Nichelle Mitchem

Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

March is National Women’s History Month. Each year, in honor of National Women’s History Month, March is filled with workshops and conferences that highlight the accomplishments of women in various facets of life such as science, literature, government, and medicine.

The 2013 National Women’s History Month theme, Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination, honors generations of women who throughout American history have used their intelligence, imagination, sense of wonder, and tenacity to make extraordinary contributions to the STEM fields.

The National Women’s History Project (NWHP) sets the theme and coordinates the observance activities for National Women’s History Month throughout our nation. Often, women of color are overlooked in mainstream approaches to our nation’s history. The National Women’s History Project champions their accomplishments and leads the effort to write women back into history. It has been reported that the Women’s History Month programs and events often have had wide-ranging effects not simply on individuals but also on our nation as whole.

With an emphasis on positive role models and the importance of women from all backgrounds, the NWHP has developed a nationwide constituency of individuals and organizations that understand the critical link between knowing about historical women and making a positive difference in today’s world. It is believed by many researchers and others that recognition of the accomplishments of women has a notable impact on the development of self-esteem for girls and young women.

For further information about National Women’s History Month related activities or the National Women’s History Project, please see NWHP’s web site, http://www.nwhp.org.
Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

 

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National Women's History Month | March 2013

Election Day

Today is Election Day? Across the country critical state and municipal elections are taking place. Get out and vote today! The elections taking place today range from referendums to state legislatures polls to gubernatorial matchups. Whatever the local or state election, it’s vital that you make your voice heard. Get involved. Take action that can and will change the future. If you are not already registered, get registered to vote. Seize the opportunity to cast your vote. As was aptly stated by President Johnson when discussing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, “The vote is the most powerful instrument ever devised by man for breaking down injustice and destroying the terrible walls which imprison men because they are different from other men.”

Saturday, July 16th 2011, was declared National Day of Action by the Democratic Party. Across the country there are efforts being made to bring new supporters into the campaign. It has been reported that volunteers in all 50 states will be knocking on doors and registering new voters. The overarching goal for this campaign is to register voters in order to ensure: the reelection of President Barack Obama and that Democrats take back the United States House
of Representatives.

This summer, important action was taken to bring more people into the political process- thus making certain that every voter who wants to exercise their right is registered. There are three stages in the voter empowerment process: registration, education, and mobilization. Today, Democratic supporters can join a national day of action dedicated to voter registration. Get involved. Your vote can be decisive, stand up, speak out, be heard— vote!

Each election day, countless eligible voters deprive themselves of their voting right through complacency or apathy. Don’t be among them—exercise your right to vote.

Source:[email protected]. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Earth Day 2011

This year, Earth Day is being recognized on Friday, Apr 22. It is intended to inspire awareness and appreciation for the earth’s natural environment. Celebrate Earth Day everyday. Do not throw out gently used items and goods that are still working and in great shape. Keep them out of the landfill by donating them. When we donate items, our earth awareness can not only decrease the already exploding landfills but also serve to improve the quality of life for many of our nation’s most vulnerable persons. Let’s all be good stewards of this beautiful place we call our home.

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Women's Health: Science, Technology and Society

Date: 2 April 2011

Place: Brooklyn, NY, USA

Website: http://www.stfranciscollege.edu/newsDetail.aspx?Channel=%2FChannels%2FAdmissions%2FAdmissions+Content&WorkflowItemID=dba

Contact name: Irina V. Ellison, Ph.D.

The St. Francis College Department of Biology and Health Promotion, the Women’s Center of St. Francis College and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS) are looking for academic papers for the upcoming conference, Women’s Health: Science, Technology and Society [...].

This multidisciplinary conference will feature panels on a variety of perspectives on women’s health, as well as a keynote speaker and several opportunities to share research.  

Health Care Professionals, Natural and Social Scientists, Health and Women’s Studies Educators and Health Policy Professionals are encouraged to participate in this important conference devoted to examining women’s health. Undergraduate students will also be able to participate in a poster session.

Possible topics of exploration include but are not limited to:
•         Reproductive Technology
•         Contraception and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
•         Health Issues in the Gay and Bisexual Community
•         Body Image and Nutrition
•         Violence against Women
•         Women and Cancer
•         Women and Aging
•         Women’s Health in Society and Law
•         Sports Medicine
•         Cultural Competence
--Quote by St. Francis College

Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 31 January 2011

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Breast Cancer Highlights: Updates From the 2010 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

Date: January 29, 2011

Venue: InterContinental Kansas City at the Plaza, Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Contact Name: Jan Ryder

Organized by: Physicians’ Education Resource

This symposium will concentrate on key results presented at recent major international oncology meetings, such as the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, with the potential to change standards of practice in breast oncology. The symposium will present these data in a clinical context in order to facilitate integration of the information into practice in an effort to improve treatment selection and patient care. Controversial and emerging topics, including optimal adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies, the evolving role of biologic agents, current and future uses of breast cancer genotyping, and the optimal treatment of metastatic breast cancer, will be addressed. The symposium will also focus on new agents in development that will have an impact on the natural history of breast cancer. Case presentations and panel discussions will allow participants to discuss current controversies in the treatment of breast cancer with the faculty.

