About the Conference
This year's Fordham University conference will be held virtually on Friday, March 15, from 4-6 PM Eastern Time. The theme of the conference is “Small Actions, Huge Solutions: Reducing Poverty for Women and Girls". The speakers of note will include Julie Gafney, Pia Riggirozzi, Eduard Bruwer, Camesha Grant, Professor Gabrielle Casper and her students.
2 hour CE credits will provided to attendees who qualify
About Fordham’s Institute for Women and Girls
The Fordham University Institute for Women and Girls, located within the Graduate School of Social Service at the Lincoln Center campus, is sponsoring a conference as part of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which meets annually at the United Nations site in New York City during the month of March. The purpose of the meeting is to evaluate progress in promoting human rights of all women and girls around the world, reflecting the objectives of the Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) ratified in 1979. Learn more about CEDAW
Program
1) Education
Eduard Bruwer
A video compilation of small NGOs such as Zandile (The Black Mermaid ), Breadline Africa and Ndhlovu (Women and Men Against Child Abuse ) that are making a big impact in South Africa through education.
2) Health/ Mental Health
Pia Riggirozzi
Pia is currently working on research projects regarding migration and gendered health inequalities in Latin America, and securitisation and humanitarian responses addressing displacement in Latin America.
Gabrielle Casper and her students
Improving women and girls’ health through addressing the social determinants of health.
This segment of the Fordham parallel event will comprise short presentations describing the challenges associated with improving health outcomes and achieving gender equality for women and girls. Climate change and biodiversity loss are rapidly exacerbating the impacts of the social determinants of health. Examples of how the Sustainable Development Goals are being used internationally to frame a comprehensive response to protect and promote the health of women and children will be highlighted.
3) Food Insecurity
Dr. Camesha Grant
Dr. Grant has been actively involved in the fight against hunger through her role as vice president at the Food Bank for New York City (FBNYC).
4) Climate Justice:
Julie Gafney
Climate Action and Environmental Justice: The Role of Higher Education
Dr. Julie Gafney will examine the unique role institutions of higher education can play in catalyzing community-led environmental justice and climate solutions. Beyond teaching, learning, and research, higher education can employ its infrastructure and resources to advance its mission while uplifting frontline communities and those disproportionately impacted by the climate crisis, because those communities stand the best chance of combating the problem in real time
Speaker Bios
Dr. Pia Riggirozzi
Professor of Global Politics and co-director of the Global Health and Policy Centre at the University of Southampton, United Kingdom (UK)
Pia’s research focuses on the political economy of development, human rights and regional governance in Latin America. She is currently working on research projects regarding migration and gendered health inequalities in Latin America, and securitisation and humanitarian responses addressing displacement in Latin America. Pia is Principal Investigator in the ESRC funded project ‘Redressing Gendered Health Inequalities of Displaced Women and Girls in contexts of Protracted Crisis in Central and South America’ (ReGHID), working with the International Organisation for Migration and academic, policy and humanitarian agencies in the global south. Her recent publications include ‘Displacement, Human Rights, and Sexual and Reproductive Health’ (Bristol University Press, in press), ‘The credibility of regional policy making: Insights from South America’, in Globalizations, and ‘Everyday political economy of human rights to health: dignity and respect as an approach to gendered inequalities and accountability’, in New Political Economy. Information about Pia’s projects and publications can be found on the SouthHampton website.
Dr. Gabrielle Casper, BSc(Hons) MBBS FRANZCOG
Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, School of Medicine, Sydney
Professor Gabrielle Casper is the University of Notre Dame Australia and Past Chairman of the NSW State Committee of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (RANZCOG). She is Past President of the Australian Federation of Medical Women and Past President of Medical Women’s International Association(MWIA). She has undertaken projects with the World Health Organisation and UnitedNations and cares for her patients with compassion and understanding while lobbying to improve women’s health in Australia and overseas.
Eduard Bruwer
UX Designer and Creative
Eduard Bruwer is a creative force hailing from South Africa with a diverse background spanning the realms of fashion, film, and UX design. With many successful projects under his belt, Eduard has garnered international acclaim for his innovative work. Transitioning from the worlds of fashion and film, he found a new calling in UX design, driven by a profound desire to leverage technology for positive social impact. At the heart of Eduard's passion lies the Women of the Golden Thread project, a groundbreaking initiative to empower women across Africa. Through a mobile app, this project provides women with essential information, resources, and a supportive community, addressing pressing issues like gender-based violence. Eduard's vision extends beyond the app itself, envisioning a world where technology serves as a catalyst for empowering women to reach their full potential. Eduard's dedication to this cause is inspiring, and his efforts pave the way for a more equitable and inclusive future for women in
Africa and beyond.
Camesha Grant, PhD
Vice President, Community Impact and Investment Food Bank For New York City
In her current role, Dr. Grant works to develop strategic partnerships and collaborations that impact communities across New York City where 1.2 million New Yorker’s struggle to afford food each year. Through Dr. Grant’s creative and innovative leadership over the last 10 years, Food Bank For New York City has partnered with city governed agencies including The NYC Department of Probation and The Administration for Children's Services, as well as developed collaborations with hospitals/community health centers, and colleges/universities. Dr. Grant leads with intentionality and passion and remains steadfast in her work to meet food insecurity where it lives in our city. Prior to her work at Food Bank For New York City, Dr. Grant spent 17 years with New York City’s Administration for Children's Services in various capacities including child protection, preventive services, data and research, and policy and planning. Dr. Grant holds a B.A. from Virginia State University. She earned a Masters of Social Work degree, as well as a Ph.D. in Social Work with a concentration in children and families from Fordham University. Dr. Grant is a Licensed Master Social Worker and previously taught at Fordham University in the Graduate School of Social Service as an adjunct professor for 10 years. Dr. Grant currently resides in Queens and is an active member of the Queens chapters of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. She credits her success to her mom, and her 13-year-old daughter Mackenzie is her biggest inspiration.
Julie Gafney Ph.D
Assistant Vice President for Strategic Mission Initiatives and Executive Director, Center for Community Engaged Learning at Fordham University
Julie Gafney Ph.D. a medievalist scholar whose 12-year career segued into promoting equity and justice in educational programming, was appointed executive director of Fordham’s Center for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL) on March 8. Recently, Fordham University was awarded a $50 million grant that focused on environmental justice, issued through a competitive grant process by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Fordham will serve as a grantmaker to community-based groups in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and will also fund the environmental research of its faculty. Dr. Julie Gafney will oversee this grant to assist disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities and those disproportionately affected by climate change, pollution, and other environmental stressors.
Organizers of the conference include:
Lhazom Tsering
MSW Student, Fordham University
Lhazom Tsering is Masters in SocialWork Candidate student at Fordham University, New York. She graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Social Work and is an active committee member of the UN NGO on Migration and Phycology Coalition for the United Nations (PCUN), and a member of the NGO Committee at Fordham Institute for Women and Girls. Lhazom currently works as a case manager, working with the homeless population with several mental health diagnoses and criminal justice involvement. She helps provide trauma-informed care and assists in facilitating access for clients to community resources such as housing, educational opportunities, vocational alternatives, and medical and mental health services.
Bernice Gaspar
MSW Student at Fordham University
Bernice Gaspard is a Master’s in Social Work Candidate at Fordham University, New York and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services from New York City College of Technology. Bernice is currently the secretary for the UN NGO Committee on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, and a member of the NGO Committee at Fordham Institute for Women and Girls. Bernice is also a member of the National Association of Social Workers. She is employed in child welfare, and currently working on a capstone focusing on Period Poverty in child welfare.