Santa Barbara, CA., May 31, 2019 –Public health nutrition professionals at Vitamin Angels, 1,000 Days, Sight & Life and Children’s Investment Fund (CIFF) will address the global problem of maternal undernutrition and the case for multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMS) during pregnancy at the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver, Canada. The event will take place on Tuesday, June 4 at 5:30pm at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel.
“Maternal undernutrition is a serious global health concern,” said Dr. Kristen Hurley, Vitamin Angels Director of Programs. “As we continue to work towards closing the maternal nutrition gap to ensure all women receive the nutrients they need during pregnancy, we are thrilled to be discussing this pressing topic at Women Deliver with fellow public health nutrition leaders.”
Specifically, the side event will address the urgency of maternal nutrition, its relevance to advancing gender equity and women and children’s health, the latest evidence surrounding the efficacy of MMS for pregnant women, current global policies, ongoing and planned demonstration projects that accelerate country-specific and global efforts to stimulate uptake of MMS and the experience of South Africa with MMS.
Speakers at this event include: Kristen Hurley, Vitamin Angels; Danielle Porfido, 1,000 Days; Joanna Mikulski, CIFF; Robert Black, The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; Parul Christian, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Emily Smith, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; Lenore Spies, KwaZula-Natal Department of Health, Spencer Kirk, Kirk Humanitarian; Klaus Kraemer, Sight and Life.
Speakers Available for Media Interviews:
Kristen Hurley, MPH, PhD
Director of Programs, Vitamin Angels
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Associate Professor
Dr. Kristen Hurley oversees Vitamin Angels programming at the global level to bring effective, sustainable and evidence-based nutrition interventions to mothers and children most in need. Along with her role at Vitamin Angels, Dr. Hurley is a researcher and associate professor at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She is also an adjunct assistant professor with the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Prior to her academic tenure, she served as a nutritionist for the Navajo Nation’s WIC Program and volunteered for the Peace Corps in the Philippines.
Dr. Hurley received her doctoral degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she focused on international health and human nutrition. She holds a master’s in public health from Boston University’s School of Public Health and a bachelor’s in nutritional science from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo.
Robert Black, MD, MPH
Johns Hopkins University, Professor & Director of the Institute for International Programs
Board Member, Vitamin Angels
Dr. Robert Black is a Professor and the Director of the Institute for International Programs in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Black is trained in medicine, infectious diseases and epidemiology. He served as an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and at institutions in Bangladesh and Peru on research related to childhood infectious diseases and nutrition.
Dr. Black’s current research includes field trials of vaccines, micronutrients and other nutritional interventions, effectiveness studies of health programs and evaluation of preventive and curative health services in low and middle-income countries. His other interests are the use of evidence in guiding policy and programs, including estimates of burden of disease, and the strengthening of public health training. He has more than 600 scientific journal publications and is co-editor of the textbook “Global Health.”
About Vitamin Angels:
Founded in 1994, Vitamin Angels is a global public health organization working towards ending malnutrition worldwide by distributing life-changing vitamins and minerals to at-risk mothers and children under five in the U.S. and around the world. In 2019, Vitamin Angels will provide vitamins and minerals to over 70 million mothers and children in more than 70 countries, including domestically in the U.S. Both Charity Navigator and GuideStar give Vitamin Angels their highest marks for financial transparency. To learn more, visitwww.vitaminangels.org.