Website: http://www.cancerlearning.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/conference.showOverview/id/5/conference_id/660

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Global Health Council - AIDS and Treatment in the United States

Global Health Council - AIDS and Treatment in the United States.

Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) 2011, Boston, USA

Date: February 27, 2011 – March 2, 2011

To keep the conference conducive to formal and informal scientific exchange, registration is limited to researchers actively participating as investigators in basic science or clinical studies of retroviral diseases and their complications and clinician-teachers (full-time academic faculty members responsible for HIV/AIDS training and research programs). Ninety percent of the meeting—including abstracts, posters, and Web casts of oral sessions- will be available online.

Website: www.retroconference.org.

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World AIDS DAY

Each year, December 1st is recognized as World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day started back in 1988. Every two years, the campaign has a different theme. This year’s theme is “I am living my rights. Stop AIDS. Keep the promise.”

On World AIDs Day, public health advocates pay tribute to the millions of people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States and around the world, and the millions of people who have been tested for HIV. In the public health community, it has long been recognized that HIV testing and linkage to care can save lives. This community is working to build on the successes to date that allow more people to live longer and healthier lives.

According to the CDC, when the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003, fewer than 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were receiving life-saving antiretroviral drugs. Six years later, thanks to the efforts of Ministries of Health; the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; PEPFAR; and public and private donors, approximately 5.2 million people in low- and middle-income countries are receiving these drugs. Despite this tremendous progress, 33.4 million people are living with HIV worldwide, and according to UNAIDS, approximately 2.7 million new infections occurred in 2008. (CDC)

The Center for Diseases Control and Prevention reports that the cumulative estimated number of AIDS diagnoses through 2008 in the United States and dependent areas was 1,106,391. Of these, 1,073,128 were diagnosed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and 33,262 were diagnosed in the dependent areas.  In the 50 states and the District of Columbia, 851,974 cumulative AIDS diagnoses were among adult and adolescent males, 211,804 were among adult and adolescent females, and 9,349 were among children under age 13 years. HIV Surveillance Report: Diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2008.

According to the Center for Disease Control, HIV testing is critical to the fight against HIV. The CDC estimated that 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States. Of those, as many as 1 in 5 people are unaware of their HIV infection. HIV testing is important because finding new HIV infections means people can get lifesaving treatment early and can take steps to protect their loved ones from being infected.

HIV testing should be a routine part of health care. CDC recommends:

• Everyone ages 13-64 get tested at least once.

• People at high risk for HIV get tested more often. Those at the highest risk (including Injection-Drug Users and their sex partners, persons who exchange sex for money or drugs, sex partners of HIV-infected persons and Men who have Sex with Men) get tested at least annually.

• Women get tested during each pregnancy.

For further information on HIV/AIDS prevention, visit the Center for Diseases Control & Prevention website at www.cdc.gov. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Nichelle Mitchem Shares Information About AIDSimpact Conference

According Conference Alerts, “AIDSimpact is a biennial international conference that focuses on behavioral science in guiding the development, evaluation and implementation of HIV prevention and care interventions.”

In addition, the website states that this conference will be held next year in Santa Fe, New Mexico on September 12^th through 15^th.  For additional information, please contact Kees Rietmeijer or visit their website.  Source Information: Conference Alerts. Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Capacity-Building

 
Nichelle Mitchem, long-time advocate for indigent children, youth, and families in crisis, has enhanced both the quality and accessibility of programs and services for these vulnerable populations. During her tenure as executive director for several nonprofit agencies, Nichelle Mitchem has expanded their programs and services for children and youth. The program enhancements have included but not been limited to: service learning programs, the creation of a child focused Interactive Media Center, and the establishment of interactive “discovery centers.”

One of the service learning projects was designed to teach the children about 19th century  life and to encourage them to share their discoveries with the community. Through the children's involvement in this project, they learned: the fundamentals of field research; the inherent validity of scholarship; and the value of sharing knowledge. The Interactive Media Center was designed to allow the children to learn about, manipulate and enjoy cutting edge information technology such as video conferencing, film-making, and digital photography.

The “discovery centers” consist of intellectually stimulating and recreational systems focused on a variety of themes, including the natural sciences, astronomy, current affairs and information technology. The children were afforded the opportunity to participate in intellectually stimulating and compelling programming.

In sum and substance, the afore-referenced child-focused initiatives were designed to support the children's intellectual development.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art