The United Nations’ agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are set to end in 2015. The MDGs were proposed to bridge the social, economic and health inequalities that exist between countries. Four of these eight goals are health-related in nature: promoting gender equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other communicable diseases. Collectively, these reinforce the importance of efficient, affordable and accessible health-systems to improve the lives of impoverished peoples across the globe. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are set to follow the MDGs in their effort to continue improving the livelihoods of our world’s most disadvantaged peoples. The SDGs are presently being negotiated and will be released in late 2015. A major focus of this symposium will be to learn from the successes and failures of the MDGs so that the next generation of students can be properly prepared to implement the proposed SDGs.

Friday, February 6

4:30 PM Student Research presentations.

6:00 PM Opening Keynote Presentation: "Update from the UN Negotiations: Transitioning from the MDG's to the Post-2015 Development Agenda."
Rachel C. Snow, Sc.D.
Associate Professor of Health Education and Health Behavior, School of Public Health, University of Michigan

Saturday, February 7

9:30 AM MDG4 Presentation: "Evaluating MDG4 Goals through the lenses of Combating Malaria: Implications for Sickle Cell disease in Africa."
Andrew D. Campbell, M.D.
Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan
Presentation followed by Q&A

11:00 AM MDG 5 Presentation: "Maternal Child Health Capacity Building and Academic Engagement – the Michigan Model."
Timothy R.B. Johnson, M.D.
Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan
Presentation followed by Q&A

1:30 PM MDG 6 Presentation: "Combating Global HIV: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Change."
Gary Harper, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan
Presentation followed by Q&A

3:00 PM Closing Keynote presentation. "A New Era of Global Health: Lessons from the MDGs."
Margaret E. Kruk, M.D., M.P.H.
Associate Professor of Global Health, Harvard School of Public Health


This event is co-sponsored by: Culture of Medicine Club, International Institute, Africa Studies Center, Global Public Health, Von Voiglanter Women's Hospital, Honors Program.