Women’s health is global health.
This year’s Global Health Day Symposium, organized by UB’s Office of Global Health Initiatives, underscored that notion with researchers focused on the topic. The symposium’s theme, “Women’s Health,” prompted presentations looking at a range of pressing issues that often disproportionately affect women, including the effect of environmental exposures, reproductive health and more.
Keynoter Junfeng Zhang, PhD, professor of global and environmental health at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment, showed evidence that women’s exposure to air pollution in a range of countries can affect not only their health, but also the health of their fetuses and children.
The University at Albany’s Erin Bell, PhD, focused on women’s health related to per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), chemicals used worldwide in products like non-stick cookware and stain-resistant fabrics. They’ve been linked to numerous health problems in males and females. Some health issues, however, are specifically linked to women. For instance, decreased growth in infants and fetuses occurs because PFAS pass through the placenta and through breastmilk.
SPHHP and Jacobs School faculty, SPHHP graduate students and community organizations also offered compelling looks at other women’s health topics, including:
The Global Health Day Symposium is co-hosted by the Community for Global Health Equity