Plunging for Health Equity

Hanover, NH—If your idea of fun is watching your friends and colleagues jump into icy water for a good cause on a mid-winter afternoon, you won't want to miss Geisel's second annual Polar Plunge, Friday, February 7, at Occom Pond.

Polar Plunge logoCheer the brave Geisel faculty, staff and students who will begin hitting the water at 12:15 p.m. as part of Dartmouth's traditional Winter Carnival, and to raise money to support health equity opportunities for medical students.

Christiaaan Rees is looking forward to jumping into Occom again this year. "I want people to know that health equity and global health are of great importance to me," Rees, an MD-PhD student, says.

Considering the plunge to be "one of life's pleasures," Bob Holley, director for advancement at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI), acknowledges that beyond providing a good excuse for a midday swim, he's also happy to do whatever he can to help raise awareness for global health issues. Holley will be jumping with Elliott Fisher, TDI's director.

"The anticipation is the worst part and hitting the water is a bit of a shock, but this is about doing something for a greater cause," says Lisa Adams, director of the Center for Health Equity and the associate dean for global health at Geisel, who jumped last year.

Also looking forward to plunging into the pond are medical students Kimberly Betts, and Rachel Brickman. A veteran plunger from her undergraduate days at Dartmouth, Betts has been actively recruiting fellow medical students to join in the fun. And Brickman, a former competitive swimmer, says it will hard to resist splashing around for a bit.

"Everybody that we are working for—our students, partner communities, and our international partners—deserve everything we can to do make our programs as strong as possible, and that requires resources," Adams says. "If acquiring resources means that I have to jump into the water, then I'll do it."

If you would like to be part of the polar plunge to support health equity, but prefer to remain warm and dry, please visit the Center for Health Equity Student Fellowship Fund website.

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