The Rockefeller Foundation played an instrumental role in my life and for my career. It was their scholarship support, through the University of Alexandria, that jump started my graduate education at the University of California, Los Angeles in the 60’s. And once again, I find The Rockefeller Foundation playing an important role at this juncture in my life. I just returned from a one month residency/fellowship at the Rockefeller Center in Bellagio, Italy, which I received to continue working on areas for which I have a deep seated/lifelong passion, with the goal to connect all three of them: women and health and the urbanization transition and the history and structure of the discipline of nursing.
My experiences just prior to and during the residency are an important context for my residency goals, and definitely added to its timeliness and significance. I completed the term of my deanship at the University Of Pennsylvania School Of Nursing and was in transition to focus on unfinished business, as well as to build on my scholarship. Therefore, this Rockefeller residency, during this important career transition, meant a great deal to my husband and myself. I hoped that the residency would be a period of restoration, regeneration and rediscovery. The intent was not to go back to where I was before the deanship, rather to use the time to integrate my scholarly and leadership experiences, to move to the next phase of my being, and to jump start that phase by building on my passionate interest in women' health. More specifically, to explore progress made, or lack of it, in health care for women in urban areas. I also wanted to think about the role that health care professionals, particularly nurses, can play in developing enabling urban environments that empower women, facilitate their daily lives, and enhance their health and well-being. With 20 million nurses globally, 90% of whom are women, and at the cusp of the announcement of the sustainable millennium goals, it was imperative to pause and consider a futuristic action agenda.
It will take months to sort out the impact of my residency and, to complete all that I started while in Bellagio. In future blogs I will continue to reflect on the residency, on the network that emerged and on short and long term accomplishments.
I will have the honor and privilege to lead a group of multidisciplinary colleagues on a professional and cultural People to People trip to Cuba, November 27 through December 5, 2015. This trip is part of the People to People Citizen Ambassador Program with a focus on health care for women and the professional role that nurses play. It will provide an incredible opportunity to learn about health care, discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the Cuban health care system in reaching the 2015-2020 Sustainable Development Goals and in implementing the recommendations set forth in the Harvard-Penn-Lancet on Women and Health.
I have been asked why are you taking the time to lead this delegation and what will we accomplish? Briefly, here are some of my reasons and thoughts on outcomes:
I had the honor to plan and lead colleagues and friends on professional (Egypt), personal (Australia) and congressional (Africa) learning trips, seeing experiences through their eyes, prompting dialogues, asking and answering questions and witnessing their transformations. We learnt together, we grew together, and we inspired our hosts to do the same. And now, I have this incredible opportunity to study and learn the hows and whys of Cuba’s cost effective health care, including their viable programs in the health care of women.
Nurses, mostly women, experience oppression, subjugation and inequalities that women in general experience. We will learn how and why Cuba has attained excellent outcomes in many aspects in the health of women. We will visit clinics and community organizations that are designed to serve and care for women. We will explore how the resources for health care for women simultaneously focus on developing and empowering them.
We will have the opportunity to discuss recent publications from The Lancet on interprofessional education and on women and health and dialogue about creative ways to implement recommendations.
The Cuban culture, food, music and arts have always intrigued and fascinated us. We will learn about and enjoy different cuisines, music, dancing, theater, art, customs and clothes. Personally, I have become a true foodie, a connoisseur of multinational clothing and dance, but I failed terribly at singing. But, I know we are fortunate to have some delegates who have heavenly singing voices.
The bottom line is that traveling is a human experience that enriches and transforms our lives. Growing up in Alexandra, Egypt interacting with immigrants and expatriates from Greece, Italy, France and the United Kingdom made me want to see and be part of the world. It is from these interactions that I learnt there are so many different ways to perceive, understand and assign meaning to phenomena. This has been reinforced in every one of the 80 some countries where I have had the honor to work, visit, teach, research and tour.
I am looking forward to a profound learning experience in Cuba, particularly at this time of change in U.S. and Cuba relations, which raises many questions about the future of health care for the U.S. and Cuba.
I hope you will join me!
Further details on this exciting program and registration are available at www.PeopletoPeople.com/AfafMeleis or by calling 877-787-2000.
