Official Launch: WHT Alumni Teach-In
In the first week of October 2018, the Trust officially launched the WHT Alumni Teach-In; a forum for Alumni and Scholars to engage in action-oriented discussion and inter-generational sharing on global issues. The teach-in was hosted at Exeter College, one of the oldest Colleges at Oxford and formerly home to notable alumni including John Kufuor (former President of Ghana), Tariq Ali (journalist and political activist) J.R.R Tolkien (author of The Lord of the Rings).
Daniel Zoughbie with current scholars at the WHT Alumni-Teach In.
A group of Scholars debrief with Daniel after the teach-in.
WHT Alumnus, Daniel Zoughbie (2011, USA, DPhil International Relations), who is also an Alumni at Exeter, led the first Teach-In. Daniel spoke about how to balance academic excellence, cultural immersion and planning for a future after Oxford. Current Scholars who span the fields of public health, engineering, trade and finance, human rights, law and activism weighed in on finding interdisciplinary solutions to the world’s most pressing issues. Many of the Scholars this year are transitioning between careers or hoping to gain a competitive, interdisciplinary perspective within their current fields to ‘take back home and make a positive impact’. Daniel’s own experience left them with ‘new ideas about how to create my own job if I cant find a space that suits me at home’.
Daniel presents Micro-Clinic’s Social Network Model during a TED Talk on Good Habits in 2012.
Daniel with Microclinic International participants and heath staff
A Social Network Model to address disease epidemics
Daniel, who is attached to the University of California Berkeley as well as founder of Microclinic International spoke most passionately about how he turned a personal tragedy into a not-for-profit development organization that seeks to revolutionize how deadly diseases are prevented and managed worldwide. speaking about his concept, Daniel said, “what goes deepest to your heart is that which will have the greatest impact on the world. Think about what you care about. In my case, Microclinic emerged from losing my grandmother who lived in the middle east and passed away from diabetes complications – a largely preventable disease. The complications associated with it are often preventable and people don’t have to lose their eyesight, their legs, they don’t have to die due to lack of awareness or education on prevention measures”. Daniel and his team at Microclinic International, build on epidemiological evidence suggesting that healthy behaviors are transmittable across social networks.
The Microclinic Social Network Model leverages human relationships to address both non-infectious and infectious disease epidemics such as diabetes and HIV/AIDS’. They believe that if negative behaviors like smoking, unsafe sex, and overeating can be contagious, so can positive, healthy behaviors’. Through a process they call, ‘contagious health, Microclinic International has reached over 10 million people globally. Daniel’s concept has shown that positive, healthy behaviours can be socially transmitted not only in the Middle East where his project was inspired but across communities as far away as rural America. At the end of the session, Daniel challenged current scholars to make use of the time at Oxford and the WHT Alumni Network to launch their own careers in international public service.
Next Steps: requesting a WHT Alumni Teach-In
The Trust will be hosting more Teach-Ins with our Alumni Network and current scholars throughout the year. Scholars and Alumni are encouraged to request a teach-in by nominating themselves or another alumni to host the Forum.
Questions? Please e-mail the Alumni Programme Coordinator at alumni@whtrust.org