September 11, 2015

MEDIA CONTACT: KAREN TEBER (KM463@GEORGETOWN.EDU)

(SEPTEMBER 11, 2015)—The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law fall colloquium series continues Wednesday, Sept. 16 with a focus on Ebola.

The Ebola virus disease epidemic in West Africa ultimately spurred an unprecedented response, yet also revealed the incoherence and inequity of the global health system. During a roundtable conversation, panelists will discuss the current state of the epidemic; the weaknesses in the preparedness of national governments, international organizations, and civil society organizations to detect and respond to the epidemic; the critical factors that explained these failures; and the reforms that are needed to keep populations secure against future epidemic threats.

The O’Neill Institute Colloquium, offered annually, is an interdisciplinary course that draws from the work of scholars, policymakers and the general health community.

GUEST SPEAKERS:

J. Stephen Morrison, PhD, is senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and director of its Global Health Policy Center. Morrison writes widely, has directed several high-level commissions, and is a frequent commentator on U.S. foreign policy, global health, Africa, and foreign assistance. He currently serves on the Harvard Global Health Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola. Morrison served in the Clinton administration, as committee staff in the House of Representatives, and taught for 12 years at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Wisconsin and is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale College.

Patrick W. Kelley, MD, DrPH, isthe Director of the Board on Global Health atthe Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Kelley has overseen a portfolio of IOM expert consensus studies and convening activities on subjects as wide ranging as: the evaluation of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the US commitment to global health, sustainable surveillance for zoonotic infections, cardiovascular disease prevention in low- and middle- income countries, interpersonal violence prevention in low- and middle-income countries, and microbial threats to health. One of his current responsibilities is to oversee the Global Health Risk Framework initiative of the National Academy of Medicine. He also managed for over eleven years a unique capacity-building effort, the African Science Academy Development Initiative, which strengthened the capacity of eight African academies to provide independent, evidence-based advice their governments on scientific matters.Prior to coming to the National Academies, Kelley served in the US Army for more than 23 years as a physician, residency director, epidemiologist, and program manager. Kelley obtained his MD from the University of Virginia and his DrPH in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health.

Lawrence O. Gostin, JD, an internationally acclaimed scholar, is University Professor, Georgetown University’s highest academic rank conferred by the University President. Gostin is faculty director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law and was the Founding O’Neill Chair in Global Health Law. He currently serves on the Harvard Global Health Institute and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine’s Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola and the National Academy of Medicine’s Commission on a Global Health Risk Framework for the Future. Gostin served as Associate Dean for Research at Georgetown Law from 2004 to 2008. He is Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University, and Visiting Professor, Oxford University. His latest book is Global Health Law (Harvard University Press 2014).

WHEN:

Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015

1:20 – 3:20 p.m.

WHERE:

Georgetown University Law Center

Eric E. Hotung Building, Room 2001

550 First Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20001

Space is limited. Media interested in attending should email km463@georgetown.edu.

The Twitter hashtag for this event is #oneillcolloquium.

Click here for more information on O’Neill Institute events.

The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University is the premier center for health law, scholarship, and policy. Its mission is to contribute to a more powerful and deeper understanding of the multiple ways in which law can be used to improve the public’s health, using objective evidence as a measure. The O’Neill Institute seeks to advance scholarship, science, research, and teaching that will encourage key decision-makers in the public, private, and civil society to employ the law as a positive tool for enabling more people in the United States and throughout the world to lead healthier lives.

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