Climate of Concern: Shell's 1991 Warning of Global Environmental Damage

In 1991, the multinational oil company Shell released Climate of Concern, an educational video warning of the risks of environmental damage on a global scale due to climate change caused by the increasing consumption of fossil fuels. Confidential reports as early as 1986 document Shell's awareness of the risks of anthropogenic climate change, but the 1991 video has not been widely available (WorldCat shows that it is apparently only held by the Bibliothèque nationale de France). The Correspondent recently acquired a copy, and it can also be viewed at their website.

The Ponseti Method and World Clubfoot Day

June 3, 2013 has been designated by the Ponseti International Association as the first World Clubfoot Day to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Ignacio Ponseti [1914-2009], the developer of the Ponseti Method which has been used to successfully treat congenital clubfoot in thousands of infants worldwide through non-surgical means.

A native of Spain, Dr. Ponseti graduated from medical school at the University of Barcelona in 1936, a day before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, and eventually came to the University of Iowa in 1941 to further his training in orthopedics. He joined Iowa's medical faculty in 1944, where he spent the rest of his career. Clubfoot was one of Ponseti's major research interests, and through longitudinal studies he discovered that surgical interventions were often ineffective if not even more detrimental. With gentle manipulations and a series of plaster casts, however, deformed feet could attain normal appearance and function in a majority of cases.

In 1996, Dr. Ponseti authored Congenital Clubfoot: Fundamentals of Treatment (Oxford University Press), and the 2008 second edition currently is available for download in both English and Spanish. The Ponseti Method is actively being taught to healthcare providers around the world, who are implementing it with high success rates in numerous countries. Further information is available on the Ponseti International Association website. 

The Peace Corps at 50

Founded in 1961, the Peace Corps marked its fiftieth anniversary this year. The idea for the organization was first expressed by then-Senator John F. Kennedy during an early morning speech on October 14, 1960 at the University of Michigan while campaigning for the presidency. On March 1, 1961, shortly after his inauguration, Kennedy officially established the Peace Corps on a temporary pilot basis through Executive Order 10924.

The Peace Corps has as its mission three goals:

1. Helping the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women;
2. Helping promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served;
3. Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.

In June 1961, Peace Corps Director Sargent Shriver announced that the agency had received around 11,000 completed applications, and on August 30, 1961, the first group of 51 Peace Corps Volunteers (PCV) arrived in Ghana to serve as teachers. Since then over 200,000 Volunteers have served in 139 countries, and currently over 9,000 Volunteers are at work in 76 different countries. Major project areas are education, health and HIV/AIDS, business development, the environment, youth development, and agriculture. The average age of Volunteers is 28, although 7% are over 50.

To learn more about the Peace Corps, an interactive timeline features important dates, events, and videos from 1961 to the present. The Peace Corps Digital Library also contains many historical documents contributed by current and returned Volunteers and Staff. In the summer of 2011, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival commemorated the Peace Corps with a special festival program.

For those considering volunteering, visit the Peace Corps website for information on the application process.

World Health Day 2010

Today, April 7th, is World Health Day. With the campaign 1000 Cities, 1000 Lives, events will be organized worldwide during the week of April 7-11, 2010. Sponsored by the World Health Organization, the global goals of the campaign are:

:: 1000 Cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.

:: 1000 Lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.

In 1948, the First World Health Assembly called for the creation of a "World Health Day" to mark the founding of the World Health Organization. Since 1950, World Health Day has been celebrated on the 7th of April annually. Each year a theme is selected for World Health Day that highlights a priority area of concern for WHO.

World Health Day is a worldwide opportunity to focus on key public health issues that affect the international community. World Health Day launches longer-term advocacy programmes that continue well beyond 7 April.

The following links provide an overview of the past World Health Days:

2009: Make hospitals safe in emergencies
2008: Protecting health from climate change
2007: International health security
2006: Working together for health
2005: Make every mother and child count
2004: Road safety
2003: Healthy environments for children
2002: Move for health
2001: Mental health: stop exclusion--dare to care

For more on the history of the World Health Organization, visit the WHO web site:

:: WHO 60th Anniversary
:: WHO Historical Collection
:: Archives of the WHO
:: Global Health Histories
:: Posters from Public Health Campaigns

UNC Launches First Global Health Challenge Competition

UNC is launching the first Global Health Challenge, an interdisciplinary case competition for UNC students of all levels. Students will work together on teams to develop innovative solutions to a topical global health situation. Teams of 4-6 students will present their recommendations to a panel of expert judges.

First Prize: $2,500
Second Prize: $1,000

UNC’s Global Health Challenge is developed and executed by a multidisciplinary student planning committee. The 2010 planning committee consists of students from the schools of public health, law, business, pharmacy and dentistry.

Key Dates

:: Registration will begin on Monday, March 1 and will close on Monday, March 15. The competition is limited to 10 teams and we expect the field to fill quickly.

:: Monday, March 22 is the mandatory kick-off event where registrants will receive important competition information and obtain the case materials. Teams may work on the case at their discretion over the course of the week.

:: Friday, March 26: Team work space and food will be provided from noon to midnight. Presentations are due March 26th at midnight.

:: Saturday, March 27, 9:00-3:00: Presentations and judging, and announcement of winners.

The Global Health Challenge is sponsored by Futures Group Global and Don and Jennifer Holzworth; the Kenan-Flagler MBA Healthcare Club; the Delta Omega Honor Society; and the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases.

For more information about the Global Health Challenge competition, contact Kristen Brugh, or visit the Global Health Challenge web site.