As part of Global Public Health Research Week, on May 20 and 21, 2009, the University of Manitoba will host a special symposium highlighting its role in improving global public health.Titled: “Translating Knowledge into Action in Global Public Health,” the public event will feature guest speakers from around the world who are experts or otherwise involved in HIV prevention and treatment programs in place such as Africa, India and China.

In addition, on Tuesday, May 19, 2009, there will be an “Open House” to foster interaction between University of Manitoba faculty and global public health partners from international projects.

This will be followed by the two-day symposium for researchers to share their experiences and results of public health research and knowledge translation in the global context, identify opportunities for further research and knowledge translation and foster the development of networks for research and program innovation.

“Academic institutions have historically played a central role in public health progress through the creation and synthesis of knowledge, translating knowledge into public health action and building capacity for carrying out these knowledge-based activities,” says David Barnard, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manitoba. “The University of Manitoba is a leader in key aspects of global public health, with projects ranging from basic research to service delivery in many countries around the world.”

Each session of the symposium will feature a keynote speaker, presentations from the University of Manitoba’s global health projects and a focused panel discussion. Much of the symposium’s content will be oriented around the University of Manitoba’s historical strength in research and programs related to sexually transmitted infections and HIV.

Keynote speakers will include: Dr. Sevgi Aral, associate director for science, sexually transmitted diseases, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia; Dr. Geoffrey Garnett, professor of microparasite epidemiology at Imperial College London and chair of the UNAIDS Reference Group on Estimates, Models and Projections; and Dr. Thomas Quinn, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health in Baltimore and a founding member of the Academic Alliance for AIDS Care and Prevention in Africa, and the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health.

Finally, there will be a special “Global Public Health Evening” on May 21 at the Fort Garry Campus, which will provide an opportunity for the wider University and local community to learn more about global public health issues. The centerpiece of the evening will be a screening of three special documentaries focusing on communities in India and Africa involved in programs with the University of Manitoba. Tickets by donation at door, and all proceeds will be going to the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust Orphans and Vulnerable Children Fund in India.

“It is important for the broader community to be aware that academic and medical research based here at the University of Manitoba is having an impact on people elsewhere in the world,” says James Blanchard, Chair in Epidemiology and Global Public Health in the departments of community health sciences and medical microbiology.

Recognizing its historical strength in this field and the substantial opportunities to help meet new global health challenges, the University of Manitoba recently established a new Centre for Global Public Health (CGPH). The Centre is intended to bring together three streams of public health activity: research, public health service and knowledge translation and capacity building.

All sessions of the symposium are free, but those interested in attending are asked to please register at lgauthie@ms.umanitoba.ca or call 204-789-3710

All daytime events on May 20 and 21 are at the University of Manitoba Bannatyne Campus, 727 McDermot Ave. (Brodie Centre entrance)

For more information on the symposium, please contact: Joyce Slater, Centre for Global Public Health, at: 204-977-5678