President of Global Health Council to give talk at School of Public Health

Peggy Bentley

The seminars, free to the public, are intended to raise awareness of global health issues.

“They are an opportunity to bring people representing a diversity of issues in global health to the university and community,” said Dr. Margaret “Peggy” Bentley, associate dean for global health in the School of Public Health and professor of nutrition in the schools of public health and medicine.

“We are delighted that Dr. Daulaire will kick off the global health seminars,” she said.

The Global Health Council is a U.S.-based organization that provides resources for individuals working to improve global health. The School of Public Health is a member of the council and this year helped to support more than a dozen UNC students’ participation in the council’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

“That is, arguably, the most important annual meeting for students who are interested in global health,” Bentley said. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for our students to network, explore career possibilities and experience a variety of perspectives and issues with individuals who attend from all over the world.”

Daulaire, who is fluent in three languages and conversational in six others, is a top international health expert in the United States. From 1994 to 1996, he served as the lead American negotiator at several global health conferences, including the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development, the Beijing World Conference on Women and the Rome World Food Summit. He has represented the United States at five World Health Organization assemblies and served as the senior health adviser to the U.S. Agency for International Development from 1993-1998, when he became president of the Global Health Council.

“(Daulaire) is absolutely a giant in the field and has vast experience working in global health,” Bentley said. “He is an eloquent advocate and public speaker.”

Daulaire’s lecture is a part of the Office of Global Health’s effort to increase awareness of global health issues and provide resources for students in the field.

Bentley said that the Office of Global Health works closely with the Student Global Health Committee. The student committee, made up of students from all School of Public Health departments, works to inform and engage students about global health issues through education, advocacy and service.

“They are the energy and creativity that allow us to continue our efforts in expanding global health awareness at the school and the university,” she said.

For more information about Daulaire’s talk and the Global Health Seminar Series, visit the school’s Web site for Office of Global Health events.

This release was researched and written by Jim Walsh for UNC News Services. Walsh is a sophomore journalism and mass communication major from Winston-Salem.

News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu.

For further information please contact Emily Smith either by phone at 919.966.8498 or by e-mail at emily_smith@unc.edu.