The Global Health Colloquium kicked off the 2014 Spring semester with a special presentation by Karen A. Goraleski, Executive Director of the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH). Her lecture, “The Scientist as an Advocate: It’s a New Day,” was well received and provided fresh encouragement to graduate students who otherwise are not exposed to training in the advocacy and public policy arena.
 

Goraleski’s role at ASTMH has been key to its recent growth and success. “ASTMH has been leading the charge to bring more attention to the field of research and its relevance to our every day life and health,” states Katherine Taylor, Director of Operations at the Eck Institute for Global Health and professor for the Global Health Colloquium. “Since Karen’s arrival at the ASTMH, the organizations outreach has increased many fold. “ Taylor invited Goraleski to speak to current and future scientists who need to learn how to advocate for their field.  Securing funding and raising awareness of the problem is vitally important with increased competition and dwindling funding resources. “Without teaching these lessons, right along side of learning the science, we don’t have a voice for our profession and subsequently will not have funding to support our research,” Taylor said. 

In Goraleski’s own words, “You have a duty and a commitment to the constant replenishment of knowledge, of life-long learning - and the translation of that expertise into discourse with and service to society.” 

In addition to her role as director of operation, Taylor also serves as the interim director of Global Health Training at the Eck Institute for Global Health. She is the currently president of the American Committee for Global Health at ASTMH.

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, founded in 1903, is a worldwide organization of scientists, clinicians and program professionals whose mission is to promote global health through the prevention and control of infectious and other diseases that disproportionately afflict the global poor. Research, health care and education are the central activities of ASTMH members, whose work bridges basic laboratory research to international field work and clinics to countrywide programs. Over the years, Notre Dame has been well represented with numerous faculty taking on leadership rolls in ASTMH. 

The Eck Institute for Global Health is a university-wide enterprise that recognizes health as a fundamental human right and endeavors to promote research, training, and service to advance health standards for all people, especially people in low and middle-income countries, who are disproportionately impacted by preventable diseases.

Photo L to R in their roles with ASTMH: Katherine Taylor, President of the ASTMH Committee on Global Health, Karen Goraleski, Executive Director of ASTMH, Nicole Achee, President-elect of the American Committee of Medical Entomology.