FMC’s Angelou Center summit to look at women’s health issues

Chase Gregory

Beginning on Thursday, Sept. 27, the Maya Angelou Center for Women’s Health and Wellness at Forsyth Medical Center will hold a three-day international summit focusing on contemporary issues affecting women’s and girls’ health.

The summit, which is open to the pubic,  will bring together internationally-recognized women’s health advocates to discuss a broad range of topics ranging from the barriers and disparities in women’s healthcare, to human trafficking and violence against women to empowering women and girls to lead. Special guests will include National Council of Women of the United States President Mary E. Singletary; Betty Makoni, founder of the advocacy group Girl Child Network Zimbabwe;  Kathryn Bolkovac, a former United Nations International Police Force monitor and producer of the anti-sex-trafficking documentary “The Whistleblower;” and Imani Walker, co-founder of the advocacy and policy reform organization the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.

“This is the first ever symposium of its kind in this area bringing together experts on so many aspects of women’s health and the issues that affect women around the world,” said Dr. Chere Gregory, director of neurosciences at Forsyth Medical Center and summit organizer. “The issues we will be discussing certainly affect women here in the United States, but we also hope to raise awareness for those all-too-prevalent and often tragic conditions that impact the lives of so many more women around the world every day.”

In all, the symposium will feature more than 50 individuals speaking on a variety of topics. It will be held at the Forsyth Medical Center Conference Center. The summit will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28 and run from 8 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Sept. 29.  In addition, there will be an Evening Celebration of Women on Saturday, Sept. 29 to honor accomplished women who are making a difference in our community and abroad. The evening will begin with cocktails and a silent auction at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner and awards at 6:30 p.m. The event will also include a special tribute to the center’s namesake, Dr. Maya Angelou.

There will be onsite registration at the door. The cost for the summit is $275 for all three days, $130 for one day (Sept. 27 or Sept. 28) and  $65 for one day (Sept. 29). Visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.mayaangelouhealthsummit.org” www.mayaangelouhealthsummit.org for a complete list of events and speakers.