U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin called for continued improvements in preventative care and women's health during the keynote address of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's annual Great Issues in Medicine and Global Health Symposium on Wednesday. The 2011 symposium, titled "Investing in Women and Girls," will run through Nov. 18 and aims to engage the community in meaningful discussion about issues in health care, according to the symposium's co-director Mary Turco, who serves as director of DHMC's Center for Continuing Education in the Health Sciences.
Benjamin opened her speech, titled "Making a Difference," by explaining that despite recent progress in the field of women's health, "much remains to be done" both in the United States and worldwide. Individuals must work toward further progress, particularly in the area of violence against women and youth, she said in her lecture in Cook Auditorium.
Benjamin said that her own life experiences and background as a medical practitioner inspire her to use her position as Surgeon General to address pressing issues such as poverty, substance abuse, obesity and violence that her "prescription pad couldn't cure."
Although the Affordable Care Act signals progress toward improving puplic health, it only represents "one step toward reducing and eliminating health care disparity," she said.
Benjamin also highlighted the National Prevention Strategy a plan released this year by the National Prevention, Health Promotion and Public Health Council which she said aims to increase the number of Americans who are healthy at "every stage of life."
Focusing on lifestyle choices is the best method of disease prevention, and making healthy habits personal and fun encourages individuals to lead healthier lives, she said.
"We want to get to a place where everyone understands that everything we do whether it seems like it's related to health or not impacts our health," she said.
Benjamin closed her address with an appeal for individuals to not only become leaders in the public health field but to also remember to take care of their own health.
"It's not about what happens in a doctor's office or a hospital, it's what happens in your home where you play and where you pray," she said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
The symposium, directed by Turco and DHMC Executive Medical Director John Butterly, is currently in its eighth year, Turco said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
"I think it's a way for people to collectively demonstrate an interest in a particular topic and to engage in a conversation about that topic in a concerted, focused way, and to be inspired to do something around the topic," Turco said. "We're hopeful that many members of both the Dartmouth community and the Upper Valley community will be inspired."
This year's topic was chosen because it reflects the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals, two of which focus on gender equality and maternal health, Turco said.
"Our goal each year is to really engage our community in a discussion about an important topic and inspire people to act on it," she said. "We hope people will take interest and do something close to home or national in scale or global in scale."
A planning committee that includes graduate students, undergraduates and faculty members from interdisciplinary backgrounds chooses the topic and speakers for each annual symposium, according to Turco.
This year's symposium includes 14 events aimed at the entire Dartmouth community, including students at the high school, undergraduates, graduate students, health science professionals and the general public, according to DHMC's website. An exhibit related to the symposium will be on display in Baker-Berry Library through the end of January, according to the website.
Susan Karol '79, chief medical officer of the Indian Health Service, spoke during two undergraduate courses on Wednesday and will lecture to an additional class Thursday morning.
The symposium is funded through grants from several foundations, including the local Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation, as well as various departments within the College, Turco said. Several of this year's guests are in "official capacities for the U.S. government," which alleviated some of the programming costs, she said.
