News & Events

Upcoming Events

Welcome Reception for Dr. Jennifer Leaning – April 2010, Boston, MA

The Harvard School of Public Health is planning a reception to welcome Dr. Jennifer Leaning as the new Director of the FXB Center. More information to come.

Recent News and Events

Theresa S. Betancourt profile published in Linfield College magazine

Theresa S. Betancourt '91, earned a degree in psychology with minors in French and international studies at Linfield College in Oregon. An alumna profile titled "Helping children thrive" by Laura Davis has been published in the Winter 2010 issue of Linfield magazine. Read more here.

Conference: After the Shooting Stops: Health After Conflict

On February 20, RPCGA Director Theresa Betancourt attended the Stanford SAID conference. She contributed to the conference as a panelist during a session on “Refuges and Refugees: Children in Conflict Zones.” Dr. Betancourt's presentation not only discussed her research in Sierra Leone, Rwanda, and Northern Uganda, but also touched on the crisis in and around Myanmar. Dr. Betancourt also delivered a lecture on February 23, entitled “A Prospective Longitudinal Study of Children Associated with Armed Forces and Armed Groups" (CAAFAG) at Stanford University professor Paul Wise’s Global Public Health course. The study investigates the effect of war experiences and post-conflict risk and protective factors on the long-term mental health of former child soldiers. Dr. Betancourt also gave this lecture in Sierra Leone at the Brown University Center for the Study of Human Development.

Lecture & Discussion: The Impact of Political Conflict on Youth: Assessing Long-Term Well-Being of Palestinian Youth via an Event History – Resource Model

On Wednesday, February 10th, The International Child Mental Health Working Group (ICMH) presented a lecture by Brian K. Barber, Ph.D, Founding Director, Center for the Study of Youth and Political Violence, and Professor of child and family studies at the University of Tennessee titled “The Impact of Political Conflict on Youth: Assessing Long-Term Well-Being of Palestinian Youth via an Event History – Resource Model.” The lecture was sponsored by The Department of Psychiatry & Children's International Pediatric Center at Children’s Hospital, Boston, the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights – Research Program on Children & Global Adversity at Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School, and the Department of Global Health & Social Medicine. 

Conference: Children and Armed Conflict: Risk, Resilience and Mental Health

On December 7-9, 2009, The conference "Children and Armed Conflict: Risk, Resilience and Mental Health" was held at the National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine in Washington, DC. This was an international and multidisciplinary conference addressing the developmental and mental health needs of children in conflict-affected settings. It highlighted the complex interaction between risk factors, psychopathology and mental health with resilience as an important moderator. 

Global Response 2010: International Conference on Violent Conflict and Health

On January 22-25, Theresa Betancourt (Director, RPCGA) attended and presented at the “International Conference on Violent Conflict and Health” in Copenhagen. The aims of the conference were to create an international network of researchers and field workers with experience in the area of health and violent health, to obtain an overview of existing knowledge on the subject and thereby contribute to the intellectual development of the field, and to identify further challenges for prevention of violent conflicts and their impact on health, and to develop plans of action to meet the challenges.

As an aid in the intellectual preparation to the conference, the organizing committee launched a public internet forum, with the aim of collecting existing knowledge and identifying challenges to discuss during the conference sessions. In addition, several scientific journals, namely The Lancet, Social Science & Medicine, and The Journal of the Danish Medical Association, were featured at the conference. Presentations by the editors and authors, including Dr. Betancourt, concluded the conference

Lecture: Poverty Trap Formed by Feedback Between Economics and the Ecology of Infectious Diseases: Theory and Evidence

On November 12, 2009, the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights sponsored a lecture by Matthew Bonds, PhD. Dr. Bonds is a Research Assistant with the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights. His research explores relationships between ecology, infectious diseases, and economic development with a special focus on the role of health care in promoting economic growth in Rwanda. The lecture was open to the public

Research Symposium on Evidence-Based Approaches to Youth Issues in Sierra Leone: Current Research and Future Directions

On October 15, 2009, the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights hosted a multidisciplinary symposium in collaboration with UNICEF and Sierra Leone's Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children's Affairs. Coordinated by the FXB Center's Research Program on Children and Global Adversity, the symposium was attended by more than 100 persons representing government offices, local and international NGOs, UN agencies, youth groups, student organizations, and several local and international Universities. Remarks on youth issues were given by the First Lady of Sierra Leone, the minister of Social Welfare and Gender, and the National President of the Children's Forum Network. Presentations were offered by a range of researchers and practitioners, highlighting critical issues confronting children and youth as well as promising intervention approaches. The symposium also provided a forum for dialogue and interaction across disciplines to discuss setting an agenda for future research and action. During the symposium, several promising collaborations were identified among participating individuals and organizations. Additionally, a plenary session at the end of the day resulted in a collection of recommendations to assist in improving youth-serving programs at the level of communities, organizations, and government.

