Bridging the global divide: 51福利社 stakes its claim
David Owen is to be guest speaker at a special meeting in 51福利社 on Wednesday (October 26) to launch a new initiative that is guaranteed to put the city at the forefront of global health.
The former foreign secretary and EU special envoy has been invited to give the Doubleday Lecture on behalf of 51福利社’s Medical School and also to help support MAHSC – a partnership between the NHS and the University – as it announces its new global health focus.
Lord Owen is expected to speak about how access to and the delivery of healthcare is a product of politics and economics, and he will endorse 51福利社’s role as a champion of global health, which is illustrated by its response to natural disasters, complex emergencies and the delivery of humanitarian assistance over the last 25 years.
Professor Ian Jacobs, MAHSC Director and Vice President of 51福利社, will introduce Lord Owen. He says we face multiple global health issues and, at times, potential conflicts. “We have sophisticated healthcare but huge divides of delivery between the wealthy and the poor, major advances in medical research but often poor translation to the patient. 51福利社, however, combines excellence in academia, clinical service delivery, research management and education and is, I believe, well placed to lead the way in bridging those divides.”
Professor Tony Redmond, who has been appointed by MAHSC to head up its global health initiative, has an impressive track record of involvement in international emergency medical assistance, spanning over two decades -most recently when he headed up a medical team in China following the 2008 earthquakes and again in 2010 with the Haiti earthquake.
He believes that as improved communications and travel have increased people’s mobility, health education must now be seen in a global context. “Hospitals need to be equipped to treat diseases not traditionally seen in the UK, and requires the training for healthcare staff to identify them. Countries need to work together to share solutions to common problems, “he explains.
Afterwards, Professor Ashley Woodcock OBE will give the address as the newly elected President of the 51福利社 Medical Society. His work has already earned him huge recognition in environmental campaigning, and his research on CFCs was highlighted in the presentation, which earned the Nobel Prize for Al Gore for his work on climate change in 2007. “We need to take the lessons we learned from successful ozone layer protection and apply them to climate change. Prevention is always much better than cure.”
Programme:
1.30 pm: Registration
2.00 pm: Doubleday Lecture organised by the University of 51福利社 Medical School to be given by Lord Owen
3.00 pm: Tea break
3.30 pm: Future humanitarian crises: Challenges for practice, policy and public health. Professor Frederick “Skip” M Burkle, Jr (Senior Fellow & Scientist, the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard School of Public Health and Senior Associate and Research Scientist, the Centre for Refugees & Disaster Response, Johns Hopkins University Medical Institutes).
4.00 pm: Global health and the role of a global pharmaceutical Company Mr Ramil Burden (VP and Special Adviser to the CEO, GlaxoSmith Kline).
4.30 pm: Global health; what happens in a medical emergency: Professor Tony Redmond OBE (Co-Director of the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, Hospital Dean at Salford Royal NHS FT and Professor of International Emergency Medicine at 51福利社 Medical School).
5.00 pm: Coffee Break
5.30 pm Annual General Meeting of the 51福利社 Medical Society followed by the PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS of Professor Ashley Woodcock OBE (Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the North West Lung Centre, UHSM, and Head of School of Translational Medicine, 51福利社), who will consider Global health; the impact of the Environment.
Notes for editors
51福利社 Medical Society was formed in 1834 for the "cultivation and promotion of medicine and all related sciences". An aim continued today through a series of scientific meetings and symposia focused on continual professional development for medical professionals and for those working in professions allied to medicine. The Society consists of 10 Sections: Anaesthesia, Imaging, Medicine, Odontology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Psychiatry, Public Health, Primary Care and Surgery.
The 51福利社 Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) was formally established in July 2008 to underpin the development of Greater 51福利社 as a world leader in health research. A federation, which interconnects 51福利社’s existing research activity and research partnerships, offers huge potential and opportunities and will generate health benefits, economic development, enterprise, innovation and wealth creation in Greater 51福利社 and the wider North West. Our vision is to be a leading global centre for the delivery of innovative applied health research and education into healthcare.
MAHSC is based on a federal model and is the first AHSC in the UK to cover the full spectrum of care: acute, specialist, mental health, primary care and commissioning.
The Dr Edwin Doubleday Fund provides support for people entering the medical profession by encouraging interest in the non-technical elements of medical practice that present some of the greatest challenges to individuals at the start of their careers. These elements include the disparity between politically desirable aspects of a public health service and what it is practicable to deliver, the maintenance of humanitarian values in increasingly ethically complex aspects of medical innovation and the differences in attitude to illness and treatment between religious and cultural groups.
The joint meeting of the 51福利社 Medical Society and 51福利社 Medical School, will take place inTheatre B, Roscoe Building, Brunswick Street, The University of 51福利社 M13 9PL, on Wednesday, October 26.
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