Prisms of Globalization Lecture Series

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The Prisms of Globalization annual lecture series, organized by the Center for Global Studies (CGS), offers accessible talks on a broad range of global studies topics of current interest.

Expert speakers from campus and internationally are invited to give informed lectures to non-specialist audiences of faculty, students and the general public. CGS often collaborates with other campus units to organize Prisms lectures or develop a year-long series of talks linked by a common theme, such as energy security or the Muslim world.

Most of the Prisms lectures are recorded and are available for download from our website.

A full listing of previous Prisms lectures can be found in the archive.

Viral Forecasting for Pandemic Prevention

Current global disease control efforts focus largely on attempting to stop pandemics after they have already emerged. This fire brigade approach, which generally involves drugs, vaccines, and behavioral change, has severe limitations. Just as we discovered in the 1960s that it is better to prevent heart attacks then try to treat them, over the next 50 years we will realize that it is better to stop pandemics before they spread and that effort should increasingly be focused on viral forecasting and pandemic prevention. In this talk, virologist Nathan Wolfe discusses how novel viruses enter into the human population from animals and go on to become pandemics. He then discusses attempts by his research group to study this process and attempt to control viruses that have only recently emerged. By creating a global network at the interface of humans and animals his group is working to move viral forecasting from a theoretical possibility to a reality.

Theme: Global Disease Control
Speaker(s): Nathan Wolfe
Affiliation:
Date: Monday, February 11, 2013
Location: NCSA 1122
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

 

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Family Behaviors: Maternal and Child Health in South Asia

Scholars traditionally argued that industrialization, urbanization, and educational expansion lead to a decline in extended families and complementary rise in nuclear families. Some have suggested that such transitions are good for young married women because living in nuclear families benefits their health. However, extended families may also present advantages for young women's health that outweigh any disadvantages. This talk will summarize research examining 1) whether young married women living in nuclear families have better health than those in patrilocal extended families, and 2) whether young married women's living arrangements are changing over time and, if so, how such changes affect their health. Results show that young married women living in nuclear families do not have better health than those in patrilocal extended families.

Theme: Global Health
Speaker(s): Keera Allendorf
Affiliation: Department of Sociology
Date: Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Location: Lucy Ellis Lounge
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

 

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The Partners In Health Model of Care: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty and Disease

 

The mission of Partners In Health, founded by Dr. Paul Farmer and Ophelia Dahl, is to provide a preferential option for the poor in health care. By establishing long-term relationships with sister organizations based in settings of poverty, Partners In Health strives to achieve two overarching goals: to bring the benefits of modern medical science to those most in need of them and to serve as an antidote to despair.

We draw on the resources of the world’s leading medical and academic institutions and on the lived experience of the world’s poorest and sickest communities. At its root, our mission is both medical and moral. It is based on solidarity, rather than charity alone.

When our patients are ill and have no access to care, our team of health professionals, scholars, and activists will do whatever it takes to make them well—just as we would do if a member of our own families or we ourselves were ill.

The speakers are visiting the University of Illinois to meet with students and faculty with interests in global health. After their talk there will be a reception and opportunities for discussion.

Theme: Global Health
Speaker(s): Ken Himmelman, Chief Program Officer, and Jon Shaffer, Community Engagement Coordinator, Partners In Health
Affiliation: Partners In Health
Date: Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Location: Latzer Hall, University YMCA 1001 S. Wright, Champaign
Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

 

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