The 3rd annual Global Health & Culture lecture series will be held on October 30th, 2018 from 2-4pm with Brian Honermann, J.D. in the Atrium, Stamp Student Union. The lecture will take place from 2:00-3:15 PM followed by a reception. Dean Gregory Ball (BSOS) will give the opening remarks.

Brian Honermann, J.D. is Deputy Director of Public Policy at amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research. His work primarily focuses on data transparency, human rights, access to medicines, and - more recently - the impact of the Expanded Mexico City Policy on the global HIV response. Previously, he worked for the AIDS Law Project and SECTION27 in Johannesburg, South Africa helping bring antidiscrimination and access to health care cases for people living with HIV. Brian also worked for the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University conducting program evaluations on pediatric HIV programs.

Talk Title: Being Useful and Not a Part of the Problem: The Role of Global Health Law, Policy, and Advocacy

Abstract: Using the global HIV epidemic as a case study, this talk will examine how global health law, health budgeting, and strengthening public and private health systems can achieve the right of access to health care. Global HIV programming has achieved remarkable success in the past 20 years and access to treatment has fundamentally changed the course of the epidemic in developed and developing countries. Yet declining political will, trust in systems, and limited resources are coming into conflict with increasing health care needs, competing global priorities, and a desire to centralize programmatic decision-making further away from communities. This talk examines the current and historic funding, policies, and advocacy efforts to address the epidemic and the powers and limitations these efforts face.

The Global Health & Culture lecture series aims to promote interdisciplinary engagement---especially among undergraduate students focusing on the social context of health. It was established in 2016 as a collaborative partnership between the School of Public Health and the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, and is made possible by many co-sponsors including SPH, BSOS, the Office of Undergraduate Studies, the Department of Anthropology, Public Health without Borders, and the Global Public Health Scholars Program.

For questions or inquiries, contact: Thurka Sangaramoorthy (tsangara [at] umd [dot] edu) and Lis Maring (efmaring [at] umd [dot] edu).