"CulturedMed"

I posted the following on the NAFSA Intercultural Communication & Training network discussion forum some time ago but think many readers of this Blog might find this of interest too. The website of "CulturedMed" < http://culturedmed.sunyit.edu/> was founded and developed by Jacquelyn Coughlan, Librarian at SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica, New York. I have copied and pasted the very detailed description of the site below:

Purpose of CulturedMed? "CulturedMed" at the Peter J.Cayan Library at SUNYIT is a web site and a resource center of print materials promoting culturally-competent health care for refugees and immigrants. This project provides support to the health care community and newcomers to our country by providing practical information regarding culture and health care from both viewpoints.

What's on this site? The bibliographies and links to relevant online resources found on the web site contain items that discuss health beliefs or ethnographic information about various ethnic groups. All entries are in English. In general, my interest is in the diverse health beliefs of various cultures, and the cross-cultural interactions between health care providers and patients. All of our assumptions are cultural. Since culture impacts everything we think and do, topical bibliographies such as the cultural aspects of food and nutrition, domestic violence and culture, and cultural aspects of death and dying are also included. Bibliographies may also contain items dealing with culture-bound syndromes, medical anthropology, and traditional or folk medicine. More bibliographies will be added as time permits. Currently there are about 9,000 citations. There are 110 other sites that link to us at CulturedMed. If you would like to see a list of who links to us, click here. The three bibliographies that were initially posted to the CulturedMed web site in 1998, were about the first refugee groups to settle in the Mohawk Valley in upstate New York since 1975: the Vietnamese, the Russians, and the Bosnians. The latest arrivals are from African countries that have experienced recent civil unrest such as the Sudan, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Somalia. The Utica, New York area is home to 10,000 refugees. Additionally, there are about 5,000 non-English speaking Hispanics, mostly from Puerto Rico.

We are open to the public. Cayan Library at SUNYIT, houses a research center containing relevant print materials and is open to the public. However, not all materials listed on the web bibliographies are owned by the library. We are also certainly happy to share what we do own through the usual interlibrary loan system. See your local academic, medical, or public librarian for assistance.

Who am I? This web site was initiated and is updated periodically by Jacquelyn Coughlan, M.S., M.L.S., at the Cayan Library in Utica, NY. I am deeply committed to cross-cultural understanding between all people and believe this understanding is especially important in the arena of health care. I have co-taught classes in the School of Nursing at SUNYIT about Culturally Competent health care issues. Special thanks for the generous assistance of my colleague Ron Foster, M.L.S. Also many thanks for the hard work of Lisa Sarner, Zoe Sionnach, Jillaine Burnham, Rishi Mehta, Upasana Raina, Charu Swaroop, Danielle Seigers, Adam Clark and Ashley Inglis. Contact Information: Jacquelyn Coughlan Librarian, SUNYIT Cayan Library jackie@sunyit.edu phone: 315-792-7250 fax: 315 792-7517