Cohort 8: Who's Who

This week so far has been pretty fun. Once a year, for one week, the World Health Assembly meets at the Palais d'Nations (The Headquarters for the UN). This is a gathering of health representatives from about 190 countries/nations.

The opening day had the Director General of the WHO Dr. Margaret Chan. Here is the link to her remarks:

http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2010/WHA_address_20100517/en/index.html

This year, for the first time, they granted interns access to the ground level where the dignitaries sit. My group ventured over to where the US representatives were and they were very friendly and excited to meet fellow Americans. I met Rebecca Patton, president of the American Nurses Association, as well as Dr. Cecil Wilson, president-elect of the American Medical Association. Both chatted with us about our stay in Geneva and also about health issues such as the recently passed health care reform.

We also got to listen to the President of Liberia speak. Check out www.who.int for a paragraph summary of her remarks as well as the UN Secretary-General Special Envoy for Malaria, Ray Chambers, remarks. Below is Director General Margaret Chan.

Day two of the WHA was spent in a meeting reviewing the progress and challenges that remain with the MDGs. This is one of the conference rooms in the UN building where the meeting took place.

Today was attending a meeting about the US Global Health Initiative which basically consists of President Obama's pledge of $63 billion over the next 6 years toward helping partner countries improve health outcomes and strengthen health systems. Here is the link to the slides from the powerpoint today.

http://globalhealth.gov/initiatives/05192010c.pdf

During the meeting I noticed that the US Surgeon General Regina Benjamin was also in the room. After the meeting I made my way over to the line of people waiting to talk with her and also met the president of the National Medical Association, Dr. Willards V. Edwards. The NMA is the medical association that represents physician of African-American descent and their patients.

During the meeting there was a question about what the US will do to help fund additional countries/organizations. Interestingly enough, the topic of "Helms Law" (I should have asked for the correct spelling) came up and how was the US going to amend this law. I didn't know this but this US law prohibits US federal funding of an international organization that allows abortion. (I tried googling this and didn't find 'Helms Law' and I'm not completely sure I understood this correctly). However, I did ask the main speaker Dr. Nils Daulaire, the newly appointed Director of the Office of Global Health Affairs at HHS, about what it was, maybe I'm not entirely correct on this.

Anyway Dr. Daulaire, the main person conducting the meeting, was very careful in his words and personally mentioned that he would love to help fund other organizations that promote the same values that he presented on. However, because he represents the US and follows US law, he expressed doubt in the Senate ever amending this. I could see many faces in the room, probably representing many countries, with a slightly disgusted look.

I also talked with the Surgeon General's assistant La Kiesha Jones, a member of the Comissioned Corps. I asked what it was like being the assistant for the Surgeon General. She responded that it was very busy but fun to travel around and attend and learn from all the different meetings.

Dr. Edwards, President of National Medical Association

Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin
(the girl on the right is En Qi, the other intern, from Singapore)

Another highlight of the day was attending the Briefing on the World Conference of Social Determinants of Health organized by the delegation from Brazil. Sir Michel Marmott was there as well as the US Surgeon General and the Canadian Chief Public Health Officer (kind of like the Canadain Surgeon General), Dr. David Butler-Jones.

Canadian Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones

Dr. Marmot didn't have a power point presentation and spoke without a script. (I was sitting close enough to see that he wasn't reading something). He talked about how since the Commission of Social Determinants of Health published their report he has had three new health problems. The first, was that he is constantly in a state of excitement from all the news and people he interacts with that are joining the social movement of addressing social determinants to better health. The second, he has suffered from selective hearing loss, that he no longer hears the voices of critics that doubted the importance of addressing and focusing on social determinants. Lastly, he mentioned that his eyes water easily. He told a story of how when he heard that the representative from Spain in the European Union was to make social determinants of health the focus of their countries health policy his eyes watered. He also mentioned that when he heard how he witnessed empowered women in poverty ridden Bangladesh communities improve their health conditions because of community action, his eyes watered. He also told of when he was in Thailand and listened to the children sing about how we are each waves of the ocean and stars in the sky united in creation and purpose, he completely lost it. Dr. Marmot expressed his enthusiasm and said similar words when he came to BYU, about fair society and equal health.

It was a very memorable presentation. So in a year the World Conference of Social Determinants of Health will be held in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

Before the meeting I had a minute to talk with Dr. Marmot. I said, "Dr. Marmot, you probably don't remember me but I am Alex Wu from Brigham Young University, where you presented about two months ago. I asked you the question after your presentation about green space." Dr. Marmot looked at me and said, "Ah, yes! (Pause) What are you doing here?!" I almost laughed. I told him about the internship opportunity at the WHO and then our conversation was cut since he had to sit down up front and the meeting was beginning. Really nice guy.

The picture is after the meeting.