3rd Annual Award Ceremony for Special Acts of Service and Excellence in Behavioral and Social Science Research in Public Health

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Third Annual Award Ceremony for Special Acts of Service & Excellence in Behavioral and Social Science Research in Public Health will be held on September 12th, 2008 from 1:30pm-4pm. 

Presenter:  Noreen M. Clark, PhD

Title:  Social Movements and the Public's Health

Time:  Dr. Clark's presentation will be broadcast over the internet at the following link starting at approximately 2pm EST (NOTE:  You must have Real Player installed on your computer to watch the presentation).  http://video.cdc.gov/ramgen/envision/live.rm

Abstract:  Significant changes in the health and well being of Americans have resulted from large scale shifts in people's behavior and transformations of the social environments that influence their behavior. Such sweeping social changes have both improved the public's health and also created greater threat and vulnerability, which raises questions about what public health workers and other citizens can actually do to shape and foster movements that will better protect the public's health? In the movement for tobacco control, for instance, a series of events and initiatives led over time to healthier behavior and more supportive social conditions for millions. Thousands of changes affecting the price, accessibility, and attractiveness of cigarettes translated into a profound decline in smoking. Many of the precipitating events were catalyzed by public health professionals--but the overall force of the movement sprang from the contributions of non-professionals as well (e.g., non-smokers demanding clean air in their homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces).

The past is often prologue. What future health improvements can be expected from changes that are primarily social, economic and behavioral? Attention to American's physical activity and eating habits may comprise an example of a burgeoning health-enhancing social movement. What is the strength of a social movement toward improved food and fitness? What is the role of the public health workers in such social transformation? How do health professionals traverse the shifting terrain and make their most valuable contribution to positive change?

About the speaker: Noreen M. Clark is the Myron E. Wegman Distinguished University Professor; Professor of Health Behavior & Health Education; Professor of Pediatrics; and Director of the Center for Managing Chronic Disease at the University of Michigan. From 1995-2005 she served as Dean of Public Health and Marshall H. Becker Professor of Public Health at the University of Michigan. Dr. Clark directs the Center for Managing Chronic Disease, a unique research and demonstration effort that involves a network of researchers and interventionists worldwide who study the social, behavioral, and clinical aspects of disease management. The Center's aim is to build the capacity for effective chronic disease prevention and management. The focus of this work is people at risk as well as those who can help them-family, clinicians, communities, and systems. For more information, go to:
http://www.sph.umich.edu/iscr/faculty/profile.cfm?uniqname=nmclark.

Web Streaming Media: The event will also be available through streaming media at http://video.cdc.gov/ramgen/envision/live.rm
< http://video.cdc.gov/ramgen/envision/live.rm> Real Player should be already installed or downloaded prior to the start of the event.

Point of contact: LT Alpa Patel-Larson, BSSWG, Coordinator, 404-639-3253, aop2@cdc.gov. You do not have to be a BSSWG to attend; to
join: http://intranet.cdc.gov/bsswg/