The Field Practice of Medicine

The Experience of a "Doctors Without Borders" Volunteer
by Dr. Marc Levin, MD
Monday, November 9th -- 12 Noon to 1pm
at the Samis Family Education Center in OKC

Dr. Levin's talk will take place in the Rainbolt Auditorium of the Samis Family Education Center, 1200 Children’s Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK 73104. The talk is being presented in cooperation with OU Physicians.

There is no cost to attend, but please sign up in advance. There are two ways to RSVP:

(1) Register online using Eventbrite ...

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-experience-of-a-doctors-without-borders-volunteer-tickets-19307297647

or (2) Call Jacklyn, (405) 250-6263.

Marc Levin, MD, a family physician, has completed three field assignments with Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).

On his first assignment with MSF in Dogdoré, Chad, Dr. Levin was the only doctor for 30,000 people in a conflict zone. Working seven miles from the Darfur border, Levin delivered basic health care to internally displaced people who had fled from violence near their homes.

Following that assignment, Dr. Levin participated in a large-scale response to malnutrition in Maradi, Niger, in 2008. While in Niger he worked in a referring center and intensive care unit for severely malnourished children younger than five. His work involved treating malnutrition and secondary diagnoses such as malaria and respiratory infections, rehydrating patients, and starting them on nutrient-rich therapeutic foods that enabled over 90 percent of them to return home within weeks.

His third mission, ending in June 2011, was a six-month placement in Batangafo, in the Central African Republic, where he was the medical director of a seven-site project which provided health services to populations affected by conflict, neglected diseases, and recurrent epidemics.

While not on assignment with MSF, Dr. Levin works as Coordinator of Obstetrics, Maternity Care and Community Health for the Beth Israel Residency in Urban Family Medicine in New York City, where he teaches and supervises residents and medical students, leads inpatient rounds, delivers babies, and gives lectures. He holds a faculty position with the rank of Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. He received his bachelor’s degree in History from Brandeis University and received his MD from SUNY-Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, New York. He completed his residency training at the Ramsey Family and Community Medicine Residency Program in St. Paul, Minnesota.

About the Samis Education Center. The center is located adjacent to Children's Hospital (NE 13th & Phillips, basically). The auditorium is beautifully designed for large meetings, educational sessions and other events. It features both conference-style and theatre-style seating as well as state-of-the-art video and communications technology. The auditorium will easily accommodate the crowd we are expecting. It will seat 278 people comfortably -- with 74 seats at the front in a tabletop, conference-style setting. There is additional theatre-style seating at back.

Why RSVP? Parking is an issue at Samis because of patient traffic. Attendees who RSVP in advance will receive additional instructions about getting to Samis, including the best parking options. Please be sure to give yourself plenty of time to arrive.

RSVP now, online ...
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-experience-of-a-doctors-without-borders-volunteer-tickets-19307297647

A Message from UNA-OKC President Priya Desai

“As a part of our chapter’s commitment to assisting with the realization of the UN's Global Goals for Sustainable Development, UNA-OKC is delighted to sponsor Dr. Levin in an effort to share his vast knowledge and unique field experiences with those now entering the health sciences professions. As a Doctors Without Borders’ physician, Dr. Levin provided care to primarily children in the most dire circumstances.

"For the first time in history, recent data indicates that we are gaining in our quest to end the world’s worst aspects of global hunger, poverty, and disease. Much of the credit for these achievements goes to groups like Doctors Without Borders, working in concert with the many entities of the United Nations, being supported by local UNA chapters such as ours.”

--Priya Desai
United Nations Association of the USA
Oklahoma City Chapter
www.una-okc.org

An Encore Presentation

Dr. Levin will deliver a second presentation about his experiences in Doctors Without Borders at the University of Central Oklahoma on Monday, November 9th, at 4pm. For more information about the program at UCO's International House, please see our blog entry, "Doctors Without Borders."