Teaching Constructive Dialogue as a Social Medicine Tool for Peace

Abstract

The social medicine learning communities of which we are a part comprise individuals from Uganda, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Haiti, the United States, Canada, and Lebanon among other countries. United in an interest to understand and address the social and structural determination of health, learners have spanned a wide range of religious, ethnic, socioeconomic, and racial backgrounds. These diverse social locations have shaped lives in unique ways and given rise to profoundly divergent perspectives on sexual orientation, gender norms, reproductive health, and the role of medicine and health professionals in society among other issues. To navigate these differences and to equip our students with an integral tool for social justice and health equity, we teach constructive dialogue as a tool, amongst many others, for health professionals.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Amy Finnegan

Amy Finnegan is an Associate Professor of Justice and Peace Studies at the University of Thomas and Co-Director of SocMed. She studies and teaches on social movements and social change, peace and conflict dynamics, and global health. E-mail: [email protected]

Michael Westerhaus

Michael Westerhaus is a primary care physician who works with refugees and immigrants. As an educator with SocMed and the University of Minnesota, he teaches social medicine and utilizes experiential and action-based methods to elevate the critical consciousness of health professionals. Email: [email protected]

Tinashe Goronga

Tinashe Goronga is a general medical officer at a rural district hospital in Zimbabwe and is currently pursuing his Masters in Public Health at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp Belgium. A former SocMed learner in Uganda, he is now a leader in the Social Medicine Consortium?s Campaign Against Racism and is vehemently passionate and active on social justice and health equity in Zimbabwe and beyond. Email:[email protected]

Amadriyo Emma

Amadriyo Emma is medical doctor and was a clinical coordinator at the Kalongo Hospital antiretroviral clinic. She has been a learner and now a facilitator of constructive dialogue in the SocMed Uganda course since 2015. Email: [email protected]