Free health lectures at ASU offered on Feb. 16 and 17
by Anna Oakes
Next week, Appalachian State University presents a series of interdisciplinary lectures on global health that is free and open to the public.
Stephen Bezruchka, a senior lecturer in global health at the University of Washington, will give six lectures on the ASU campus Thursday and Friday, Feb. 16 and 17.
His visit is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Geography and Planning and the Borders and Bridges Grant program administered by the University Forum Committee.
“Health is an interdisciplinary topic. There's no question about that,” said Baker Perry, geography and planning professor at ASU. “There's a very important contribution that geographers have made in understanding some of the patterns in health. The geography of health and disease is a very vibrant part of geographic research at the national level.”
Bezruchka is a former emergency room physician and an expert on altitude sickness and travel medicine.
He works with the University of Washington's Department of Global Health MPH program and has spent more than 10 years in Nepal working in various health programs and teaching in remote regions.
His work highlights the socioeconomic determinants of the health of populations. His publications include the article “The Hurrider I Go the Behinder I Get: The Deteriorating International Ranking of U.S. Health Status” in the Annual Review of Public Health and the books “Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment,” “The Pocket Doctor” and “Trekking Nepal.”
The lectures focus on health disparities across the world as well as wilderness and travel medicine.
While all lectures are open to the public, Perry said he particularly hopes community members will attend the 6 p.m. lecture on Thursday titled “Early Life Lasts a Lifetime.”
Co-sponsored by student group People Fighting Poverty, the lecture discusses the importance of early life in shaping lifelong health.
“Evidence suggests perhaps half of our health as adults is programmed in the first thousand days after conception,” reads a description of the lecture. “Only four countries in the world do not have a national policy for paid maternal leave: Swaziland, Liberia, Papua New Guinea and the United States. We neglect early life at our peril and die younger than people in close to 50 other nations, including all the other rich ones.”
Perry said the Friday lecture titled “Health Disparities in the U.S.” is tailored to health professionals.
Because most lectures are scheduled prior to 5 p.m., the best place to park is in the River Street Parking Deck. For more information, call the Department of Geography and Planning at (828) 262-3000.
For more information on health topics, look for the publication of “Healthy LifeTimes” in the Watauga Democrat Feb. 24.
Stephen Bezruchka, a senior lecturer in global health at the University of Washington, will give six lectures on the ASU campus Thursday and Friday, Feb. 16 and 17.
His visit is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Geography and Planning and the Borders and Bridges Grant program administered by the University Forum Committee.
“Health is an interdisciplinary topic. There's no question about that,” said Baker Perry, geography and planning professor at ASU. “There's a very important contribution that geographers have made in understanding some of the patterns in health. The geography of health and disease is a very vibrant part of geographic research at the national level.”
Bezruchka is a former emergency room physician and an expert on altitude sickness and travel medicine.
He works with the University of Washington's Department of Global Health MPH program and has spent more than 10 years in Nepal working in various health programs and teaching in remote regions.
His work highlights the socioeconomic determinants of the health of populations. His publications include the article “The Hurrider I Go the Behinder I Get: The Deteriorating International Ranking of U.S. Health Status” in the Annual Review of Public Health and the books “Altitude Illness: Prevention and Treatment,” “The Pocket Doctor” and “Trekking Nepal.”
The lectures focus on health disparities across the world as well as wilderness and travel medicine.
While all lectures are open to the public, Perry said he particularly hopes community members will attend the 6 p.m. lecture on Thursday titled “Early Life Lasts a Lifetime.”
Co-sponsored by student group People Fighting Poverty, the lecture discusses the importance of early life in shaping lifelong health.
“Evidence suggests perhaps half of our health as adults is programmed in the first thousand days after conception,” reads a description of the lecture. “Only four countries in the world do not have a national policy for paid maternal leave: Swaziland, Liberia, Papua New Guinea and the United States. We neglect early life at our peril and die younger than people in close to 50 other nations, including all the other rich ones.”
Perry said the Friday lecture titled “Health Disparities in the U.S.” is tailored to health professionals.
Because most lectures are scheduled prior to 5 p.m., the best place to park is in the River Street Parking Deck. For more information, call the Department of Geography and Planning at (828) 262-3000.
For more information on health topics, look for the publication of “Healthy LifeTimes” in the Watauga Democrat Feb. 24.