The Peace Studies department, the Global Health Steering Committee, Global Health Affairs Club, and the Central MN Community Empowerment Organization are pleased to announce the 33rd Annual Peace Studies Conference.

Partnership Equity in Global Health

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

12:45-2:05 p.m.
Quadrangle 170, SJU
“Innovation in Global Health: The Equity Imperative”

What innovations are catalyzing impact in global health? How are (or aren’t) equity and partnership considered in their development and application? Gain perspective on the intersection between peace studies and global health, learn about dynamic product and process innovations revolutionizing health impact in low- and middle-income countries, and hear about the changing ways innovation is sourced, nurtured, and financed in global development.

Megan Christofield

Megan Christofield (she/her) is a Project Director & Senior Technical Advisor at Jhpiego, a global health affiliate of Johns Hopkins University with operations in nearly 40 countries around the globe. At Jhpiego, Megan leads and supports teams to introduce and scale access to contraceptives by applying evidence-based best practices, strategic advocacy, and design thinking. She is a creative thinker and recognized thought leader, published in the journal of Global Health Science & Practice, BMJ Global Health, Conflict & Health, STAT, and interviewed in WIRED. Prior to her work at Jhpiego, Megan worked at the Center for American Indian Health and was a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer. Megan received her undergraduate degree in Peace Studies from the College of St. Benedict & St. John’s University and her Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2017 Megan was the Decade Award winner from the College of Saint Benedict.

2:20-3:40 p.m.
Quadrangle 170, SJU
“Exploring Partnership Equity: Thoughts and Experiences from Current CSB+SJU Students and Alums”

Current and past CSB and SJU students working with community health organizations will share how their experiences have shaped their views on the importance of partnership equity in today’s world. This panel will feature an interactive element where audience members call forth their own experiences and thoughts regarding partnership equity.

Bella Brinkman

Bella Brinkman (she/her) is a senior at the College of Saint Benedict majoring in sociology with a minor in global health. This past summer, Bella worked for Sunrise Community Health, a Federally Qualified Healthcare Center located in Northern Colorado. In addition, Bella has coordinated events and programming related to disability activism, justice, education, and accessibility at CSB and SJU.

Arantxa Hernandez-Chaire

Arantxa (pronounced Ah-rahn-sa) Hernandez-Chaire (she/her) graduated from the College of Saint Benedict in 2019 and is now in her second year pursuing a Master's of Public Health in Administration and Policy at the University of Minnesota. After graduation, she worked as a nutritionist with Hennepin County's Women Infants and Children (WIC) Public Health program,  as a COVID-19 student worker with the MN Department of Health, and currently holds a management analyst position with the MN Department of Human Services on their Healthcare Administration Team.

Hannah Lysne

Hannah Lysne (she/her) is a senior biology and peace studies double major from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Through SLF, Hannah interned with Northside Achievement Zone in North Minneapolis. She worked as a program developer for their doula and home visiting initiative which aims to connect Northside families with culturally-aligned doula services.

Sydney Richter

Sydney Richter (she/her) is a senior at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University where she studies political science and global health. She has spent the past two summers working in D.C. and Minnesota for Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Angie Craig where she focused on health policy. She also worked with constituents, a majority of whom lived in rural areas, facing issues with Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security in order to ensure they receive the timely and effective care they need. After graduation, Sydney plans to take a gap year working in health policy before attending law school to study medical malpractice and mass torts law.

Andrenique D. Rolle 

Andrenique Da'nya Rolle (she/her) is a senior theology major on the Pre-Medicine track from the Bahamas. She is the President of the Saint Ben's Senate, the Archipelago Caribbean Association Co-chair, and a Health Promotion Student Coordinator. This past summer, Andrenique was selected as Fleischhacker Center for Ethical Leadership in Action Fellow in the Summer Leadership Fellows program. She worked as a Health Equity Intern with the Diversity Council, an organization dedicated to building equitable and inclusive communities where all individuals are empowered, conscientious and courageous.

4-5:20 p.m.
Quadrangle 170, SJU
“Partnering for Health with the Somali Community in Central Minnesota”

This panel will focus on themes related to equity dialogue and action plans in Central Minnesota, maternal health and doula work, and meeting the challenges of East Africans’ COVID and Post-COVID health in Central Minnesota. Moderated by CSB nursing major Belle Handt.

