Sterk
To Deliver Fourth Annual Mary Lynn Morgan Lecture
Emory University
behavioral scientist Claire Sterk, Ph.D., will present "Empowering Women:
The Health Challenges that Lie Ahead" at the Mary Lynn Morgan Annual
Lectureship on Women in the Health Professions. The event will take
place on Tuesday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Michael C. Carlos Museum
Reception Hall.
"Women's challenges are more
complex than they used to be and the health care system is still assuming
a more traditional role for us," Dr. Sterk says. "They haven't realized
the changes that have taken place in women. We live stressful lives."
Research has shown that women
are typically more likely to postpone seeking care for themselves if
there are others for whom they are responsible. And although they seek
help, they procrastinate when it comes to serious health issues, Dr.
Sterk says.
"Women have to be equipped
to negotiate the health challenges that lie ahead of them - for their
physical as well as their mental health," Dr. Sterk continued. "We need
to teach skills. Public health professionals have a responsibility to
develop women-focused intervention that focuses on women as well as
those who provide the services. Unless we tap into both of those, we're
less likely to be successful." Above all, Sterk stresses a focus on
prevention instead of intervention and crisis management.
Dr. Sterk is the Charles
Howard Candler Professor of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education,
Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Her work and research
has solidified her standing as a leading national and international
figure in the field of public health anthropology. Some of best-known
work includes research on the causes of substance abuse among women,
multigenerational drug use, and the lives of women in prostitution in
the era of AIDS. For more information about the lecture, call the Emory
Women's Center at (404) 727-2000.
The Mary Lynn Morgan Annual
Lectureship on Women in the Health Professions honors one of Emory's
most beloved and respected citizens. Mary Lynn Morgan graduated from
Emory University School of Dentistry in 1943. She was elected to the
Emory Board of Trustees in 1974, the second woman to serve. Named as
a trustee emerita in 1991, Dr. Morgan continues to serve on the Board's
Academic Affairs Committee.
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