Global Health in Lights: HH&S in Washington, D.C.

Sandra de Castro Buffington, director of Hollywood, Health & Society, moderated this discussion that brought top TV producers, writers and performers together to meet with key Washington policymakers on Capitol Hill. With a focus on showing how global health issues are depicted in entertainment media, the discussion covered such topics as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, reproductive health and more. The event drew over 100 guests, and six congressional offices, nine U.S. government agencies and more than 10 nonprofit stakeholders were represented. Panelists included actress Mariska Hargitay, co-star of Law & Order: SVU, who spoke about her experiences with the show that led her to start the Joyful Heart Foundation for victims of sexual assault. Neal Baer, executive producer of the show, also joined the panel, and showed clips from a recent film by Alcides Soares about HIV/AIDS orphans in Mozambique. Sally Canfield of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation spoke about public health interventions that work globally, such as vaccinations for preventable diseases and bed nets to combat malaria. Watch Part 2 | Watch Part 3 | Read transcript