Hudda Ibrahim

Hudda Ibrahim is Founder and President of Filsan Talent Partners which has partnered with the Central Minnesota Community Foundation to organize “Building Equity Through Dialogue,” a series of roundtable community convenings designed to identify and address existing conditions of racial disparity related to health, education, housing, employment, economy, and community engagement in the St. Cloud area. The convenings are intended to help participants explore actions they can take to build a more inclusive community. Hudda has extensive expertise in training, teaching, and curriculum development. She has delivered workshops and customized training to company executives, HR departments/staff leadership teams, and supervisors, and teaches about diversity and equity at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Hudda graduated from the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, majoring in Peace and Conflict Studies and English Literature, earned a Master’s degree in Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame, and is pursuing a Doctor of Education and Leadership degree at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Hudda is a recipient of the prestigious Bush Foundation Fellowship (2019) and an Initiators Fellowship from the Greater Minnesota Initiative Foundation (2017).

Fatuma Youb

Fatuma Youb (she/her) works with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and with Everyday Miracles, which is committed to improving maternal health, and specifically to reducing health disparities in communities at risk for poor outcomes. Everyday Miracles strives to provide compassionate, culturally aware support and a nonjudgmental, welcoming community. She received her Master's in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Minnesota.

Shirwa Adan

Shirwa Adan is the Executive Director of the Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization (CMCEO). In partnership with nonprofit foundations and government agencies in Minnesota, he and Jama Alimad have developed and implemented CMCEO’s programming addressing COVID and its impacts in the East African community of Central Minnesota, as well as other health initiatives. Shirwa received his Master's in Applied Economics from St. Cloud State University.

Belle Handt

Belle Handt (she/her) is a CSB junior majoring in Nursing and minoring in Global Health and a 2022 Summer Leadership Fellow at WellShare International, a partnering organization for our Global Health students.

Matt Varilek

Mr. Matt Varilek became president of the Initiative Foundation in January of 2017. He is a native of Yankton, South Dakota and received his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Carlton College in Northfield. He has a master’s degree in environment and development from the University of Cambridge, England, where he was funded by the Gates Cambridge Scholarship established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He has a master’s degree in economic development from the University of Glasgow in Scotland, where he was funded by the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship established by Rotary International. Prior to joining the Initiative Foundation, he served as the chief operating officer for the U.S. Small Business Administration in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Varilek was drawn to the philanthropic aspect the Initiative Foundation has to offer. His master's degrees were possible because of scholarships from philanthropic institutions. “I'm someone who has personally been impacted by the impact of philanthropy,” he said. “It opened doors to me that wouldn't be possible otherwise ... so in the course of my career I look to opportunities to help others access those opportunities that might otherwise not be available.”

The Initiative Foundation supports a 14-county service area that includes Benton, Cass, Chisago, Crow Wing, Isanti, Kanabec, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pine, Sherburne, Stearns, Todd, Wadena and Wright counties and the sovereign tribal nations of the Leech Lake and Mille Lacs Bands of Ojibwe. Based in Little Falls, the Foundation exists to improve the quality of life and to build stronger communities in Central Minnesota by offering business loans, nonprofit grants, leadership training and donor services through its Partner Funds programs. Since 1986, the Initiative Foundation and its Partner Funds have invested multiple millions of dollars across the region through targeted grants and business financing investments.

7-8:20 p.m.
Pellegrene Auditorium, SJU
Keynote Address | “Equitable Partnerships in Global Health: Shifting the Paradigm to Address Disparities”

If we are serious about promoting health equity for all, we must begin by creating equitable partnerships. We will discuss how to shift the paradigm in our global health work by critically examining our language, attitudes, and practices, so that neither power nor pity determine our ability to collaborate effectively.

Dr. Lisa V. Adams

Dr. Lisa V. Adams (she/her) is the Associate Dean for Global Health, Director of The Center for Global Health Equity, and a Professor of Medicine in the Infectious Disease and International Health Section at Dartmouth. She designs and leads interdisciplinary global health programs and teaches and mentors college, medical, and public health students in global health. Dr. Adams is an expert in international tuberculosis care and prevention with a focus on improving care delivery to children and persons living with HIV. She has worked in over a dozen countries providing technical assistance to Ministries of Health and academic and nongovernmental partners. Her popular 2019 TEDx talk is entitled Global Health Partnerships: Check Your Privilege at the Border.