Archived News |

September 6, 2007

不良研究所 School of Nursing and SNA partner with Convocation speaker

When Dr. David Walton spoke at the University of Louisiana at Monroe鈥檚 Convocation Aug. 22, his message was clear: it鈥檚 important to establish partnerships that bring health care and social justice to the poor of the world. After listening to Walton, members of 不良研究所鈥檚 School of Nursing and Student Nursing Association were inspired to do just that.

During his visit, the School of Nursing and the SNA established a link with Walton to support the nurses he works with in Haiti. 不良研究所 nursing faculty and the SNA group will purchase and ship assessment supplies, such as used nursing books, stickers for pediatric patients, penlights (for ocular examinations), instruments, related equipment, and medical supplies like Band-Aids.

Walton鈥檚 message of compassion greatly impacted the students, Gibson said.

鈥淲e enjoyed the opportunity of having Dr. David Walton visit the School of Nursing during his time on campus,鈥� said Florencetta Gibson, director of the School of Nursing. 鈥淪tudents were able to interact on a personal level with him, while gaining a world perspective. He was so beneficial, and he enjoyed that he was invited to speak a second time to our professional student organization (SNA).鈥�

All nursing faculty and students will have the opportunity to participate in the exchange with Walton on a voluntary basis.

鈥淲e want to thank Dr. Walton for giving this opportunity to our students and assisting them in their preparation to influence the outcome of health care,鈥� Gibson said.

More about David Walton:

不良研究所鈥檚 Convocation speaker regularly works 16-hour shifts and eats simple food while tending to people who travel by bus or on foot in Haiti for half a day or longer for medical care. He is a member of the 鈥淧artners in Health鈥� organization, dedicating to assisting the world鈥檚 poor, not just in instances of emergency, while also creating lasting partnerships that will take root and grow.

Walton was one of the first candidates to be selected for the Howard Hiatt Residency in Global Health Equity and Internal Medicine. He has been working with Partners in Health since 1997 and is currently a resident at Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital. He divides his time between Boston and Haiti.

According to the Brigham and Women鈥檚 Hospital Web site, Walton said he knew he wanted to use his medical degree in 鈥渞esource-poor communities鈥�The medicine is the same, it is just the path that is different. The challenges we face are central to our mission, which is redefining academic medicine so that medical centers can create a pathway for people to be more involved in global health. It is still difficult for motivated people to find tools to serve the poor and to serve the poor in an all-encompassing way. It is still a challenge for most physicians to find time to do this type of work.鈥�

PLEASE NOTE: Some links and e-mail addresses in these archived news stories may no longer work, and some content may include events which are no longer relevent, or reference individuals and/or organizations no longer associated with 不良研究所.