News Americas, Montego Bay, Fri. Mar. 1, 2013: NBA legend and philanthropist, Dikembe Mutombo, is set to be in Jamaica in May.
Mutombo will be one of the keynote speakers at the Fulbright Academy’s Global Health Summit, set for the Hilton, Rose Hall, Montego Bay at the end of May. Local committee member and Vice Chair of the Fulbright Academy, Dr. Sandra Knight, noted that the Academy felt proud and privileged to have been able to secure someone of Mutombo’s stature and influence to speak at the conference.
“Mr. Mutombo is well-known and internationally respected for his outstanding efforts to improve the health, education and quality of life for the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),” said Dr. Knight. “He has donated more than $20 million of his own funds and the work of his Foundation is largely focused on healthcare, including building a new general hospital in the capital city of Kinshasa, DRC. In 2009 he was awarded USA Weekend Magazine’s “Most Caring Athlete Award,” as well as the Most Generous Athlete in the World by FOXSports.com. His focus on public health is very much in keeping with the objectives of our 2013 Summit which will address a wide range of global public health issues.”
Dr. Marcia Forbes, another member of the Academy’s local organizing committee shared a broader perspective on the conference itself.
“The Fulbright Academy Summit on Global Health will bring together a set of multi-disciplinary specialists and advisers who are changing the face of health and health care in communities around the world,” she explained. “As individuals, we may be experts in our field; as a group, we can learn, work and take action to improve lives. Participants, who will include renowned health professionals from across the globe, will discuss the drivers of human health and health care, such as wireless technology, sports and wellness, climate change, urban planning and public administration. These subjects are of significant interest to us in the Caribbean and so we believe that locating the summit here is indeed a boon for Jamaica and the Caribbean as our medical professionals and other important groups will become an integral part of the discussions both in terms of what we can contribute from our own experiences and what we can gain from the rest of the world.”
The themes that will be explored at the Summit include: public policy, health diplomacy and healthcare; public health and the impact of technology and social media; communicable diseases (HIV/AIDS, STDS, malaria, TB)/emerging & reemerging infections; nutrition and non-communicable diseases (diabetes, mental health, heart disease, cancer); environmental health (global water supply & safety, climate change, urban planning); and health research/non-traditional medicine.
This meeting will be the sixteenth multi-day conference/summit organized by the Fulbright Academy and the international community of alumni. The Summit is open to the public. Participation is not limited to current grantees or only to alumni of the Fulbright Exchange Program. Anyone with an interest in the conference themes or to network with global Fulbrighters are welcome to attend.
