Lydia is a senior double majoring in Microbiology and Public and Nonprofit Administration. While their research interests are at the microscopic level, they enjoy AMWHO because it gives them a chance to learn on a global scale. In addition to AMWHO, Lydia manages social media for a local nonprofit, serves as a resident advisor, and is raising two pet shrimp.
CloseKristina is a freshman from Norman, Oklahoma majoring in Biology on a pre-med track. Her hobbies outside of academics include reading, painting, and baking. She joined AMWHO to combine her two joys of researching global health issues and debate.
CloseSydney is a freshman from Dallas, TX, double majoring in Biology and Psychology on the pre-med track. She hopes to go into medicine with a focus on medical psychology and neuroscience and currently volunteers in the ER at Norman Regional Hospital. She plays violin and works at Starbucks, and she loves to crochet in her free time.
CloseWe are honored and excited to welcome you to the 2022 American Mock World Health Organization Oklahoma Regional Conference Food Insecurity: Thought for Food. As an established chapter in the region, we are excited to bring together delegates from across the state and across all areas of study for an interdisciplinary discussion on a facet of our health that is so easily taken for granted. We look forward to seeing delegates’ solutions to some of the most urgent global health issues of our time: climate change, conflict between nations, food-borne illnesses, and maternal and child malnutrition.
The irony is not lost on us that a conference on global food insecurity is being hosted in Oklahoma, the fifth hungriest state in the US. Our motto of “think global, act local” is especially important given the situation right here at home. As we discuss food insecurity at the international policy level, we also act to promote food security in our own backyards by partnering with local food pantries, food banks, and grassroots mutual aid organizations to serve the food insecure in our own communities.
As a delegate, you have the opportunity to discuss solutions to food insecurity with representatives of nations against the world in our World Health Assembly simulation and connect with professionals fighting for health equity in our world. Whether you’re a future clinician, policymaker, agricultural worker, lawyer, health professional, advocate, activist, volunteer—the power to fight against food insecurity is in your hands now. We hope that our conference and your further involvement in AMWHO help grow not only your passion for public health, but also your desire to create meaningful change toward bettering health outcomes in your community.
Our sincerest appreciation goes out to our past and current executive teams for their work in creating a space for discussions on global health policy; to the Student Government Association of the University of Oklahoma for their financial support, and to the Hudson College of Public Health for their ongoing support for our chapter of AMWHO.
Bailey Ashbaker serves as Senior Policy Analyst at the nonrprofit Hunger Free Oklahoma. She is an Oklahoma native who is passionate about policy, community development, and sustainable solutions to poverty and inequality. Bailey graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor and Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Oklahoma, with minors in Spanish and Arabic.
CloseDivya Patel is a doctoral candidate and a researcher at OU Health Sciences Center, where she works as Assistant Lab Director in the Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Lab (BNPAL) and a Study Coordinator for a USDA funded intervention study. She is passionate about improving mealtime environments and overall health in young children to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity.
CloseThank you for your interest in the American Mock World Health Organization, Inc. For any questions, comments, or concerns regarding this chapter, please fill out the form below.