If we make the planet sick, can it come back at us? Scary question as the enormous environmental disaster unfolds in the Gulf of Mexico.
It turns out that there is a link between the state of the environment and the spread of infectious diseases.
It will be the subject on stage at the University of Minnesota tonight where award-winning physician Larry Brilliant will discuss the relationship between the health of the planet and the health of people. Jonathon Foley, director of the U of M’s Institute on the Environment, is to join Brilliant to explore:
- How disease is affected by environment.
- The national security and environmental policies that affect the spread of infectious disease.
- Examples of links between environmental health and how pandemics spread.
Brilliant is an American physician, epidemiologist, author and philanthropist. He is the former director of Google’s philanthropic arm and has served as CEO of two public companies. From 1976-79, he participated in the successful W.H.O. smallpox eradication program and in 2005 was awarded the TED Prize for this critical work. In April 2009, he was chosen to oversee the Skoll Global Threats Fund, established by eBay founder Jeff Skoll.
The forum is the third and final installment of the 2010 Great Conversations series presented by the College of Continuing Education. It will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 15, at the Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 S. 4th St., Minneapolis. Tickets are $28.50, with discounts available for university students, faculty and staff. For tickets, go here or call the Northrop Auditorium box office at (612) 624-2345. Tickets also may be available for purchase at the door, but seating is limited.
