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"Stigma
and Global Health: Developing a Research Agenda"
an International Conference
September 5-7, 2001
Bethesda, Maryland
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/aug2001/fic-30.htm
National Institutes of Health,
Bethesda, Md. — A May 8, 2001, article in The New York
Times discusses the plight of miners with AIDS in
Botswana. The article states, "Typically, miners who are
believed to be infected are shunned. They sit alone in buses
that carry workers to the pit. They eat alone in the company
kitchens because their colleagues are afraid to share utensils
or crockery with them." Although this article focuses on
individuals with one disease in one country of Africa, it
could be describing the isolation and humiliation that faces
people with stigmatizing conditions in many parts of the
world.
To explore the relationship
between stigma and public health, examine the social and
cultural determinants of stigma, explore how stigma prevents
people from seeking or getting treatment for disease, and
determine future research opportunities, the Fogarty
International Center (FIC), in partnership with other National
Institutes of Health (NIH) Institutes and Offices, U.S.
agencies, and domestic and international organizations (see
list below), announces a major international conference
oriented toward developing a research agenda that will lead to
the mitigation of the impact of stigma on individuals and
societies. Such an agenda would be expected to include
activities designed not only to better understand stigma's
social and cultural determinants but also to identify and test
ideas for effective new behavioral interventions.
Stigma has been defined as a
deeply discrediting attribute that reduces a person to one who
is in some way tainted and can therefore be denigrated. It is
a pervasive problem that affects health globally, threatening
an individual's psychological and physical well-being. It
prevents individuals from coming forward for diagnosis and
impairs their ability to access care or participate in
research studies designed to find solutions. Much attention
has been paid to the plight of the stigmatized, including
those with AIDS or suspected to have AIDS, those with leprosy,
and those suffering from mental health disorders. But stigma
goes beyond these disorders to include some health conditions
that are no longer stigmatized in the developed world but
continue to have an impact in resource-poor countries.
Action has been slow in coming.
Little is known about how pervasive the problem of stigma is
in the developing world and about how health care systems can
work to tackle its negative effects on individuals and
societies.
"Stigma and Global Health:
Developing a Research Agenda," will be held at the
Bethesda Marriott Hotel on September 5-7, 2001. The Conference
will bring together health professionals, scientists and media
and policy experts from around the world, including more than
90 from the developing world, to summarize current knowledge
of stigma, identify existing gaps, and determine the
directions for social science and behavioral research to
illuminate the issues. It will focus on a small group of
conditions, including HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, mental health,
alcohol and drug abuse, and physical anomalies, but will
otherwise be far ranging in scope. This conference is
especially notable because it is the first to address the
relationship of stigma to global health, including infectious
and non-infectious diseases and behavioral and physical
conditions, rather than only one category of disease, and
because many of the participants will be from the developing
world, where stigmatized conditions represent an enormous
burden.
Discussions will address stigma
both domestically and internationally. Meeting topics include:
- Definitions,
Background, and History of Stigma
- Examples of
Health-Associated Stigma: AIDS, Epilepsy, Schizophrenia,
Physical Anomalies
- Stigma and Public
Health
- Impact of the Media
- Social Considerations
Background papers, final
conference agenda, a list of all speakers and moderators, and
directions to the Bethesda Marriott Hotel can be accessed at: http://www.stigmaconference.nih.gov.
NOTE: The standard registration
fee for this conference is waived for members of the press.
However, space is limited so please RSVP and provide your
press credentials when you register for the conference by
calling Jennifer Cabe or Irene Edwards at the FIC
Communications Office at 301-496-2075.
Conference Partners
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NIH:
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Fogarty International Center
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National Cancer Institute
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National Human Genome Research
Institute
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National Institute of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases
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National Institute of Child Health
and Human Development
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National Institute of Dental and
Craniofacial Research
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National Institute of Mental Health
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National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke
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National Institute of Nursing
Research
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National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism
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National Institute on Drug Abuse
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Office of the Director: Office of
AIDS Research, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences
Research, and Office of Research on Women's Health
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Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention
Global Forum for Health Research
March of Dimes
National Science Foundation
Pan American Health Organization
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
World Health Organization
FIC is the international component
of the NIH. It promotes and supports scientific discovery
internationally and mobilizes resources to reduce disparities
in global health. NIH is an agency of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. Press releases, fact sheets, and
other FIC-related materials are available at http://www.nih.gov/fic
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