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Thread: Eye Health Conference

  1. #1
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    Thumbs up Eye Health Conference

    Hi everyone,

    This conference will likely be of interest to many on this board.

    UNITE FOR SIGHT SYMPOSIUM
    GLOBAL PARTNERS: YOUTH, CORPORATIONS, AND ACADEMIA
    BRIDGING HEALTH DIVIDES

    Saturday, October 2, 2004

    Symposium 12-4:30 PM ET at NYU School of Medicine
    Followed by Jazz For Peace Festival at 5:30 PM
    New York City

    Register at http://www.uniteforsight.org/2004_symposium.shtml
    Contact JStaple@uniteforsight.org with any questions.


    Unite For Sight is pleased to invite you to attend an exciting international conference for health professional students, volunteers, and leaders in ophthalmology, public health, academia, corporations, and policy.

    Confirmed Plenary Speakers:
    • Dr. Allan Rosenfield, MD, Dean and Director of the Center for Global Health and Economic Development, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University
    • "Stem Cells to the Retinal Rescue," Dr. Michael J. Young, PhD, Director, Minda de Gunzburg Research Center for Retinal Transplantation, Schepens Eye Research Institute and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School
    • Ms. Rosemary Janiszewski, Deputy Director, Office of Communication, Health Education and Public Liaison; Director, National Eye Institute Health Education Program, NIH.
    • "Entrepreneurship in Medical Technology and the Role of Venture Capital," Mr. Mart Bailey, President, Callaway Private Equity Partners
    • Dr. Muhsin Sheriff, Medical Director, Medewell Charitable Dispensary, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; MPH Candidate at Harvard School of Public Health
    • Unite For Sight Summer 2004 Interns in Tanzania and Ghana: Sachin Jain, Sally Ong, and Alison Polk-Williams
    Biographies of Speakers

    Dr. Allan Rosenfield, MD,
    Dean and Director of the Center for Global Health and Economic Development, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University Dr. Rosenfield is a renowned expert in the field of reproductive health and a recent recipient of a $50 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for his work on international family planning and maternal and child health. He is co-chair for the UN task force on Child and Maternal Health, which focuses on infant mortality, contraceptives, and HIV/AIDS. He has written on domestic and international issues, including population, women’s reproductive health, obstetrics and gynecology, human rights and health policy.

    Dr. Rosenfield is a member of many scientific and professional organizations and serves on the Boards and/or Committees of a broad array of population, health and science organizations, including the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (The World Bank), the United States Agency for International Development, several United Nations organizations, the World Health organization, the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine, the National Council on International Health, the New York State and City Departments of Health, and several local New York City and State non-profit organizations. He has served as Chair of the Board of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, is a past president of the New York Obstetrical Society and is currently Chair of the Alan Guttmacher Institute and Chair of the Executive Board of the American Public Health Association. He is the chairman of the NY State Department of Health AIDS Advisory Council, chair of AmfAR’s Public Policy Committee and on the boards of the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Packard Foundation. He also leads the Mailman School’s MTCT-Plus Initiative to treat HIV-infected women and children in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

    Dr. Michael J. Young, PhD
    Director, Minda de Gunzburg Research Center for Retinal Transplantation, Schepens Eye Research Institute and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School

    Dr. Young is one of the world’s leading researchers in stem cells in the eye and the use of stem cells for the reversal of blindness. His lab focuses on the use of neural stem cells for retinal transplantation. His research projects include “integration of transplanted neural progenitor cells into the retina of immature and mature dystrophic rats,” “bioengineering and stem cells to treat optic neuropathy,” and “differentiation of retinal progenitor cells into specific cell types.”

    Ms. Rosemary Janiszewski
    Deputy Director, Office of Communication, Health Education and Public Liason; Director, National Eye Institute Health Education Program, NIH.

    Ms. Janiszewski has worked in the health education field for more than 20 years at both the state and federal level. Since 1989, she has directed NEI health education activities, including the National Eye Health Education Program, a program to prevent vision loss through public and professional education programs. She implemented the Healthy Vision 2010 program, a vision-related component of Healthy People 2010Before joining the NEI , Ms. Janiszewski was the coordinator for the Cancer Information Service in Illinois. She also served as a program coordinator at the American Heart Association of Wisconsin. She received her MS in community health education at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES).

    Mr. Mart Bailey
    President, Callaway Private Equities Partners

    Mr. Bailey's company is a placement agent for venture capital and private equity financing in the medical device industry.

