Dr. Shafik Dharamsi | UBC Faculty of Medicine
January 10th, 2013 | 12-2pm | Scarfe 1107
View the Seminar Poster
Abstract:
Participation in global education and international engagement initiatives can provide students the opportunity to foster a sense of global citizenship, develop global fluency, and a sense of social responsibility to respond to global inequalities. Many opportunities are often set in socioeconomically vulnerable communities in resource-poor settings. In the health and human service disciplines, there is growing concern that international engagement opportunities are frequently used by students as opportunities to practise clinical skills, enhance one’s résumé, and travel to ‘far-away and exotic’ places. Sometimes referred to pejoratively as ‘voluntourism’, international engagement efforts can result in vulnerable communities serving as a means to fulfil the students’ or the university’s own ends instead of first serving the global community. Rigorous and thoughtful pre-departure preparation can help students consider and avoid the potential for harm and exploitation that can result from their participation in global education programs.
Dr. Dharamsi’s presentation will highlight his work in medical education and speak about the ethical issues surrounding international engagement and global education initiatives.
Short Bio:
Dr. Shafik Dharamsi is Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC). From 2005-2010 he served as Associate Director of the UBC Centre for International Health, and presently as Lead Faculty for the Global Health Network at the Liu Institute for Global Issues within the Faculty of Arts; Lead Faculty for the Social Accountability and Community Engagement within the Faculty of Medicine; and Lead Faculty for Student Engagement within the College of Health Disciplines. His scholarship is interdisciplinary, with a focus on social responsibility and accountability in health professions education, and ethical issues around global/international engagement initiatives . Prior to joining UBC he was with the Aga Khan Development Network implementing an extensive health promotion and early-childhood development initiative in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. His work has been featured on a Canadian television documentary series, The Global Villagers. Dr. Dharamsi pioneered the UBC Ethics of International Engagement and Service Learning initiative that aims to raise critical consciousness and to prepare students for ethical leadership, civic engagement and global social responsibility.