The Institute for Public Health at Washington University in St. Louis will host its fifth annual conference, titled “Rising to the Challenge: Public Health in the 21st Century,” from 12:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Eric P. Newman Education Center on the Medical Campus.
The keynote speaker is James S. Marks, MD, senior vice president and director, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Marks directs all programs and administrative activities relating to the foundation’s work in childhood obesity, public health and vulnerable populations.
Marks is a former assistant surgeon general and was director of the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion for almost a decade. He is a national leader in public health who has been an advocate of strengthening public health systems and services for more than 35 years.
Following the keynote, the conference will focus on one specific challenge greatly affecting St. Louis: violence prevention and the role of public health. A distinguished panel of speakers will address this challenge and engage the audience in thought-provoking discussion. A poster session and reception will conclude the day’s activities.
The conference is free and open to the public. To register and for more information, visit publichealth.wustl.edu/news/conference/2012/Pages/default.aspx.