NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Susan Blumenthal, a leader in bringing women’s health issues to the forefront of American public policy and developing the U.S. government’s "From Missiles to Mammograms" program, which utilizes missile and target recognition technology to detect breast cancer, will be the first speaker in Vanderbilt University’s Chancellor’s Lecture Series for 2003-04.
Blumenthal, U.S. assistant surgeon general and senior medical, science and e-health adviser with the Department of Health and Human Services, will speak at Vanderbilt on Tuesday, Sept. 30. Her lecture, "Health in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges," will begin at 6 p.m. in Ingram Hall at the Blair School of Music. A reception will precede the lecture at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Seeking to merge her military background with her public health interests, Blumenthal developed the "From Missiles to Mammograms" program. Inspired during the first Gulf War by U.S. satellite technology that could detect missile silos or tanks from miles away, Blumenthal wondered why that same technology couldn’t be used to detect tumors in women’s breasts. She assembled a group of 60 scientists to discuss the idea of a "cross pollination" between satellite imaging and medicine, and the resulting technology is currently in use at many hospitals.
WHAT: Susan Blumenthal, U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, gives public lecture at Vanderbilt University
WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 30. Lecture begins at 6 p.m. Reception begins at 5 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.
WHERE: Ingram Hall at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music.
2400 Blakemore Ave.
Media Contact: Kara Furlong, (615) 322-NEWS kara.c.furlong@vanderbilt.edu