WHO BMUN LXVII

When it comes to providing equitable healthcare resources, the international community seems to have some trouble putting its money where its mouth is. Despite the recent comprehensive report from the Lancet Commission on Global Mental Health , what Joanne Silberner describes as a “ lament that the world is ignoring millions of suffering people,” that highlights the extreme need for addressing the pervasive issue, financial priorities have yet to change. To explain the lack of funding despite great need, a recent NPR article claims that stigma is partially to blame. It’s also clear that in the eyes of many policy makers and non-governmental organizations, the mind is insignificant when the physical health of a person is at risk. Maslow’s hierarchy reigns, and ignored is the amassing research that indicates how influential mental health is on the body’s ability to fight infections as well as on cardiovascular and neurological health. One potential reason that funding efforts t...

Well, not exactly - I'll admit, the title is just clickbait. But to a certain extent, such a claim isn't exactly incorrect; in fact, a quick Google search would pull up dozens of articles from major news and media outlets dating back to the end of November that report how Chinese scientists are creating CRISPR babies. So what exactly is going on then? On November 25, 2018, the MIT Technology Review published an article  that made waves in the scientific community and went viral on social media; it described a daring effort by Chinese scientists - led by He Jiankui at the Southern University of Science and Technology - to create the world's first CRISPR gene-edited babies. During the course of November that year, records show that He's team had been recruiting prospective couples in the hopes of genetically modifying human embryos to potentially render the babies resistant to HIV. And so, it was during the last week of November that the worst fears of genetic bioethi...

Hi delegates! I hope everything has been going well for you all and the research papers and conference prep are coming along smoothly. As conference nears (only about a month away!), I just wanted to give you all a quick update about what these blogs are for and what to expect during these next few weeks. Blog posts are something that is unique to BMUN and a great platform of communication between delegates and chairs. Each committee has their own blog every year prior to the start of conference - which is managed collectively by the committee chairs - where the dais will post about interesting articles, recent news developments, and important conference logistics every week leading up the the actual conference in March. These posts will include substantive articles and developments relevant to both topics, as well as continual committee updates that include position paper guidelines, our technology policy, and advice on how to prepare for conference. We strongly encourage you all ...

Hello Everyone! My name is Isha Shah, and I am a freshman at UC Berkeley studying Bioengineering and Public Policy! I will be one of your vice-chairs for the BMUN World Health Organization Committee and am so excited to interact with all of you. So, a bit about me! I am from Toronto, Canada (yes, the 6ix), and am loving sunny, beautiful California! Aside from being roasted too much about saying "eh" and "sorrey", coming to Berkeley was my best decision yet. Back home I was in various leadership positions with charity organizations like DoingWells, Change by YOUth, Every Child Now and the Oakville Memorial Hospital. Giving back to my community has always been very important to me, and is something I try to continue at Berkeley. Additionally, I played varsity soccer for four years, was an Artistic Director for Bollywood Dance, and was a Student Ambassador and Senator representing my school to the District School Board. Transitioning to a new country...

Hey delegates I'm Allyson Velez, a first-year Freshman originally from Southern California, and I’ll be another one of the vice chairs for WHO. Before I moved to Berkeley you could most likely find me at the beach with friends, watching Disney movies with my younger sister, or binge watching some Netflix show. Since moving to Berkeley I have really broadened my horizons (sarcasm intended); instead of going to the beach with friends in OC, I go to San Francisco with new Berkeley friends, instead of watching Disney movies with my sister, I watch Disney movies with my roommate, and instead of binge watching TV in the comforts of my own home, I binge watch TV in the comforts of my dorm. Now, with all this riveting information about myself I’m sure you must be thinking “WOW! My vice chair is the coolest” and you’re right. :) I am an intended Psychology major pursuing a pre-med track thus, mental health and medical advancements are something I find very important for everyone to und...

Hi there! My name is TJ Ford, and I'll be one of your vice chairs for BMUN LXVII's WHO. I'm also incredibly excited to see you all in a couple months (so soon!) and wanted to tell you all a little about myself beforehand. Like Henry, I'm also from Southern California and am in my last year at Cal studying Cognitive Science. I hope to one day become a physician-scientist and continue researching while practicing medicine. Outside of class, I intern at UCSF where I help research how rhythm training can affect cognition. Separately, I love writing, reading, and learning about the world (hence my interest in international relations.) I learned more than I can articulate from my time as a delegate, chair, and USG about myself, teamwork, and problem-solving, and genuinely owe so much to the program that shaped me as a student and person overall. I can't wait to meet all of you and close out my eight years in Model UN with this as my final conference. Best, TJ For...

Hi everyone, happy new year and welcome to WHO! My name is Henry Dong, and I'm going to be your head chair this year for BMUN 67. I'm really excited to meet you all in March, but in the meantime, I thought I'd take a quick moment to introduce myself. I'm originally from Irvine in southern California, and I'm currently a senior at UC Berkeley, studying cognitive science and education and hoping to pursue a career in medicine and academia one day. Outside of classes, I love the outdoors (hiking and rock climbing in particular), playing and watching basketball, getting too invested in very low stakes poker games with my friends, and shirking my responsibilities to watch Netflix. Personally, I found MUN to be one of my most formative and favorite high school experiences, and I joined BMUN because I was looking for a similar kind of community. This year will be my third and final year in BMUN, and my seventh and final year doing MUN as a whole, so I'm really excite...