Maya Angelou Center to hold summit on issues that affect women and girls' health

The Maya Angelou Center for Women's Health and Wellness at Forsyth Medical Center announced today it will hold a three-day international summit focusing on contemporary issues affecting women's and girls' health beginning Thursday, September 27 through Saturday, September 29. The Maya Angelou International Women's Health Summit is open to the public and will bring together internationally recognized advocates for women's health to discuss a broad range of topics ranging from the barriers and disparities in women's healthcare, to human trafficking and violence against women to empowering women and girls to lead.

Speakers at the summit are experts in the fields of healthcare design, health sciences, health policy, law, social policy, education and sociology as well as leaders of several international organizations with missions to improve women's health and well-being around the world and will include:

• Mary E. Singletary, president of the National Council of Women of the United States.
• Betty Makoni, founder of Girl Child Network Zimbabwean organization that champions the rights of the girl children in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, USA, and the United Kingdom.
• Kathryn Bolkovac, a former United Nations International Police Force monitor and producer of The Whistleblower, documentary on efforts to end sex-trafficking in Bosnia. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/31/movies/rachel-weisz-in-the-whistleblower-on-sex-trafficking.html)
• Imani Walker, co-founder of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, legal and policy organization that advocates for justice, dignity and policy reform for vulnerable women and girls in the United States and Africa.

"This is the first ever symposium of its kind in this area bringing together experts on so many aspects of women's health and the issues that affect women around the world," says Chere Gregory, MD, director of neurosciences at Forsyth Medical Center and summit organizer. "The issues we will be discussing certainly affect women here in the United States, but we also hope to raise awareness for those all-too-prevalent and often tragic conditions that impact the lives of so many more women around the world every day."

The three day symposium will be held at the Forsyth Medical Center Conference Center and will feature more than 50 individuals speaking on a variety of topics. The tentative program agenda includes:

Thursday, September 27, 2012 (8:30 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.)

• Empowering Women and Girls to Lead Healthy Lives
• Women's Healthcare From a Global Perspective
• Access to Healthcare for Women in the United States: Effective, Affordable, Convenient?
• Tapestries of Hope Film Clips and Luncheon Speaker
• Cross-Cultural Barriers to Healthcare: The Global Experience for Women
• When Women Leave "Home": Healthcare Disparities for Migrant Women
• Cross-Cultural Differences: When Spirituality and Religion Influence Women's Health
• Evening Movie: Tapestries of Hope - full version with discussion led by director and the main character

Friday, September 28, 2012 (8:30 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.)

• International Maternal and Child Mortality
• Public Policy and Advocacy for Women's Health
• Women's Cancer from a Global Perspective: Prevention, Diagnosis and Cure
• Obstetrical Complications: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Fistulas and Genital Mutilation
• The Perils of Refugee Camps for Women and Children: A Lunch-Time Speaker & Discussion
• The Biology of Gender
• Global Feast and Famine: How Obesity and Malnutrition Impact Women's Health
• Human Trafficking and Violence Against Women: A Dilemma for Healthcare Providers
• Evening Movie: The Whistleblower, with discussion led by the book's author

Saturday, September 29, 2012 (8:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m.)

• Media and Women's Health: Can Women Trust Television, Print and Radio?
• Public Policy and Advocacy for Women's Health: The World of Internet and Social Media
• A Network of Resources: Using Innovation to Improve the Lives of Women

The summit is open to the public with onsite registration at the door:

• $275 - Full Event
• $130 - One Day - Thu., Sept. 27 or Fri., Sept. 28
• $65 - One Day- Sat., Sept. 29