With more than 200 speakers and 150 organizations represented, the Global Health and Humanitarian Summit took place last weekend at Emory University as a part of the bigger conversation to get involved within the community and to celebrate volunteerism.
The conference is the brainchild of Niel Shulman, associate professor of medicine at Emory University Medicine School, which was formerly known as the International Medical Volunteerism Conference. Through its success last September, Shulman and his team opened up the conference to include nonprofit organizations of all causes as an effort to spread the movement of volunteerism.
Regarded as a “humanitarian festival”, the three-day conference was planned by dedicated volunteers—many of those who have startup nonprofits themselves. “With having a variety of organizations such as one which dedicates itself to providing water for those in need and another that advocates sanitation, this summit allows them to network and perhaps build a partnership to work together,” said Sonny Bandyopadhyay, co-director of the conference. Bandyopadhyay also co-founded Global H.E.E.D., an organization that promotes healthcare, education and development to Guatemala and other countries.
More than 500 people came to view panel discussions and speaker series that covered topics such as medical volunteerism to poverty and homeless programs. The event closed on Sunday evening with keynote speaker, Patch Adams, the doctor and activist who was played by Robin Williams in the 1998 movie.
“I think we are all meant to be helping each other and I hope that this becomes more than a conference, but a movement that inspires people to get out volunteering and teaching each other,” said Shulman, whose is dedicated to improve access to healthcare to underserved and rural communities.
To find various volunteering opportunities or to help plan the next Global Health and Humanitarian Summit, visit www.imvc.org
Story Update: On March 15, Doing Good covered the Primrose School's national "Family Dance-Off" campaign in its effort to bring awareness and fight childhood obesity by raising money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, which includes Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Families were asked to submit one-minute videos of dancing and through public voting, Atlanta's own Toregano Family of Primrose School of Smyrna West won second prize in the National Family Dance Off receiving a personal check for $3,000 while $20,000 was donated to CHOA.
PHOTO CAPTION
Constantine Williamson (from left), Nikolai Henry, Aman Sharma, Eric Kocher, Bob Kelly, Sonny Bandyopadhyay, Jim Withers and Neil Shulman coordinated and executed the Global Health and Humanitarian Summit, a three-day “humanitarian festival” that was held last weekend at Emory University. Shulman founded the conference, which brought over 500 people in attendance, to bring a global movement towards change through volunteerism and giving back.
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