Chris Fox, a graduate student in bioengineering, recently began developing a student chapter of Engineers Without Borders.
The group was formed as part of his continuing interest in encouraging scientists and engineers to become involved in world health, he said.
The group comes after praise for an essay he submitted to the first joint-essay competition, sponsored by the Geneva-based Global Forum for World-Health Research and The Lancet, a UK medical journal.
The competition for professionals younger than 30 invited submitters to write about the theme “Combating Disease and Promoting Health.”
Fox said that his essay, “Another Drug in Paradise,” talks about the fact that the great majority of the drugs, like Viagra, “that are produced and approved are for lifestyle conditions that aren’t life-threatening.”
Fox said these drugs are developed “because the rich world has money and that’s what they’ll pay for–they want to look and feel better. But 90 percent of the world’s health problems aren’t covered.”
His initial exposure to the discrepancies in world health came from watching a PBS documentary.
Chris also said in his essay that “we need more money and government expenditures?we need to interest our politicians.”
Any student interested in the Engineers Without Borders is welcome to attend its monthly meetings.