Guest Lecture - Scaling Up DOTS in Bangladesh: Applying Lessons Learned to New Contexts

On July 16, 2009, Dr. Akramul Islam, Director of BRAC Tuberculosis Programme and Technical Consultant for the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, presented a lecture at Harvard School of Public Health on "Scaling Up DOTS in Bangladesh: Applying Lessons Learned to New Contexts." The lecture was sponsored by the Global Health Delivery Project and the FXB Center for Health & Human Rights.

Guest Lecture - Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Disease in Rwanda

On July 9, 2009, Agnes Binagwaho, MD, Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission, gave a lecture at Harvard School of Public Health on "Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Disease in Rwanda." The free and open admission lecture was jointly sponsored by the FXB Center, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard Initiative for Global Health.

Global Health Recommendations for a New Administration and Congress

On Wednesday, April 29th, the FXB Center joined five organizations in holding a policy briefing to discuss their recent report, “Global Health Recommendations for a New Administration and Congress.” A large focus of the report, and the planned focus of the briefing, is that U.S. health and development assistance should put greater focus on the root causes of ill health - poverty and inequality - and efforts should be directed toward building public sector institutions to help governments respond to the needs of their people. Aid should also be transparent on both donor and recipient sides and accountable to the target population - the poor who need services most. The event was hosted by the FXB Center at the Harvard School of Public Health, Partners In Health, Physicians for Human Rights, RESULTS, Health Alliance International, and ActionAid. The participants in the event were Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS, Pat Daoust, Director of Physicians for Human Rights’ Health Action AIDS Campaign, and Paul Farmer, Co-founder of Partners In Health. The event was moderated by Arlan Fuller, Policy Director of the FXB Center.

For a copy of the report, please visit http://globalhealth2009.org/.

Optimizing Rural Health Care Workers in Developing Countries April 16, 2009 @ 12:30 pm – Harvard School of Public Health, FXB Building, G12

Mark Zimmerman, M.D., Director of the Nick Simons Institute (NSI), spoke on his work in Nepal. This lecture was sponsored by the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights and the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and was open to the Harvard and Longwood area communities.

GlobeMed Global Health Summit Plenary Panel: Perspectives on Global Health Delivery

GlobeMed, a national organization of university students working to build a movement to improve global health, hosted their annual Global Health Summit on April 2-4, at Northwestern University. Among the various events was a plenary panel to discuss the future policy implications in global health delivery. Arlan Fuller, Policy Director of the FXB Center, participated on the panel, moderated by Brian Hanson, Associate Director of he Roberta Buffett Center for International Comparative Studies at Northwestern University. Mr. Fuller was joined by Brook Baker, Professor of Law at Northeastern University School of Law and Co-chair and Policy Analyst at Health GAP, and Neeraj Mistry, Senior VP at APCO Worldwide and former VP of Knowledge at the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria.

Assisting Children Rendered Vulnerable by HIV/AIDS: Civil Society Feedback on Orphans and Vulnerable Children (OVC) Guidance and Revision

On February 26 and 27, 2009, representatives of civil society, the U.S. government and the research community met in Washington, DC, to discuss recommended changes to the OVC Programming Guidance. Through collaborative consultation, the group will develop recommendations that will help guide program administrators to achieve the Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in World with HIV and AIDS. The meeting’s first day focused on the findings of the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS. Alec Irwin, Co-Chair of JLICA Secretariat and Associate Director of the FXB Center, reviewed JLICA’s key findings and reflected on the need to implement the recommendations into OVC programming. JLICA colleagues Chris Desmond, Miriam Zoll, Madhu Deshmukh, Michelle Adato, and Lorraine Sherr all participated in the event.

Dr. Theresa Betancourt Recognized in Harvard Magazine

Harvard Magazine recently highlighted Dr. Theresa Betancourt’s longitudinal research and policy initiative with former child soldiers in Sierra Leone. http://harvardmagazine.com/extras/helping-those-most-in-need

Guest Lecture - Are the Health Millennium Development Goals Attainable in Cameroon?

On December 18, 2008, the FXB Center hosted Dr. Peter M. Ndumbe, MD, MSc, PhD; Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at University of Buea, Cameroon for a presentation of “Are the Health Millennium Development Goals Attainable in Cameroon?” In addition to his position as Dean at the University of Buea, Dr. Ndumbe is a consultant for the WHO on Immunization and Virology and he holds a contract with the European Union on the training of health personnel in the management of STIs, including HIV. During his talk, Dr. Ndumbe spoke from personal experience as he addressed the serious concerns regarding Cameroon’s progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and his recommendations for moving forward. Dr. Ndumbe's slideshow presentation is available here.

