Southern Miss Dean to Present at Mississippi Academy of Sciences Annual Meeting

Dr. Michael Forster, dean of the College of Health and professor of social work at The University of Southern Mississippi, will be a guest speaker at the 79^th annual Mississippi Academy of Sciences Meeting.

Forster will present “Public Health-Related Implications of Climate Change” Thursday, Feb.26 at 10:30 a.m. in the Thad Cochran Center. His presentation is part of the population health symposium, titled “Improving Health Outcomes in Mississippi” held from 8:45 a.m. - noon.

“As the reality of climate disruption sinks in, prudence compels us to consider at least three aspects of a darkening health picture - recognizing known and projected health risks, planning to mitigate specific health impacts where possible, and acting to prevent a catastrophic spiral downward for the human species itself,” said Forster. 

Other symposium speakers include Mary Currier, State Health Officer for the Mississippi State Department of Health and Kristi Henderson, Chief Telehealth and Innovation Officer at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Presentations will be followed by a panel discussion.

The annual meeting is Feb. 26-27, 2015 at The University of Southern Mississippi's Thad Cochran Center and is free and open to the public. To learn more about the Mississippi Academy of Sciences, visit: http://msacad.org/.For more information about the College of Health, visit www.usm.edu/health.