ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2021
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In 2021, over 25,000 young leaders on 2,000+ campuses across 153 nations applied to join the Class of 2021. 136 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 2,000+ Millennium Fellows. The Class of 2021 is bold, innovative, and inclusive.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT MARCUS VINICUS NIGGLI DE ABREU, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2021.
Faculdade Israelita de Ciências da Saúde Albert Einstein | São Paulo, Brazil | Advancing SDG 10 & UNAI 6
" To promote real change we must see a problem from different points of view, not only from our own realities and values, nor as mere spectators. It is this will to listen and share experiences that drives me to be part of the Millennium Fellowship. I strongly believe that this channel of communication and learning will be crucial to broaden my understanding of the many problematics involved in the social, cultural and economical disparities in healthcare. And from that increased awareness, I hope to be able to help to create and promote more relevante chances. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: Colors of Care | Cores do Cuidado
Research shows that black Brazilians have notably less access to healthcare than their white counterparts. Moreover, nearly a quarter of them feel or have felt discriminated in their health appointments. This situation isn't any different in regards to the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, where death rates are 40% higher for Afro-brazilians. In light of such disparities, we understand race as a Social Determinant of Health, which drives this share of our population to less access and poorer care. Colors of Care focuses on diminishing racial prejudices in healthcare, through the awareness and education of healthcare professional teams in Brazil. Colors of Care has three fronts:
(i) Listening to patients and health workers who have suffered, witnessed or practiced any form of racism. These videos and written statements are to be gathered into an awareness material;
(ii) Building a booklet and posters which explore racism in healthcare to be distributed digitally and in primary care clinics (PCCs) of our Public Health System (SUS);
(iii) Enable PCC teams to identify and act on racism in the healthcare environment, through workshops and short training sessions of multiple workers. Our dream is that, after this fellowship, we have the tools to expand our project and, perhaps, create a public ambulatory specialized in the needs of the Afro-brazilian along with the PCC teams we have trained. In the future, we hope this project grows and inspires other healthcare professionals and undergraduates to keep looking for ways to decrease racial disparities and improve quality in care.
While struggling to move on with phases (i) and (ii), we focused our efforts on social media, to educate healthcare professionals and the general population.
3. Who are you serving?
All people who seek healthcare, specially those who are impacted by racism, students and healthcare professionals.
About the Millennium Fellow
Marcus Vinicius Niggli de Abreu is a motivated and bright medical student at Faculdade Israelita de Ciência da Saúde Albert Einstein in São Paulo Brazil.
His passion for medicine started with the idea of combining his interest in science with the opportunity to help others. However, through his university journey, he realises the inmense influence of cultural, economical and social aspects in the healthcare quality ans access. This understanding fired in him the will to make a change in the disparities caused by those influences. Today, he makes part in the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School Chapter in his campus, an institution organised by a group of students aiming to promote and execute projects in healthcare improvement, social disparities in healthcare and many more. Marcus aspires to spread all the knowledge and experience he is acquiring to promote equity and justice in healthcare through relevant and effective actions everywhere he can.
