ATLANTA, GA.... Secretary General Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland of the World Health Organization and U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher will give the keynote speeches at the "Inaugural World Conference for the Promotion of Mental Health and Prevention of Mental and Behavioral Disorders" Dec. 6-8, 2000, at The Carter Center.
The conference will highlight a broad range of mental health issues: developing prevention and promotion research, approaches to the prevention of depression and violence, training of mental health professionals, and achieving change in mental health care systems around the world through knowledge exchange and policy initiatives. More than 150 scientists and experts from the United States and aboard will participate in the conference that will result in recommendations to advance mental health promotion and mental illnesses prevention worldwide.
"Regardless of national boundaries, mental health care organizations and professionals from around the world face many of the same issues," said Dr. Greg Fricchione, director of the Carter Center's Mental Health Program. "Mental illnesses are now known to contribute greatly to the global burden of disease. Indeed much of the disability we see around the world, both in developed and developing countries, can be traced to mental and neuropsychiatric disorders. This conference will bring together the world's premier promotion and prevention scientists to begin closely collaborating to meet this major public health challenge."
There are plans to meet every two years to address these issues. The second conference is scheduled for the year 2002 in London. Co-sponsors of this conference include the World Federation for Mental Health, the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Center for Mental Health Services, the National Institutes of Mental Health, the National Institutes for Drug Abuse, the Bureau of Primary Health Care of HRSA, and the Clifford Beers Foundation, as well as The Carter Center.
Editor's Note: Satcher will speak Wednesday, December 6 at 11:45 a.m., and Brundtland will speak Friday, December 8 at 2 p.m. Please see the attached schedule for other speakers and participants. Keynote speeches and plenary sessions are open to the media, although the working groups are closed to media. If you plan to attend any part of the conference, please call Kay Torrance at 404-420-5129 to register.
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, Dec. 6
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Welcome: Greg Fricchione, M.D., director, Carter Center Mental Health Program and Rosalyn Carter, chair, Carter Center Mental Health Task Force
Remarks: William Foege, M.D., M.P.H., health fellow, Carter Center Mental Health Task Force Keynote: Benedetto Saraceno, M.D. medical officer, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
9:45 - 11:45 a.m.
Plenary 1: Developing Prevention and Promotion Research World Wide
Keynote: Sheppard Kellam, M.D., director, Center for Integrating Education and Prevention Research in Schools, Washington, D.C.
Facilitator: Gilbert Botvin, Ph.D., Cornell University Medical College, New York, New York Panelists: Anthony Bigland, Ph.D., research scientist, Oregon Research Institute, Eugene, Oregon Marion S. Forgatch, Ph.D., research scientist, Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, Oregon Harold Holder, Ph. D., director and senior scientist, Prevention Research Center, Berkeley, California Maria Elena Medina-Mora, Ph.D, director, Epidemiological & Psychosocial Research, National Institute of Psychiatry, Tlalpan, México Kathleen Merikangas, Ph.D., Epidemiology and Public Health and Psychiatry, Yale University (invited)
11:45 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Keynote: David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D., Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service, Washington, DC
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Boxed Lunches
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Plenary 2: Evidence-based Prevention and Promotion
Keynote: Clemens M.H. Hosman, Ph.D., Professor, Universities of Nijmegen and Maastricht, Nijmegen, The Netherlands Facilitator: C. Hendricks Brown, Ph.D., Professor, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida Panelists: William Beardslee, M.D., Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts Ricardo F. Muñoz,, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, University of California, San Francisco, California Ray DeV. Peters, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Better Beginnings, Better Futures Project/Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada John B. Reid, Ph.D., Executive Director, Oregon Social Learning Center, Eugene, Oregon
3:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. Break
3:45 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Working Groups convene: Closed to Press
Thursday, December 7
8:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Opening Session: Frontiers in Research and Prevention Policy
Panel: Bernie Arons, M.D., Director, Center for Mental Health Services, Rockville, Maryland Dermot Casey, Assistant Secretary, Department of Health & Aged Care, Canberra, ACT, Australia James Curran, M.D., M.P.H., Professor and Dean, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia Fritz Henn, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany James Marks, M.D., M.P.H., Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia Harvey Whiteford, M.D., Mental Health Consultant, The World Bank, Toowong, Queensland, Australia
10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Break
10:15 a.m. - 12:15 a.m.
Plenary 3: Knowledge Exchange, Adaptation, and Implementation
Keynotes: Richard H. Price, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan Jukka Vuori, Chief, Specialized Researcher, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland Facilitator: David Osher, Ph.D., Principal Investigator, Technical Assistance, Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health, Washington, D.C. Panelists: Howard Markman, Ph.D., Child Clinical Professor, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado Florence Baingana, M.D., Mental Health Consultant, The World Bank, Washington, D.C. Simone Korff de Gidts, Program Officer Prevention Research, ZON Prevention Program, The Hague, The Netherlands Richard Catalano, Ph.D., University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Boxed lunches
1:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Plenary 4: Advocacy, Policy Making, and Organization
Facilitator: Patricia J. Mrazek, M.S.W., Ph.D., Mental Health Policy Consultant, Rochester, Minnesota
Keynotes: Michael M. Faenza, M.S.W., President and CEO, National Mental Health Association, Alexandria, Virginia Beverley Raphael, M.D., Director, Centre for Mental Health, North Sydney, NSW, Australia
Panelists: Elizabeth Cunningham, Ngai Tahu, Consultant, Patiki, Christchurch, New Zealand Patrick H. DeLeon, Ph.D., J.D., President, American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C. Isaac Koilpillai, M.D. Bureau of Prevention and Integrative Services, New York State Office of Mental Health, Albany, New York Elizabeth Matare, Director, Zimbabwe National Association for Mental Health, Avondale, Harare, Zimbabwe
3:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Break
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Working Groups convene - Closed to press
Friday, December 8
8:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Plenary 5: Training and Personnel Coordinator: Beverly Benson Long, M.S., M.P.H., Past President, World Federation for Mental Health, Atlanta, Georgia
Facilitator: Marshall Kreuter, Ph.D., Associate Director for Health Promotion Policy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
Keynote: Marshall Kreuter, Ph.D., Associate Director for Health Promotion Policy, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia Irwin N. Sandler, Ph.D., Professor & Director Program for Prevention Research, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
Panelists: Maurice J. Elias, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology/Member, Leadership Team, Rutgers University/Collaborative Advance Social & Emotional Learning, Piscataway, New Jersey Dr. T. Bedirhan Üstün (Invited), Chief, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland Lynda Doll, Ph.D., Director, Prevention Research Centers Programs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia Susan E. Pajari, M.S.T., Manager, SE Prevention Services/Pineland CSB, Statesboro, Georgia Lori Dorfman, Dr. PH, Director, Berkeley Media Studies Group, Berkeley, California, USA Elisabeth Askeland, National Projectleader PMT, Center for Clincal Psychology Research, Oslo, Norway
10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Break
10:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Working Groups convene - Closed to press
12:45 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Boxed Lunches
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Closing Session
Remarks: Beverly Long, M.P.H., Past President, World Federation for Mental Health, Atlanta, Georgia
Keynote: Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, M.D., Director General, World Health Organization, Grand Saconnex, Switzerland
On-Site Summary Report & Discussion: Clemens M.H. Hosman, Ph.D., Professor, Universities of Nijmegen and Maastricht, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
London 2002 Conference:Richard Berry, Mental Health Promotion Project Manager, Department of Health, Leeds, Yorkshire, UK
Closing Remarks: Rosalynn Carter, Chair, Carter Center Mental Health Task Force, Atlanta, Georgia
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