WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 DC-Avon-BreastCancer
Avon Foundation & U.S. State Department Announced
Public-Private Partnership at 2008 Breast Cancer Global Congress
WASHINGTON, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ --The Avon Foundation and the U.S. Department of State announced today their partnership to strengthen the global fight against breast cancer at the 2008 Breast Cancer Global Congress held at the Department of State's George C. Marshall Center. There, breast cancer experts and health care policy makers representing more than 40 countries from every region of the world were called upon to support public-private initiatives in their own nations in an effort to find solutions to the growing global burden of breast cancer.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081015/NYW184 )
"Through this partnership with the Avon Foundation, we were able to create this Congress to bring together a diverse group of experts to fight a disease that knows no boundaries," explained Goli Ameri, Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs. "By combining private sector support and expertise with a successful government public diplomacy program, this partnership will magnify the impact of existing State Department exchange programs and the global philanthropic work of the Avon Foundation."
The goals of the Breast Cancer Global Congress encompassed:
- providing the opportunity for global experts to discuss and address the discrepancies and growing burden of breast cancer globally
- encouraging health policy makers, clinicians, researchers and advocacy groups in the United States and overseas to form alliances to find solutions to the breast cancer burden in their local markets
- underscoring the importance of public-private partnerships in changing the approach to providing breast cancer care to women worldwide
"As a global leader and change agent in the breast cancer cause, the Avon Foundation is proud to be a part of this public-private partnership that assembled such a powerful global network to address and find solutions to the worldwide burden of breast cancer," said Carol Kurzig, Executive Director of the Avon Foundation. "With continued involvement in Department of State programs, I am confident we will continue to bring new energy, ideas, and resources to advance the global fight against breast cancer."
Speakers at the Congress addressed an array of pertinent issues, including recent developments and future technologies in screening and early detection, awareness and education, and cancer control strategies, with a focus on decreasing mortality from breast cancer in low and middle income countries. The speakers included
Wendie Berg, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.R., Study Director, American College of Radiology Imaging Network & Adjunct Faculty,
Johns Hopkins;
Paul Goss, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Breast Cancer Research, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center;
Joe Harford, Ph.D., Director, Office of International Affairs, Office of the Director, National Cancer Institute; and
Richard R. Love, M.D., Scientific Director, The International Breast Cancer Foundation & Professor at The
Ohio State University & NCI Senior Investigator.
Breast Cancer Global Congress participants also included breast cancer clinicians and researchers, public health authorities, advocates, breast cancer survivors, individuals taking part in an International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on breast cancer sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, , representatives of Avon-funded breast cancer organizations worldwide, and Avon associates who lead the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade in their homelands.
The Avon Foundation
The Avon Foundation is a public charity founded in 1955, and today is a leader in the fight against breast cancer, awarding funds for breast cancer education and awareness; screening and diagnosis; access to treatment; support services; and medical research. Avon Products, Inc. is the largest corporate supporter of the breast cancer cause. Since the launch of the groundbreaking Avon Breast Cancer Crusade in 1992, Avon and the Avon Foundation have together mobilized hundreds of thousands of people and raised and awarded
$585 million in more than 50 countries worldwide. For more information visit
www.avonfoundation.org.
International Visitor Leadership Program
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funds and administers the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). Participants include foreign opinion makers in government, public policy, media, education, labor, the arts, and other key fields. International Visitors come to
the United States to meet with their professional counterparts and to gain an appreciation of the ethnic, cultural, political, and socio-economic diversity of the U.S. In 2007, over 4,000 International Visitors participated in IVLP. In
Washington, DC, those International Visitors participating in the breast cancer program will meet with public health and legislative officials before traveling to other parts of the country. Groups will travel to
Austin,
Charlotte,
Chicago,
Dallas,
Detroit,
Dearborn,
Houston,
Los Angeles,
New York City,
Pittsburgh,
San Francisco,
Seattle and
Tampa, where they will visit medical centers, hospitals, and public health departments, and participate in outreach events including the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in
Charlotte and the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in
Tampa.
For more information visit
www.exchanges.state.gov.
SOURCE The Avon Foundation
