IMASA (Johannesburg Branch)
INVITES YOU TO THE 35th ANNUAL IMASA CONVENTION 2015
Saturday – 25th April 2015 & Sunday 26th April 2015
Our theme for the upcoming convention is: “Sensing the Change: Non Communicable Diseases in Focus” to be hosted at the Birchwood Executive HOTEL & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Boksburg, Gauteng.
‘Sensing the Change’: The Context
South Africa is in the midst of a health transition, which is characterized by the simultaneous occurrence of epidemic infectious diseases (such as HIV and TB), and an increasing burden in non-communicable diseases.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – such as cardiovascular disease, DIABETES , cancer, and chronic respiratory disease – kills approximately 36 million people per year, with 80% of these deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. These conditions SHARE common risk factors including tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, unhealthy diets and obesity.
If current TRENDS continue, NCDs are projected to become the most common causes of death by 2030. According to WHO estimates, the burden from non-communicable disease in South Africa is two to three TIMES higher than those in developed countries, with the heaviest affected being poor communities in urban areas.
The ‘Strategic Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases 2013-2017’, announced by the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, emphasizes governments commitment to addressing South Africa’s previously under-recognized silent killers.
The IMASA (Johannesburg Branch) endeavours to play a role in creating awareness, promoting prevention and control of NCDs in our communities, and WORKING towards South Africa’s aim of ‘A long and healthy life for all’.
2 FULL DAYS OF CPD ACCREDITED PROGRAMMES / TALKS WITH DYNAMIC INTERNATIONAL & LOCAL GUEST SPEAKERS
REGISTER NOW!!!!
For more INFORMATION contact:
Khashiefa Martin / 084 701 3208 / 011 837 6717 / imasa.gauteng@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL GUEST SPEAKER
Ahsan M. Arozullah, MD, MPH Dr. Ahsan Arozullah is a Senior Medical Director and Global Group Lead for the Oncology Therapeutic Area in Global Medical Safety at Astellas Pharma Global Development, based near Chicago, Illinois, USA. Prior to joining Astellas Pharma, he was an Associate Professor in the sections of General Internal Medicine and Health Promotion Research at the University of Illinois Medical School with research interests including the impact of low health literacy and social support on racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare utilization.
Dr. Arozullah is a senior student and member of the board of directors of Darul Qasim, an institute of higher Islamic learning established in 1998 near Chicago, Illinois, USA. He has partnered with Islamic scholars and other healthcare professionals to describe conceptual frameworks useful for addressing bioethical issues. He also serves as a volunteer physician and a member of the advisory board for the IMAN (Inner-City Muslim Action Network) Health Clinic Initiative, a free health clinic in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood.
Dr. Arozullah graduated from Northwestern University Medical School and completed his Residency and Chief Residency in Internal Medicine at Northwestern as well. Following residency training, he completed a General Internal Medicine Fellowship and Master’s in Public Health (MPH) at Harvard University with training in clinical epidemiology and health services research.
Education and Training: Northwestern University Medical School (MD ’92) Northwestern University
McGaw Medical Center (Residency) Harvard School of Public Health (Fellowship, MPH ’98)
Areas of Interest: Preoperative Pulmonary Evaluation Health Literacy Social Support Racial Disparities
Recent Publications:
Arozullah AM, Calhoun EA, Wolf M, Finley D, Fitzner KA, Heckinger EA, Gorby NS, Schumock GT, Bennett C.
The financial burden of cancer: Estimates from a study of insured women with breast cancer. Journal of Supportive Oncology, 2005; in press.
Moxon D, Raza M, Kenney RE, Arozullah AM, Mason J, Carroll RE. Aging and Tobacco use are linked to the development of aberrant crypt foci in the human colon. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2005; in press.
Wolf M, Davis T, Arozullah AM, Penn R, Arnold C, Sugar M, Bennett C. Relation between literacy and HIV treatment knowledge among patients on HAART regimens. AIDS Care, 2005; in press.
Lee SY, Arozullah AM, Cho YI. Health literacy, social support, and health: A research agenda. Social Science and Medicine, 2004; 58, (7):1309-1321.
Arozullah AM, Khuri SF, Henderson WG, Daley JD. The development and validation of a multifactorial risk index for predicting postoperative pneumonia following major non-cardiac surgery. Annals of Internal Medicine, 2001; 135:847-857.
