Academy for Educational Development
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Can Medical History Teach Us About Current Epidemics? Medical Historian Allan Brandt and Panel to Discuss Washington, D.C., October 24, 2005 — Medical historian Allan Brandt will speak at the Academy for Educational Development on Nov. 1 on how lessons gleaned from past epidemics can be used to address diseases like AIDS, avian flu, tuberculosis, and obesity. In his book No Magic Bullet: A Social History of Venereal Disease in the United States since 1880, Brandt outlines the ways in which American society responded to sexually transmitted diseases. He is a professor of the history of medicine and the director of the medical ethics division at Harvard Medical School. For example, syphilis was originally seen as a moral issue before it became a public health issue. The evolution of society’s response to epidemics can inform the current discussion on the social management of these outbreaks. “Allan Brandt is a brilliant speaker, and one of the few people in the world who has looked at these issues from a historical point of view,” said William Smith, AED Executive Vice President. “With the growing concern about avian flu, and the continuing devastation of HIV/AIDS, now is the perfect time to explore the social management of the epidemics the world is facing,” he said. In addition, Susan Zimicki a social epidemiologist, and Silvio Waisbord, a health-communications expert, both of AED, will be on the panel to discuss how effective communications can be used to in the fight against avian flu and tuberculosis, respectively. The discussion will take place at AED’s Academy Hall, 1825 Connecticut Ave., 8th Floor, between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. ### |
