National Conference on Social Medicine to be held in Port-au-Prince, Haiti on March 28-29, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MARCH 20, 2012

Keynote speakers include: Partners In Health Co-Founder Paul Farmer, Partners In Health Chief Medical Officer Joia S. Mukherjee, and Gladys Prosper, MD, Dean of the Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de l’Université d’Etat d’Haïti

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – In partnership with the Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de l’Université d’Etat d’Haïti and the Groupe Promoteur de Médicine Sociale (GPMS), Partners In Health and its sister organization in Haiti, Zanmi Lasante, will hold The National Conference on Social Medicine on March 28-29 in Port-au-Prince. The conference will highlight opportunities to strengthen Haiti’s public health sector with insights and policies informed by the field of social medicine, which focuses on understanding how social and economic conditions impact health, disease, and the practice of medicine.

The conference, which will take place at the Hotel Karibe's convention center, will provide an interactive forum to exchange and share effective strategies for health care delivery, as well as the education and training of medical professionals who address the health needs of populations living in resource-poor communities. Bringing together key stakeholders and experts in global health and development, the conference aims to promote the exchange of views and shared lessons and experiences in health care delivery, foster dialogue on approaches to build capacity of the public health system in resource-limited settings, encourage partnerships, and develop innovative approaches to health systems strengthening.

Confirmed speakers at the conference include distinguished experts in the field of health and development, policymakers and sector leaders, such as keynote speakers: Paul E. Farmer, MD, PhD, Co-Founder of Partners In Health, Kolokotrones University Professor, Harvard University and Chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Joia S. Mukherjee, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Partners In Health and Associate Professor, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, along with distinguished guest speaker Gladys Prosper, MD, Dean of the Faculté de Médecine et de Pharmacie de l’Université d’Etat d’Haïti.

Discussion sessions will bring together experts in the field of global health to inform the curriculum of medical education geared towards improved training and retention of health professionals in resource-poor settings and within Haiti’s public health system. The objective of these sessions is to focus on the social determinants of health and to improve medical education and training in a social context.

For Participants: To register online, or view additional information about the National Conference on Social Medicine, please visit: www.pih.org/haiticonf. For questions regarding the conference, please contact: haiticonf@pih.org.

For Media: The conference will be open to the media. Members of the media must register beforehand via: www.pih.org/haiticonf or please contact: haiticonf@pih.org. Members of the media must be registered in advance to cover the conference.

About PIH: PIH works in 10 countries around the world to provide quality health care to people and communities devastated by joint burdens of poverty and disease. PIH and its Haitian partner organization, Zanmi Lasante, have been providing vital health care services in Haiti for more than 25 years and are the largest health care providers in the country, working with the Haitian Ministry of Health to deliver comprehensive health care services to a catchment area of 1.2 million across the Central Plateau and the Lower Artibonite Valley. PIH/ZL had 5,000 staff in Haiti before the January 12 earthquake. For more information please visit www.pih.org/haiticonf.