnership between the United Nations Foundation and Vodafone Foundation that invests in the use of mobile technologies to advance UN health and disaster relief programs. Continue reading →

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