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SUMMIT TO DISCUSS GROWING NATIONAL OBESITY RATE AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL PREVENTION
Contact: Ronna Branch
404-752-1717
rbranch@msm.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUMMIT TO DISCUSS GROWING NATIONAL OBESITY RATE AND MULTI-GENERATIONAL PREVENTION
The 2013 Blumenthal Public Health Summit to cite nutrition and exercise as life-saving
solutions
ATLANTA – March 26, 2013 – As one of seven states to double obesity rates in the past
15 years, according to the University of Georgia’s Obesity Initiative, Georgia’s health
will be the focus of the 2013 Annual Dr. Daniel S. Blumenthal Public Health Summit,
April 2-3, 2013 on the campus of Morehouse School of Medicine. This year’s theme,
“Preventing Obesity through the Life Stages,” will drive discussions around causes
and solutions of obesity as a health problem for all life stages.
Nationally recognized speakers include:
Howard K. Koh M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Secretary for Health U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services
William H. Dietz, MD, PhD, Former Director for the Centers for Disease for Control
and Prevention (CDC), Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (NCCDPHP)
David Satcher, MD, PhD, Director, Satcher Health Leadership Institute and former U.S.
Surgeon General
Brenda Fitzgerald, M.D., Commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Health and State
Health Officer
The Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Department of Community Health and Preventive
Medicine (CHPM) established Public Health Day in 2007 to educate physicians, public
health professionals, researchers, public health students, medical students, residents,
and community members on emerging public health issues. In 2010, the MSM CHPM held
a Festschrift conference in honor of Public Health Day and declared all future Public
Health Day activities as the Dr. Daniel S. Blumenthal Public Health Summit to honor
the 35 year legacy of Dr. Blumenthal’s contributions to medicine, community health
and community empowerment. The two day event will include interactive workshops, exhibits,
prizes, as well as opportunities to network and dialogue with fellow public health
colleagues.
Summit participants will have an opportunity to:
• Discuss the growing problem of obesity and its association to other diseases and disorders
in children, adolescents and adults
• Recognize the major factors contributing to the increased prevalence of overweight
and obese populations
• Identify resources within communities to help to reduce risk factors for obesity
• Describe strategies for translating research into applications for the prevention
of obesity
• Support public policies that promote ways to prevent obesity and related chronic diseases
through healthy diets and physical activity
About Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM)
Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), located in Atlanta, Georgia, was founded in 1975
as a two-year Medical Education Program at Morehouse College with clinical training
affiliations with several established medical schools for awarding the M.D. degree.
In 1981, MSM became an independently chartered institution and the first medical school
established at a Historically Black College and University in the 20th century. MSM
is among the nation's leading educators of primary care physicians and was recently
recognized as the top institution among U.S. medical schools for our social mission.
Our faculty and alumni are noted in their fields for excellence in teaching, research,
and public policy, and are known in the community for exceptional, culturally appropriate
patient care.
Morehouse School of Medicine is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools to award doctorate and master degrees.
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MSM in the News 2013