2007 National Student PSR Conference Report
The US student branch of IPPNW, Student Physicians for Social Responsibility, held its 2007 National Conference entitled “Medical Consequences of War” from February 23-25 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.
Saturday’s activities featured a combination of lectures and small group sessions. Dr. Evan Kanter led the first plenary, “Mental Health Effects of War” during which he covered the neurophysiological changes that occur after exposure to conflict in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other post-war mental health illnesses, as well as various treatments for these conditions. Following Dr. Kanter’s talk, participants heard testimonies from Vietnam and Iraq War veterans from the venerable group Veterans for Peace. These veterans courageously spoke to their experiences re-integrating into civilian life, the medical effects of service on their lives, and touched on special topics such the unique challenges faced by women warriors. Dr. Bob Gould introduced students to the “Environmental and Public Health Impacts of Nuclear Weapons,” and Dr. Lee Francis and Cesar Aleman presented on gun violence in the US and Latin America. This talk drew corollaries and distinctions between small arms violence at home in the US and abroad in order to unite students around a global health problem that has local implications.
In the afternoon, small group workshops were held on such topics as health effects of global warming, the human cost of gun violence, medical consequences of the drug war, and Afghanistan’s current medical situation. Students shared their own chapter activities with the group through short presentations followed by question and answer sessions.
Photo: Target X: Palo Alto - Cesar Aleman (IPPNW-Nicaragua) & Shanon Sidell (Bastyr University, US) engaging the public in discourse about nuclear weapons and war.