NICHD Director's Lecture Series: "Low-Hanging Fruit for Better Global Health? Evidence from the Field"

The Second Lecture in This Series Features NICHD Grantee Dr. Esther Duflo

Esther Duflo, Ph.D.  

Featured Speaker
Esther Duflo, Ph.D.

NICHD Director Alan E. Guttmacher, M.D., started the Director's Lecture Series in 2010 to highlight innovative research related to the Institute's mission and to provide Institute staff and trainees with an opportunity to interact with nationally recognized scientists and experts outside of the NIH. The second lecture in the Series focuses on global health and some of its challenges, and will be delivered by NICHD grantee Esther Duflo, Ph.D. Dr. Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and director of the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), a research network specializing in randomized evaluations of social programs.

Dr. Duflo reports that, around the world, more than nine million children younger than age five die each year from preventable diseases or conditions, such as malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infections. Dr. Duflo will discuss how inexpensive, safe, and accessible therapies—what she calls "low-hanging fruit"—for these conditions are not being used to prevent illness and death in many resource-poor countries. She will describe barriers to their use, and argue that understanding these barriers is an important step in overcoming them.

Dr. Duflo has received significant recognition for her work on global poverty. In 2010, she received the John Bates Clark Medal as the most promising U.S. economist younger than age 40 for her research in development economics, politics, gender, and education in developing countries. In addition, she received a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, or "genius" award, in 2009. She is also co-author of the forthcoming book Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty.

Specifics of the event are as follows:

What: NICHD Director's Lecture Series: "Low-Hanging Fruit for Better Global Health? Evidence from the Field"
When: Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 3:00-4:00 p.m.
Where: Lipsett Auditorium, Building 10, NIH Main Campus

The NICHD Director's Lecture Series is open to the public, and registration is not required. Non-NIH employees should visit http://www.nih.gov/about/visitor/index.htm for details about getting to the NIH campus and security procedures.

Individuals with disabilities who need sign language interpreters and/or reasonable accommodations to participate should contact Tiffany Ray (tiffany.ray@mail.nih.gov or 301-594-1968). Please make your requests at least five days in advance of the event.

For additional information, select one of the links below:

 

Originally posted: April 25, 2011

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