WGHA Discovery Series
Paul Farmer speaks in Seattle, calls city "global health hub"
By the early afternoon of June 18, 2009, people from as far away as British Columbia and Oregon, started forming crowds outside Kane Hall at the University of Washington. Over 1000 students, community members, and global health leaders came to see Dr. Paul Farmer speak at WGHA's Discovery Series lecture. Farmer, subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book Mountains Beyond Mountains and co-founder of Partners in Health, is admired because of his unique approach to providing equal access to good quality healthcare in the developing world.
Chris Elias and Paul Farmer
Dr. Chris Elias, President and CEO of PATH, joined Farmer onstage for a conversation about the future of global health. Farmer shared that global health success is not just influenced by clinicians in the field, but by people with different backgrounds creatively tackling health disparities. He encouraged the audience to pursue their individual talents and passions, lending their own strengths to the alleviation of global inequity.
Farmer took questions from the crowd, and stressed that global health interventions can only breed success when rooted in humility. He closed by saying, "the 'big tent' approach is really important. All of us can participate by making sure resources are used wisely. People in my line of work have every reason to be grateful to Seattle for all of the efforts that are based here; to take on these problems that are nothing, if not neglected in the world. So I'd like to say 'thank you Seattle'.
The event was organized by the WGHA as part of the WGHA Discovery Series in partnership with the University of Washington's Department of Global Health and CityClub with support from the Pacific Health Summit.
[Photo credit: Clare McLean, UW Health Sciences]
WBBA Summer Social and Career Fair
Date: Thursday, July 16th
Location: Naval Reserve Center
in South Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109
Time: 4:30-7:00pm
Directions
This networking event is from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Naval Reserve Center in South Lake Union Park, Seattle. It will feature music, appetizers, beverages, and about a dozen or more WBBA member sponsor displays. Best Hawaiian shirt wins a prize. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, a long time life sciences supporter, is expected to stop by and say hello, too. Please note: For registration purposes, the Summer Social. Career Fair attendees are invited to attend the Summer Social for the lowered rate of $25, but you must register again - this time on the Summer Social resgistration link as a "Displaced employee." Register for this event
For more information please visit the WBBA website.
Swine Flu Update
WGHA partners are involved with the response and research surrounding swine flu. WGHA encourages you to visit the King County Public Health website if you live in King County and the Washington state Department of Health website for the most up-to-date information in the area. For the most up-to-date information on Swine Flu Infection please visit the CDC website.
WGHA Discovery Series, "Update on the Evolving Swine Flu Outbreak"
With swine flu captivating the attention of the world, WGHA organized a panel of Seattle area experts including David Fleming, MD, Director and Health Officer, Public Health-Seattle & King County, Kathy Neuzil, MD, MPH, Director of the Influenza Vaccine Program at PATH and Chair of the Influenza Working Group of the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Ann Marie Kimball, MD, MPH, Director of APEC Emerging Infections Network, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington, and Alan Diercks, PhD, Senior Research Scientist at Institute for Systems Biology. The panel, held at the University of Washington, addressed the de-escalation of the swine flu threat as well as King County's preparedness for a major outbreak of a disease.
WGHA has compiled a list of swine flu responses from our partners
Seattle Biomedical Research Institute Scientists who are part of the Seattle Structural Genomics Center for Infectious Diseases (SSGCID) are focused on determining if there are potential new drug targets or methods of strengthening current drugs being used to combat this disease. Headquartered at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI) and led by SBRI Principal Investigator Peter Myler, the SSGCID was established in late 2007 with a $30.6 million, five-year contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). SSGCID scientists use state-of-the-art high-throughput technology to experimentally determine the three-dimensional structures of proteins from a number of bacterial, viral, fungal and protozoal pathogens.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center's Dr. Ira Longini who studies simulations of hypothetical influenzas and how they would spread across the United States tells CNN that predicting the path of swine flu is impossible, but preventing further spread of the virus can be done through behavioral modifications such as social distancing. To read the article please visit CNN.com
Public Health-Seattle & King County has created a Swine influenza information page on their website with up-to-date information on confirmed cases, Public Health's response, and general information. Visit the Public Health website. A hotline has been established to address public concerns about swine flu 206-296-4949.
University of Washington Dr. Ann Marie Kimball, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington and Director of the Asia Pacific Emerging Infections Network, was on hand to answer listener's questions about Swine Flu on KUOW on Monday, April 27th.
PATH Dr. Kathleen Neuzil, Director of the Influenza Vaccine Project at PATH and chair of the Influenza Working Group of the Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices, speaks to NPR's "Talk of the Nation" about Swine Flu and pandemic flu preparedness on Monday, April 27th.
Washington State University's Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory is involved in surveillance for Swine Influenza virus. Read a statement on WSU's preparedness for their role in monitoring the outbreak.
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Are you interested in a Graduate internship with PATH?
PATH is offering program-specific, paid Graduate-level internships. For the most current offerings please visit PATH's employment website.Global health was highlighted as a "promising sector" by the Washington Economic Development Commission in their strategic recommendations to Governor Gregoire delivered Friday, February 6th.
The report had this to say about global health:
Global health: The range of scientific, technological and organizational efforts aimed at alleviating health problems in developing countries. Global health is emerging as a promising sector for the state. The talent and industry cluster has been evolving for 30 years with the dedication of organizations like the University of Washington, PATH and the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute. These organizations attract a tremendous amount of federal funding for their programs, and now, with the addition of the Billand Melinda Gates Foundation, and a number of additional independent research institutions, global health has the potential to be a major force in the state's economy. Thus far, this innovation ecosystem has developed without much strategic intention: a leading medical research university and the world's largest foundation are natural magnets for talent. The state can continue to strengthen the environment for attracting the ecosystem of support activities and businesses for diagnostics, vaccines and low-cost delivery systems. There is also room to take advantage of the other dimension of the global health effort: organization and delivery. International relief programs are notoriously inefficient, and a key part of the work of global health is figuring out how to deliver care and medicine most effectively in challenging environments. The state is a world leader in global health organizational innovation.
Read the full report of strategic recommendations.
Life Sciences Discovery Fund announces new commercialization grant award competitions in 2009
More information on the LSDF Funding opportunities>>
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