Panel discussion addresses complex health problems

Addressing complex health problems through public policy on social/environmental factors

What: NIH's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research convenes a panel discussion, "Science in Motion: Addressing Complex Health Problems Through Upstream Solutions." Topics will include:

• Recommendations from Beyond Health Care: New Directions to a Healthier America (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America)
• How community-based, participatory research and systems science approaches can inform public policy
• How science-informed policy can improve health and reduce health disparities

Who:Moderator: Paula Braveman, M.D., M.P.H., University of California, San Francisco

Speakers: Patricia L. Mabry, Ph.D., National Institutes of Health: Informing Health Policy Decision-Making with Community Level System Dynamics Modeling

Meredith Minkler, Dr.PH, University of California, Berkeley: Environmental Health Policy in Communities

James Sallis, Ph.D., Exercise and Physical Activity Resource Center, La Jolla, Calif: Community Design, Physical Activity, Eating and Obesity

Why:Half of all premature deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to behavioral factors such as smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity.

"Where we live, learn, work and play can have a greater impact on how long and how well we live than medical care." (Beyond Health Care: New Directions to a Healthier America)

When:Saturday, February 20, 2010, 8:30 a.m.-10:00 a.m. PAC

Where: Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, San Diego Convention Center, Room 6E

Source: NIH/Office of the Director