Contact: Aysha Jamali
Communications Specialist Representative
313-297-4266
ACCESS opens registration for 7th international health conference in Oman
The conference will convene physicians, scholars and key health institutions to discuss vital health issues facing Arab communities
WHAT: 7th International Conference on Health Issues in Arab Communities
WHEN: March 1-7, 2015
WHERE: Al Bustan Palace, Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman
Dearborn, Mich. – For a seventh year, ACCESS, the largest Arab American human services agency in the U.S., is presenting its International Conference on Health Issues in Arab Communities, a one-of-a-kind scientific forum that will draw health professionals from around the globe to the heart of the Arab world.
For the first time since its inception, the conference will be held beyond the borders of the U.S. on March 1-7, 2015 at Al Bustan Palace, in Muscat, Oman. Oman was chosen as an ideal venue for the conference because of its strategic location and its high regard for science and research and investment in Arab heritage and culture.
“Health has no borders and the only way to address global health disparities is by international collaborations. This conference will build bridges between Americans and their international health and academic counterparts and provide an opportunity to meet and share research to better understand and address the health care needs of Arabs throughout the world,” said Dr. Adnan Hammad, conference chairman.
The forum continues a tradition established in 1998 and reaffirms a strong commitment to prevent disease, reduce health disparities and promote wellness in the Arab community at large. It is the only conference of its kind designed by and for health professionals on the forefront of medical innovation for Arab populations. This year’s theme is “Collaborative Partnerships to Improve Community Health in Emerging Arab Societies: Perspectives, Strategies and Opportunities.”
Arab Americans share a cultural and linguistic heritage, as well as common risk factors and disease patterns that are tied to their Arab ancestry. Research on Arab American communities is scarce given the fact that in the U.S. Arabs are not recognized as a minority and their statistics are often lost in the census, Hammad said.
Jointly organized by ACCESS’ Community Health and Research Center and the Sultanate of Oman Ministry of Health, the conference focuses on six themes: capacity building; social determinants of health; infectious diseases; occupational health, trauma and environmental hazards; mental health and chronic disease and ethics and palliative care.
Top health and governmental officials will attend the conference. This broad mix of more than 500 attendees, representing 22 countries, includes physicians, public health professionals, epidemiologists, scholars and environmental experts, among others. Speakers include medical and academic professionals from across the U.S., Oman, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Kuwait, the UK, Sudan and India.
The conference’s objective is to create collaborative initiatives aimed at improving the management of mental health and chronic disease conditions in Arab patient populations around the world. After each conference, the proceedings are made available online. The proceedings from the 6th International Conference in 2012 have been compiled and published in the ACCESS Health Journal. To read the journal, visit www.arabhealthconference.org.
The conference is being organized in collaboration with national and international health and academic agencies including: the Ministry of Health of the Sultanate of Oman; National Institute of Health; WHO East Mediterranean Region; World Bank Group; National Cancer Institute; Wayne State University School of Medicine; University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine; University of Michigan School of Public Health; University of Nebraska College of Public Health; University of Arizona Global Health Institute and College of Public Health; Michigan State University; American University of Beirut School of Public Health; Sultan Qabous University; Henry Ford Health System, Qatar Diabetes Association, Research Council of the Sultanate of Oman and National Arab American Medical Association (NAAMA).
For more information and to register for the conference, visit www.arabhealthconference.org. Late registration fees apply after Jan. 18, 2015.
####
About ACCESS
Grounded in a grassroots commitment to serving our community, ACCESS has a 43-year history of providing health, education, employment and social services. An Arab American nonprofit of excellence, ACCESS empowers residents of metro Detroit to lead healthy, informed and productive lives and extends this mission nationally through advocacy, arts, culture and philanthropy.