Volunteering Overseas: The Pearls and Pitfalls

On Sunday, March 25, 2007, the Fourth Annual Anne Cronin Mosey Lectureship will be held at NYU's Kimmel Center. Sponsored by the Department and the Alumni Board, the event addresses controversial issues facing the profession of occupational therapy. This year's lecture, "Volunteering Overseas: The Pearls and Pitfalls," will feature a panel discussion with a group of distinguished occupational therapy professionals.

Many professionals in occupational therapy (and related health professions) are becoming increasingly interested in providing services for those in less fortunate regions of the world and for those affected by natural disasters. At this year's event, the panel will be discussing volunteer experiences in occupational therapy overseas and the moral, ethical, legal, cultural, and practical issues that can arise.

Each panelist will address issues and experiences from her own time abroad, offering insights into a wide variety of geographic locations, societies, and types of practice. Issues to be discussed include implications and potential complications of medical missions, impacts of foreign class structures and politics on practice, bridging cultural differences, and the impact upon the service site after the service provider leaves.

Lynn Bassini, founder of the Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation, will be the keynote speaker and panel moderator. Panelists are Signian McGeary, Izel Obermeyer, Diane Tewfik, and Debra Tupé. In addition to the lecture and panel discussion, there will be a brunch, and the recipients of the 2007 Frieda J. Behlen scholarships will be announced.

Fees (brunch included): $20 for current NYU OT students; $40 for 2002-2006 NYU OT alumni; $60 for NYU alumni; and $70 for those not NYU-affiliated.