Refugee Stories, GRMR
Victoria Simoni Assuncao
Refugees in Malaysia Find a Home in the Arts

A life begun in gunfire and instability is brought to the stage. Fluid motions and words embody the resilience of the stateless—reframing a narrative of victimization to one of powerful actors, playwrights, and directors.

This is the everyday work of Parastoo Theater.

Gabriela Pieschacon
Election Year Hot Topic: Immigration Policies ...

Many are used to election years bringing highly controversial topics to the forefront of social media and news outlets. It is easy to step back from the political conversations, but what happens when this leaves few advocates for highly impacting causes?

Currently, the US-Mexico border has been experiencing escalating tensions, and Americans have taken notice. With the assumption of front-runners being Joe Biden and Donald Trump, a recent poll in the Wall Street Journal highlighted the importance voters placed on the 2024 presidential candidates’ immigration policies. This poll suggested that 13 percent of respondents chose immigration as the most important issue when voting in November of 2024, becoming the second-most relevant issue, only ranked 8 points behind the economy. A large percentage of these voters also claim to refuse to vote at all if the candidates do not provide immigration policies that align with their immigration views.

Healthcare

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Refugees and the COVID Vaccine

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Refugees and the COVID Vaccine

Today, over a year since COVID-19 patient zero turned our global reality upside down, many of us are eagerly squinting to see the light at the end of the metaphorical tunnel. Thanks to the spectacular efforts of scientists around the world, we are in the initial stages of a vaccination program. Finally, it feels like the beginning of the end.

But for many refugee populations, this beacon of hope is little more than a cruel reminder of their status as the world’s have-nots. In perhaps one of the most blatant examples of large-scale disregard for refugee health, Colombia announced that it will not provide vaccines to Venezuelan refugees in the country without formal status. This puts just shy of one million people in a perilous position. Experts agree that this policy is both an ethical and epidemiological disaster. Marianne Menjivar, Colombia director for the International Rescue Committee, summarized the issues well when she explained that “We can’t beat Covid anywhere until we beat it everywhere, among all populations, especially those most vulnerable.” Such a massive community of unvaccinated individuals, especially one that already faces exceptional hardship in maintaining total social distancing and getting access to healthcare and adequate sanitation, can only spell trouble for the greater Colombian population. Leaving refugees out of the vaccination rollout picture is simply not an acceptable option. In fact, some have…

Mental Health Issues Affecting Refugees

Mental Health Issues Affecting Refugees

Refugees face exceedingly difficult circumstances and experience trauma in their home countries before and during the process of migration, in refugee camps, and during resettlement. These psychological stressors greatly increase the risk of suffering from numerous mental health issues. The traumatic events experienced vary widely but can include social upheaval, sexual violence, witnessing or experiencing murder and genocide, loss of loved ones, fear over lack of safety, and food or resource insecurity, among other events. In addition to experiencing trauma, the risk of mental health issues is also increased by the delayed asylum application process, detention, and a loss of culture and support.

Up to half of the world’s refugees are in “protracted” situations, meaning unstable and insecure situations like dense urban areas or refugee camps, which contributes to both the incidence of psychological stressors for these refugees, as well as the lack of access to proper care. Recent studies have shown that the post-migration environment that refugees are in can exasperate mental health problems. Conditions of adversity, prolonged detention, insecure residency, the refugee determination process, restricted access to services, and lack of employment or educational opportunities can compound the effects of past traumas.

The most common mental health diagnoses in refugee populations are…

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Why Does Voting Matter in Considering Global Health? 

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Why Does Voting Matter in Considering Global Health? 

As the election date draws nearer, it’s important to understand the full scope of how important your vote is. Not only does it directly affect our country, but it also creates a domino effect on a global scale as well – this being global health. It’s no hidden fact that politics play an essential role in international aid reliefs. Political power has been used since the beginning of global health and has continued its reign over international aid relief efforts since the Lyndon B. Johnson presidency to the Trump administration…

3 Book Recommendations for Future Health Care Professionals

3 Book Recommendations for Future Health Care Professionals

Often when it comes to students who are in a STEM-related field, such as the health sciences, they find themselves clinging onto science and cringing at the humanities. This can turn out to be inefficient, ineffective, and ultimately inhibitive for future health care professionals. When working in a field that involves direct contact with patients, you need to remember that they are people first, and people often share universal themes that are explained or best represented through the humanities. Taking the time to be able to read literature, or watch a film or play and be able to analyze it or find parts that you can relate to can prove to be a key factor in helping you develop the skills necessary to understand and communicate with others.

Aside from exposing yourself to the humanities to gain better analytical and interpretive skills, by not pursuing a holistic and more well-rounded education, you’re also unintentionally missing out on a lot of good books. Books that educate you, challenge you, or inspire you.

Here are three of my top recommendations for students considering…