[act-ma] 3/07 & 8 Climate Change and Health: A Medical Perspective on Global Warming

[Charlie Welch]

MIT Hippocratic Society
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139

February 20, 2008
 

            The MIT Hippocratic Society is hosting a conference 
entitled, "Climate Change and Health: A Medical Perspective on Global 
Warming." It will be held on March 7^th -8^th 2008 at MIT. In order to 
open the conference to a broad audience, we ask that you consider 
co-sponsoring the conference. We think you are particularly suited to 
be a co-sponsor due to your interest in sustainable practices. In 
return, you will be publicly recognized at the conference and listed 
on the conference program.

The MIT Hippocratic Society is dedicated to broadening the 
perspectives of those with an interest in health, science, and 
engineering careers. It brings together students and professionals to 
address the scientific, socio-political, economic, legal, and ethical 
implications of pressing global and national issues. Each spring, we 
host a conference that exposes students to world leaders in the chosen 
field. Past conference topics include genetic engineering, 
international health, neuroscience, and infectious disease.

Past speakers include:

    * Dr. Desmond Johns, Director of the UN AIDS New York Office
    * Christopher Reeve, late actor and activist
    * Dr. Paul Greengard, Ph.D., 2000 Nobel Laureate in Physiology and
      Medicine
    * Dr. Rita Colwell, Ph.D., Director of the National Science Foundation
    * Dr. David Ho, M.D., Scientific Director and CEO of Aaron Diamond
      AIDS Research Center
    * Dr. James Orbinksi, M.D., past President of /Médecins San
      Frontières /(Doctors Without Borders) and recipient of the 1999
      Nobel Peace Prize
    * Dr. Ian Wilmut, Principal Investigator at Roslin Institute who
      cloned Dolly the sheep

Our 2008 Participants include:

Dr. George Lundberg: A pioneer of the medical Internet, Dr. Lundberg 
is the Editor in Chief of Medscape Online, the first and only online, 
peer-reviewed medical journal (Check it out at medgenmed.com 
<http://medgenmed.com/).

Dr. Gerald T. Keusch: A leading professor of global health at BU, Dr. 
Keusch expanded the programs of the Fogarty Center at the NIH to 
address not only pressing issues of infectious disease but also 
non-communicable disease and other issues relating to ethics in medicine.

Dr. Joel Schwartz: A professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School 
of Public Health, Dr. Schwartz will share his knowledge about air 
pollution using cost-benefit analysis, biostatistics and 
epidemiological methods.

Dr. David Jones: The director of the Center for the Study of Diversity 
in STS at MIT, Dr. Jones' current research examines decision making in 
cardiac care, and his previous research has been in Cold War medicine, 
HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.


The 2008 conference on global warming and disease is the eleventh 
annual symposium organized by the Hippocratic Society. The conference 
is a multi-disciplinary opportunity for discussion and exploration, 
through which our organizations hope to play an essential role in the 
training of future leaders in research, industry, medicine, and public 
policy. Our goals, as well as our high undergraduate participation, 
set our conference apart from other conferences addressing similar 
topics. 

Please email Irina Shklyar ishklyar at mit.du <mailto:ishklyar at mit.duif 
you are interested in co-sponsoring the conference and encouraging 
your members to attend. We thank you for your time and support!

Sincerely,

            Irina Shklyar   

/Finance Chair/

MIT Hippocratic Society