4th Annual Global Health Symposium
On September 16, 2011, 150 people from across the region attended the 4th Annual Global Health Symposium at the Union League in Philadelphia. The day started off with a brief welcome from Steven M. Altschuler, M.D., Chief Executive Officer & introduction from Rodney R. Finalle, M.D., Director of Global Health and Medical Director of International Patient Services. These introductions made way for an impressive array of experts in the field of global health. The 4th Annual Global Health Symposium was a well rounded and informative day of lectures, exhibits and poster presentations.
Check Out Our Speaker Highlights!
Steven M. Altschuler, M.D., Chief Executive Officer
Rodney R. Finalle, M.D., Director of Global Health and Medical Director of International Patient Services.
Carol Bellamy, Chair, Education for All – Fast Track Initiative
Former Executive Director of the Peace Corps and UNICEF
Keynote speaker, Ms. Carol Bellamy, called the audience to action by reminding all that there has been a “failure to do enough” for the world’s poor, most of whom live in middle income countries. She cited a “global to do list” that the international community should embrace, including 1. Upgrade selected facilities (especially maternal and child health facilities) 2. Expand outreach services (including the elimination of direct/indirect costs for healthcare) and 3. Continue to build capacity of community health workers.
The day continued with a series of lectures about maternal and newborn care, antenatal immunization, prevention and early detection of HIV in children, microfinance and health, zinc in the private sector, malaria control and eradication, data from the Millennium Villages Project, informatics in health, an international project known as Helping Babies Breathe, and finally a session about IT in Global Health.
Catherine Howard Taylor, R.N., R.M., A.D.M., Cert ed (FE), M.Sc. Econ.
Director, Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition PATH
Catherine Taylor delivered a presentation about Maternal and Newborn Care. She included a brief introduction to PATH and evidence based interventions used in PATH’s international settings.
Mark C. Steinhoff, M.D.
Director, Children’s Global Health Center
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Professor of Pediatrics
Dr. Steinhoff, discussed maternal, fetal and infant protection associated with antenatal influenza immunization.
Mark Cotton, M.B. C.h.B
Tygerberg Children’s Hospital and Stellenbosch University
Mark Cotton, joining us from South Africa, presented on the prevention and early detection of HIV in children, and gave his perspectives from the Western Cape of South Africa.
Kathryn Banke, PHD
Abt Associates
Kathryn Banke ‘s topic of discussion was pediatric diarrhea and diarrhea treatment, including the role of zinc. She also discussed implementing diarrhea management programs in Nepal, Benin, and Madagascar.
Miriam K. Laufer, M.D., M.P.H
Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics
Center for Vaccine Development
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Dr. Laufer’s presentation included malaria control and eradication including the current tools and future prospects for malaria treatment. She gave an overview on basic biology and epidemiology of malaria, discussed current control methods and new strategies.
Marcia Metcalfe
Director, Microfinance and Health Protection
Freedom from Hunger
Marcia delivered a presentation on health and microfinance: leveraging the strength of two sectors to improve maternal and child health. She discussed the challenge of health care delivery in resource poor settings, improved access to health services and products, and improved financing options for the world’s poorest inhabitants.
Sonia Ehrlich Sachs, M.D., M.P.H.
Director of Health Millennium Villages Project
Earth Institute, Columbia University
Dr. Sachs presented and discussed data from the Millennium Village Project. A project of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, the United Nations Development Programme, and Millennium Promise developed as a concrete action plan for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people.
Rachel Vreeman, MD, MS
Co-Director for Pediatric Research, Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH)
Indiana University – Kenya Partnership
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Indiana University School of Medicine
Dr. Vreeman’s presentation highlighted information on strengthening healthcare delivery for Kenyan children. She discussed holistic health services and informatics interventions, challenges to sustaining care, and addressing those challenges; adherence to therapy, appropriate therapy and provider capacity.
George Little, MD
Prof of Pediatrics, Dartmouth Medical Center
Dr. George Little, delivered a presentation on the Helping Babies Breathe (HBB) initiative. He discussed the global causes of neonatal deaths and the basic strategy of HBB.
Patricia Abbott, PhD, RN, FAAN
Associate Professor & Director PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Knowledge Management & Information Sharing (KIMS Center)
Johns Hopkins University; Schools of Nursing & Medicine
Patricia Abbott, the closing speaker for the 4th Annual Global Health Symposium, presented International Technology in Global Health: New Tools for Old Challenges.
She highlighted the problems faced in global health, the challenges of addressing those issues and promising approaches (what has worked, not worked, and could work).
A common theme of the day focused on the need to look beyond simple interventions and instead, strengthen health systems so they are better able to deliver the interventions to those most in need of it. In fact, nearly all illnesses that continue to kill children around the world are preventable, but not if the child does not have access to a health system, or a resourced health care professional.
Encouragingly, the global health community is trending towards integration, a concept that would strengthen health systems while offering general health services. Although there is a long way to go, our speakers were shining examples of how we might get there in the future.
Save the Date for next year’s Symposium:
September 21, 2012
Union League of Philadelphia.
Posted at 09:33AM Oct 31, 2011 by Brian Pomeroy in Health | Comments[0]