Breakout: Child & Maternal Health

Bill Cherniak


bill and william cherniakBill Cherniak
Professor, Lecturer, Consultant

William Cherniak is a Family and Emergency physician with global public health training. He is the
executive director and co-founder of Bridge to Health Medical and Dental, a humanitarian organization
that partners with local organizations in low resource settings to provide medical/dental care, education
and infrastructure. Based on this work, Bill has had research published in the New England Journal of
Medicine, Academic Medicine, PLOS ONE and given numerous speeches in Europe and North America
on global health and development.

Bill is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine,
a Lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, Division of
Emergency Medicine, and is a consultant for the U.S. Federal Government’s Center for Global Health in
the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health. He recently completed a Master in Public
Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, with a concentration in health in crisis
and humanitarian assistance, while a Sommer Scholar with approximately $90,000 in funding.


Organization in Focus:

Bridge to Health – Medical and Dental

bridge to health

www.bridgetohealth.ca

Founded in Toronto, Bridge to Health Medical and Dental is comprised of a passionate group of medical and dental professionals brought together by a common desire to help provide healthcare to those in tremendous need. Our aim is to provide sustainable healthcare in a cost effective manner and have a lasting impact on the communities we serve.

We currently operate in underserved rural communities of Uganda. In collaboration with KIHEFO, a reputable local non-governmental organization, we provide medical and dental care, improve healthcare delivery systems, train local healthcare workers and educate the residents of these communities.

Medical
Residents of numerous impoverished communities around the world will never have the luxury of seeing a physician, let alone afford life-saving medications or surgical interventions. Consequently, many patients go without diagnosis or treatment of conditions such as HIV/Aids, diabetes, maternal child health conditions, among others. The medical professionals of Bridge to Health work with local health care professionals to treat patients in the such communities, build sustainable solutions to long term medical care and improve quality of life for residents.

Dental
Many of the patients will have never seen a dentist, had their teeth cleaned or even brushed their teeth. For the dental professionals of Bridge to Health, it is an opportunity to relieve many painful oral infections, introduce basic dental care and work collaboratively with local dental professionals in an effective knowledge exchange. This yields the opportunity to initiate a community-based oral hygiene prevention program aimed at breaking the cycle of chronic periodontal disease which can lead to multiple tooth extractions, poor nutrition and infection.


Quick navigation to the other Areas of Focus breakout sessions:

Water & Sanitation   |   Maternal & Child Health   |   Basic Education & Literacy   |   Peace & Conflict Prevention & Resolution   |   Disease Prevention & Treatment   |   Economic & Community Development



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