Upcoming Lecture to Feature Renowned Maternal, Child Health Expert

Upcoming Lecture to Feature Renowned Maternal, Child Health Expert

A world-renowned leader in the drive to improve child and maternal health will deliver this year's S. Amjad Hussain Visiting Lecture in Medical Humanities.

A pediatrician by training, Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta has lead research and community health initiatives in North America, sub-Saharan Africa and southeast Asia, including his native Pakistan.

The lecture will begin at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in Health Education Building Room 110 on Health Science Campus. A reception with light refreshments will begin at 5 p.m.

The event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are requested by emailing Kimberly Hineline.

Bhutta is the Robert Harding Inaugural Chair in Global Child Health and Policy at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto and co-director of the SickKids Centre for Global Child Health. He also is the Distinguished University Professor and Founding Director of the Institute for Global Health and Development and the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health at the Aga Khan University and holds adjunct professorships at several leading global universities.

There was a time, however, that even completing medical school seemed in doubt.

"I grew up with a profound sense of public service," Bhutta said. "I was very much a part of student activism when I was young. It was taking up a lot of my time. So much so that I almost dropped out. It was difficult balancing the two."

He ultimately completed medical school at the top of class, but his commitment to working to reduce inequities and disparities never left and he's devoted much of his career to improving child and maternal outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

In his lecture at UToledo, Bhutta will outline his career's work along with the past, present and future of global child health.

"Real progress has been made. Between 2000 to 2015, childhood mortality was reduced by half," he said. "That was the fastest reduction in child mortality in the history of mankind. However, major challenges remain, particularly with the growing impact of climate change."

While global child mortality is at its lowest level on record, progress has slowed over the past decade. In addition to the effects of climate change, Bhutta said conflict, displacement, the COVID-19 pandemic and continued global inequity are partially to blame.

Still, he remains optimistic.

"The challenges and problems are huge but the future is in our hands. If we're able to put our minds to this issue, we will be able to lift everyone up," Bhutta said. "I have no doubt in my mind that a healthy planet and healthy children are to the benefit of all of us. Nobody is insulated from these issues."

The S. Amjad Hussain, M.D., Visiting Lecture in Medical Humanities was created in honor of Hussain, professor emeritus of cardiovascular surgery and humanities, a former member of the UToledo Board of Trustees and columnist for The Blade.

Now in its 15th year, the lecture has featured a wide range of presenters and topics including military medicine, the connection between jazz and medicine, and the history of cancer care.

This year's presenter is noteworthy not just for his career but his personal connection with Hussain. The two are from the same region in Pakistan and Hussain taught Bhutta during his medical studies in Pakistan.

"He has always been ahead of the curve and his myriad accomplishments on the global scene are heartwarming but not surprising," Hussain said. "He is one of a kind."

Additional information about the lecture is available on the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences website.

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