WMU News - Three-part series to address women's global health

Three-part series to address women's global health

Sept. 29, 2009

KALAMAZOO--A three-part teleconference series on gender-based health care for women is on tap at Western Michigan University's College of Health and Human Services.

The series begins Thursday, Oct. 1, and is being offered in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan and the Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education. Subsequent teleconference dates are Tuesday, Oct. 13, and Tuesday, Nov. 10. All sessions are from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in Room 2010 of the College of Health and Human Services Building and conclude with a question-and-answer period.

Each session will include presentations by experts in the field and will offer opportunities for participants to engage in discussion through teleconferencing technology. The series is free and open to the campus community on a first-come, first-served basis, as seating is limited.

Teleconference series

Thursday, Oct. 1--"Health Care: It's a Global Issue," Dr. Thomas Novotny, associate director for Global and Border Health, School of Public Health, San Diego State University. Novotny's research currently focuses on tobacco control in developing countries, the interaction between tobacco use and infectious diseases, the environmental impact of discarded cigarette filters and global health diplomacy. He consults regularly with the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Tuesday, Oct. 13--"Evening Out the Playing Field: Gender Inequalities in Health Care Systems," Dr. Mayra Buvinic, senior director, World Bank, Washington, D.C. Buvinic, a Chilean national, is an internationally respected expert on gender and social development. She is also the World Bank's senior spokesperson on gender and development issues.
Tuesday, Nov. 10--"Hands On: Model Projects at Work in Africa," Dr. Harshad Sanghvi, vice president of technical leadership and medical director, Jhpiego, Baltimore; and Gannon Gillespie, director of U.S. operations, Tostan, Washington, D.C. Jhpeigo (pronounced 'jha-pie-go') is an international health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University. Tostan means 'breakthrough' in the West African language of Wolof. Tostan's Community Empowerment Program is considered the 'best practice' by the World Health Organization, UNICEF, Population Control and others.

WMU is an educational partner with the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan through the Haenicke Institute for Global Education. The Haenicke Institute works actively with the council to co-sponsor lectures, teleconferences and other events related to critical foreign policy issues on campus and throughout the region. More information on the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan is available at http://worldmi.org/.

For more information on the teleconference series, contact Margaret von Steinen at (269) 387-3993 or margaret.vonsteinen@wmich.edu.

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Media contact: Mark Schwerin, (269) 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/news