    Dr. Muhsin Sheriff, MD, MPH
    MUCHS - Harvard Research Collaboration, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania;
    MPH in Quantitative Methods Candidate at Harvard School of Public Health

    Dr. Sheriff is Internal Medical Monitor at the MUCHS (Muhumbili University College of Health Sciences) - Harvard Research Collaboration in Tanzania. He is a medical doctor with an MPH in Management and Policy who is studying for a 1-year MPH degree in Quantitative Methods at Harvard School of Public Health. He will share inspiring stories about his work to improve community health in rural areas of Tanzania. 'In addition to his full time job, he volunteers with a group of medical and non-medical personnel in conducting 'eye camps' in rural villages where they provide vision screenings and refractions, distribute eyeglasses, give health checkups and advice, and organize eye surgeries. Dr. Sheriff received a Volunteer Service Award in 2001 from the International Medical Relief of Western New York, Inc for coordinating eye surgical camps in Tanzania.

    Unite For Sight Student International Intern Speakers

    Alison Polk-Williams,
    Unite For Sight's Cataract Surgery Program in Ghana
    Alison Polk-Williams lived and worked in Ghana between August 2003 and August 2004, where she was the Ghana Health and Education Initiative’s co-Project Coordinator and Financial Officer in Ghana. She developed GHEI's English enrichment program for middle school students, supervised construction of GHEI's Community Center, and volunteered in a nearby private hospital. She also coordinated the first Unite For Sight cataract surgery program during June 2004 in conjunction with the Ghana Health and Education Initiative (GHEI).

    Prior to her year in Ghana, Alison graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Health and Societies with a concentration in Health in Africa. She has done development work in the Dominican Republic and Tanzania doing construction and working in a secondary school. She also studied at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania during Summer 2002.

    Since her return to the United States in August, Alison has assumed the position as Vice President for External Affairs with the Ghana Health and Education Initiative. She will continue to develop and coordinate future GHEI/Unite for Sight Volunteer Programs in Humjibre, an important effort aimed at preventing eye disease and restoring eyesight. She plans to attend medical school in the future.

    "We announced the eye clinic at church and beat the gong gong to spread the word. As the clinic went on for the second week, word spread to other communities, and patients came to the clinic from as far away as two hours. Even after the clinic ended, people brought blind relatives from long distances."

    Sachin Jain,
    Unite For Sight's Program in Nyamuswa and Mwanza, Tanzania
    Sachin Jain is a second-year medical student at Rush Medical College in Chicago, IL. Some of his interests include advocacy for underserved populations, universal health coverage, and international public health. He traveled to rural Tanzania as a Unite For Sight intern in the summer of 2004 to implement several eye care initiatives, such as establishing a cataract surgery program, an eye clinic, and eye health education in local schools. He has also been honored with an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship for the 2004-05 academic year. His fellowship focuses on delivering eye care services, and diabetes and asthma education to a homeless community in Chicago. Sachin is also the Unite For Sight Regional Director for the Midwest and national co-coordinator for the American Medical Student Association's Direct Action Interest Group.

    "My experience in Tanzania this summer was life-changing. By screening people for cataracts, distributing eyeglasses, relieving the cost of medications, and teaching eye health in schools, I gave hope to the village of Nyamuswa. Where advanced, high-tech care was but a dream, I showed that ophthalmic care, and health care in general, can be a reality for them, despite the poverty and lack of access to services. I can't imagine doing anything more worthwile with my summer."

    Sally Ong,
    Unite For Sight's Program in Tanzania
    Sally is a sophomore undergraduate student at Duke University. She is from Johor, Malaysia and is considering a double major in Biology and Political Science. Sally is involved with service-learning initiatives, including participating in a course entitled "Humanitarian Challenges at Home and Abroad FOCUS program" and teaching a course entitled "Service Learning: Expanding Your Duke Education beyond the Classroom."

    Sally is the co-Vice President of Duke's chapter of Unite For Sight. As a Unite For Sight Student Intern in Tanzania during Summer 2004, she prescribed eyeglasses, participated in cataract eye surgery camps, and implemented eye health education programs in schools throughout the country.

    "It was a wonderful experience working in Tanzania. The need for eyeglasses and other eye services is real and urgent. You sense it from the questions people ask, the requests they make and the stories they tell. Average wage is Tsh 48,000 (USD 43) while a pair of eyeglasses costs Tsh 30,000 (USD 27). People cannot afford eyeglasses. Every Tanzanian I met has been very receptive to our programs. From the policy makers to the villagers, everyone supports our work, appreciates our efforts and invites us back to Tanzania. Sensing a need in the community is one thing, being supported and respected by the people made the internship very much more fulfilling."


    Contact JStaple@uniteforsight.org with any questions.
    Last edited by UniteForSight; 09-04-2004 at 08:30 PM.

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