Panel Discussion - How Will Obama Fight AIDS?

On December 9, 2008, amfAR’s Public Policy Office convened a panel of HIV/AIDS policy experts for a Congressional briefing to discuss what might be expected under the new administration and what challenges it will face. Dr. Jim Kim, Director of the FXB Center, participated on the panel of experts moderated by Dr. Susan Blumenthal, amfAR’s senior policy and medical advisor and former US Assistant Surgeon General. Dr. Kim was joined on the panel by Connie Garner, Ph.D., policy director for disabilities and special populations for the Senate Health, Labor, Education and Pensions Committee, and Kevin Robert Frost, CEO of amfAR. http://www.amfar.org/hill/article.aspx?id=5350

Town Meeting - HIV/AIDS and the Right to Health: Leadership in the U.S. and Globally

On December 8, 2008, community members and experts joined for a landmark town meeting at Harvard Medical School. The event, which commemorated World AIDS Day and the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was underwritten by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) through the generosity of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and was co-organized by PHR, AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts (AAC), Partners In Health, and the FXB Center. More than 69 New England organizations, hospitals, and universities signed on as event co-sponsors and over 600 people participated in the meeting. Participants included Dr. Jim Kim, Director of the FXB Center; Dr. Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, Co-Pastor of Bethel A.M.E., Director of Sisterhood for Peace and Chairwoman of Save Darfur Coalition; and Rebecca Haag, President and CEO of AAC; with the keynote address presented by U.S. Senator John Kerry. http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/news-2008-12-05.html

Fourth Global Partners Forum on Children affected by HIV and AIDS

In October 2008, the Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA) achieved a high profile at the Fourth Global Partners Forum on Children affected by HIV and AIDS, which was held at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham in Dublin, Ireland. The high-level forum brought together approximately 150 delegates from key stakeholder organizations and was co-hosted by Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs, and UNICEF. The plenary address of Professor Linda Richter, Co-Chair of JLICA’s Learning Group 1 and FXB Center Visiting Scholar, summarized JLICA’s key findings and was enthusiastically received. JLICA colleagues Dr. Alex de Waal, Professor Lorraine Sherr, Dr. Lydia Mungherera, and Nathan Nshakira, all had prominent roles in the four panel discussions that explored the Forum’s main policy and programming areas. http://www.irishaid.gov.ie/article.asp?article=1361

Second Annual Student Global Health Conference - Building A Movement: Action for Justice

On October 5, 2008, the FXB Center and its partner organizations informally convened to coordinate the second iteration of the Annual Student Global Health Conference. Hosted at the Boston University School of Public Health, the conference included a panel, “Translating critical understandings into real-world change: Policy, Action and Global Health,” featuring FXB Center Policy Director, Arlan Fuller, alongside Donna Barry, Advocacy and Policy Director of Partners in Health, and Brook Baker, Board Chair of HealthGAP and Professor of Law at Northeastern University. FXB Center Policy/Advocacy Team member Curtis Peterson moderated the action planning break-out session, in which students collaborated with conference speakers to create concrete blueprints for applying the day’s discussions to the real world in meaningful ways.

Health and Human Rights Launch Event

On September 17, 2008, Health and Human Rights: An International Journal celebrated its recent re-release as an open access publication with a panel discussion, “Creating an Open Forum to Advance Global Health and Social Justice.” The panel included Dr. Paul Farmer, Editor-in-Chief; Dr. Jim Kim, Publisher and Director of the FXB Center, which funds the journal; Dr. Agnès Binagwaho, Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Commission; Dr. Gavin Yamey, Senior Editor of PLoS Medicine; and Philip Alston, the John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at New York University School of Law. http://hhrjournal.org/blog/articles/making-the-case-for-the-right-to-health/

International AIDS Conference, Mexico City

In August 2008, Dr. Jim Kim, Professor Theresa Betancourt and several FXB Center staff members participated in the International AIDS Conference held in Mexico City. The Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS (JLICA) participated in multiple events at the conference, including “Fresh Evidence for Action on Children's Wellbeing: A Conversation with the JLICA,” “No Small Issue: Children and Families” - a Conference Plenary by Linda Richter, Co-Chair of JLICA’s Learning Group 1 and Executive Director of the Child, Youth, Family and Social Development Programme at the Human Sciences Research Council, and “Beyond the Orphan Crisis: Findings of the JLICA.” JLICA participation at Mexico City was crucial to the dissemination and uptake of key emerging recommendations and findings, securing a high international profile for the initiative, and influencing the global dialogue on meeting the needs of children affected by HIV/AIDS. http://www.aids2008.org/