Former ABC News Correspondent George Strait Highlights Health Disparities Conference
Communications director for National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities will give keynote address on Wednesday, April 16 at 3:30 p.m.

Contact(s):  Catherine Herman (518) 956-8150, ([email protected])

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 10, 2008) -- Former ABC News chief medical correspondent George Stait will give the keynote lecture at the University at Albany Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD) Annual Address. Strait is the director of communications and public liaison for the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The address is set for Wednesday, April 16, 3:30-5 p.m. and will be held in Campus Center 375 on the uptown campus.

As an NIH EXPORT (Excellence in Partnerships for Community Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and Training) center, CEMHD works to identify health problems and seeks ways to reduce and eventually eliminate minority health inequities by building the University’s health disparities research capacity and by strengthening community partners’ ability to collaborate on research and intervention programs.

The CEMHD Annual Symposium brings together nationally recognized personalities and scientists to help the Capital Region community further its thinking and effectiveness related to eliminating health disparities in the upstate New York region.

In his current role, Strait serves as the principle deputy for policy and communications to the director of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD). One of the 27 Institutes and Centers at NIH, NCMHD has a $200 million grant portfolio focused on improving the health of underserved populations and eliminating health disparities.

Strait spent 22 years as a reporter for ABC News, the last 16 years as its chief medical correspondent. During his time with ABC, he contributed to "World News Tonight" with Peter Jennings, "Nightline," "Good Morning America," and "20/20" on issues such as health care reform, the medical/ethical concerns regarding new technologies, and HIV/AIDS. He was chosen by ABC to be its lead reporter on health reform issues including the economic and political ramifications of reform.

During his journalism career, Strait's work has been recognized with the industry's most prestigious honors, including the Overseas Press Club's Edward R. Murrow Award for a 10-part series on health care in Eastern Europe, 2 Alfred I. DuPont Awards for ground-breaking stories on women's health and the HIV epidemic among African Americans, and a Gold Medal Award from the National Association of Black Journalists.

For more information, please contact Robert L. Miller, Jr., Ph.D. Symposium organization and Director of the Research, Training and Mentoring Core of CEMHD, [email protected] or phone (518) 442-5374.

Under the direction of Lawrence Schell, professor of anthropology and epidemiology at the University at Albany, CEMHD seeks to make a significant difference in the health of communities by facilitating university-community partnerships to determine local causes of health disparities and then to determine the best, most community-relevant solutions.