Published by Communications and Public Affairs (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982 or 53338
News Release
January 30, 2004
New lecture series examines public health issues
The University of Guelph’s Bio-Medical Science Students’ Association (BMSSA) is launching a new lecture series dedicated to health issues that affect Guelph and the global community. The talks are free and open to the public.
The “Public Health: Our Community and Beyond” series begins Feb. 5 with a lecture by Dr. David Zakus, director of the Centre for International Health at the University of Toronto. He will speak on “A Panorama of International Health Issues,” at 7 p.m. in Rozanski Hall, Room 102.
“Our goal is to highlight the role that U of G can play within the realm of human health, whether on campus, in the community, or internationally,” said Ian Wagg. Wagg, a BMSSA member who is in his fourth-year of the bio-medical science program, organized the lectures with student Melissa Harvey. The series is also sponsored by the Department of Biomedical Sciences.
“Without a human medicine program, people may overlook the influence that Guelph has with respect to human health. However, when you consider both the Ontario Veterinary College and Ontario Agricultural College, for example, it’s not very difficult to realize that we can and do play a huge role,” Wagg said.
Zakus is a past president and chief executive officer of Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief, which has field offices in three African countries. He has worked in some 20 countries in Latin American, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe both as an academic and a consultant. Zakus also served as director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for International Nursing Development at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital.
Other speakers in the series include Victoria Edge, an epidemiologist for Health Canada, and James Brunton from Mount Sinai Hospital. Edge will speak on “It’s a Snow Job: Epidemiology and Public Health,” Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. in Room 1714 of the Ontario Veterinary College. Brunton, a microbiologist, will discuss “Return of the Killer Tomatoes: Bioterrorism in the 21st Century” March 3 at 7 p.m. in Rozanski Hall, Room 102.
For media questions, contact Communications and Public Affairs: Lori Bona Hunt, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 53338, or Rachelle Cooper, (519) 824-4120, Ext. 56982.
