Medical leaders, global health workers and researchers convened in Seattle on Nov. 1-2 for a conference sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, titled “Achieving Lasting Impact at Scale: Social and Behavioral Change and the Spread of Family Health Innovations in Low-Income Countries.”
Following the presentations for the 2011 Sentinel for Health Awards, the winning writers participated in a panel discussion that offered behind-the-scenes looks about their respective shows and the genesis of some of their TV stories.
A couple struggling to tell their son that he has Asperger’s. A cystic fibrosis patient facing a wrenching choice. Cultural clashes erupting over birth rituals in South America.
President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama topped the guest list at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 34th Annual Awards Gala, which drew an array of the Washington elite, including House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, White House officials and members of Congress. Also among those in attendance was Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington, who shook the president's hand.
Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discussed the science behind the movie "Contagion" and the CDC's round-the-clock efforts to protect Americans from deadly outbreaks of disease. The event was hosted by the CDC Foundation, whose mission is to help the CDC "do more ... faster," and was held at Union Station in Washington, D.C. The panelists were CDC Director Dr. Thomas Frieden; Dr. Ali Khan, director of CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response; and Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. Sandra de Castro Buffington, director of the Hollywood, Health & Society program, participated in a Q&A session following the panel talk. Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson served as honorary host.
Sandra de Castro Buffington, the director of the Hollywood, Health & Society program of the Norman Lear Center,delivered an address on the power of popular TV health storylines to reach the Latino community at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 13 in Washington, D.C.
Sandra de Castro Buffington was an invited guest at Singularity University's "Women at the Frontier 2011: Power and Progress" forum, on Aug. 16, 2011. The panel featured top women entrepreneurs, humanitarians, innovators, scientists and techies, addressing issues relevant to humanity's future. Among them were Lt. Col. Jacquelyn Susan "Jackie" Parker (pictured), the first woman Air Force pilot to attend U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB in California; Dr. Francine Gordon, an executive coach and organization consultant; and Joy Buolamwini (also pictured), the founder of multiple startup companies dedicated to gaming, mobile apps and web design. The keynote speaker was Marylene Delbourg-Delphis, a Silicon Valley executive and serial entrepreneur. Buffington addressed 10^9+ ("Ten to the Ninth, Plus"), a yearly challenge to SU students to develop a product or service that will positively affect 1 billion people within 10 years leveraging exponential trends, innovation and the power of entrepreneurship.
Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington moderated a panel discussion titled "How Youth Drive Change" at the 7th annual UNESCO Youth Forum, held Oct. 17-20 at the organization's headquarters in Paris.
Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington brought together entertainment representatives at Writers Guild of America, West to share their inspiring stories from a research trip to India and South Africa. Saying that there was nothing more powerful than "direct experience," Buffington shepherded a group of directors, writers and producers on an inaugural "Tales from the Field" visit to Mumbai and Johannesburg, staying one week in each location.
During their immersion in South Africa and India, members of the entertainment community participated in two successful, inspiring panel discussions with local TV and film writers, and others involved in entertainment education in-country. The South Africa panel was titled From California to Cape Town: How TV Reaches Global Audiences on Key Health Topics, and the India panel was called From Hollywood to Bollywood: How Film & TV Reach Global Audiences on Key Health Topics. The American writers and producers were joined by local representatives of the entertainment community. All panelists showed clips of their work to the audience, and shared their thoughts on writing about health topics, their approaches to writing dramas with impact; and television as a vehicle for education and social change.
