Research & Service

Global Director of the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) Addresses Groundbreaking Public Health Symposium in Amman, Jordan

Wafaa El-Sadr, MD, MPH, global director of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health's International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) and professor of Epidemiology and Medicine, addressed a gathering of 80 international health experts, Jordanian political leaders, and academics in Amman, Jordan on October 26, 2009. The symposium, "Focus on Families: An Effective Approach for Optimal Health Outcomes," took place in conjunction with an ICAP leadership meeting and convened at the Columbia University Middle East Research Center (CUMERC) in Amman. The keynote address was given by Elaine Abrams, MD, professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology at Columbia University.
 
CUMERC, one of the first in a network of Columbia University Global Centers, convened this first-ever symposium for public health leaders as an opportunity to discuss innovative strategies to strengthen public health systems. Both Jordanian stakeholders and ICAP leadership shared experiences and lessons from their work in the Arab World and Africa, with the overall goal of crafting innovative public health programs in resource-limited settings. This milestone event represents the first time these parties have come together.

About Dr. El-Sadr

Dr. El-Sadr, born in Egypt, received her medical doctorate from Cairo University. In 2004, she helped the Mailman School of Public Health establish ICAP, which now operates in 13 countries in Africa. Dr. El-Sadr has led a number of research studies in the domestic and international arenas, which have advanced the understanding of the epidemiology of HIV and TB as well as led to the identification of effective strategies for their prevention and treatment. She has also played key roles in the establishment of an infectious disease epidemiology training program at the Mailman School and training generations of post-doctoral students in clinical infectious diseases.  Dr. El-Sadr was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2008 for her global leadership in the fields of infectious diseases and public health. Recently, she was elected to the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine in the United States.

About ICAP

The International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP) is a global leader in supporting the scale-up of multidisciplinary HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment programs based on a family-focused approach. Part of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, ICAP supports 938 sites in 13 resource-limited countries in Africa, which provide HIV services to nearly 750,000 people, including antiretroviral treatment to more than 367,000 individuals. In addition, ICAP-supported sites have provided HIV counseling and testing services to more than 700,000 pregnant women. For more information, please visit the ICAP website.