On October 30, 2012, the American University of Armenia (AUA) College of Health Sciences, in collaboration with the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia, organized a Public Health Seminar with Professor the Lord Ara Darzi of Denham.
Professor Darzi shared his wealth of experience in health care reform with the audience. He emphasized that priorities should be given to improving the quality of health care (including streamlining patient access) and preventive public health measures such as promoting healthy lifestyles (including reducing smoking rates) to improve health outcomes and quality of life. He showed evidence that reforms directed towards a more equitable integrated patient-centered health care system significantly improved outcomes. He shared with the audience reforms that were implemented in the United Kingdom when he was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health (the equivalent of the Minister of Health).
Professor Darzi holds the Paul Hamlyn Chair of Surgery at Imperial College London. He is an Honorary Consultant Surgeon at Imperial College Hospital National Health Service (NHS) Trust Hospital and Royal Marsden Hospital and holds the Chair of Surgery at the Institute of Cancer Research. In October 2010 he was appointed as Chairman for the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College. In 2012 Lord Darzi took up the role of Chair, Imperial College Health Partners.
He was knighted for his services in medicine and surgery in 2002; in 2007 he was introduced to the United Kingdom’s House of Lords as Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham and appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health. As a Minister he successfully set the strategy for the NHS for the decade ahead – one of the greatest policy transformations ever undertaken in the UK. He relinquished this role in July 2009 when he was appointed the United Kingdom’s Global Ambassador for Health and Life Sciences, a role reconfirmed in 2010 by Prime Minister David Cameron. Lord Darzi was appointed as a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honorable Privy Council in June 2009.
The large audience of public health and medical professionals, including students, faculty, researchers and physicians, members of the AUA community and Ministry of Health, asked questions and received advice from Professor Darzi during an active question/answer session following his presentation. The reception in the AUA Akian Gallery provided the opportunity for informal interactions between Professor Darzi and attendees of the public health seminar.
Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham was in Armenia at the invitation of the National Competitiveness Foundation of Armenia.
http://civilnet.am/2012/10/31/lord-ara-darzi-on-health-care/
The Lord Ara Darsi |
Professor Darsi with AUA Administration |
Reception in Akian Gallery |
Professor Darzi talks to MPH alumni |