MEDIA CONTACTS:Emily Grebenstein: [email protected], 202-994-3087Jason Shevrin: [email protected], 202-994-5631
Newswise — WASHINGTON (Jan. 16, 2015)—The George Washington University and ICF International established a speaker series to address issues impacting industry, academia and the public/private sector. The series is the result of a broader memorandum of understanding signed by GW and ICF in March 2014. GW and ICF will jointly pursue research opportunities in the areas of federal health programs including biomedical, bio-informatics, public health preparedness, genetics/genomics, survey methods and transportation.
“This broad-based collaboration between GW and ICF is a great model for how industry and academia can combine their strengths to resolve the interdisciplinary approach needed to meet today’s challenges,” said Tom Russo, GW assistant vice president for industry research. “GW and ICF have worked well together and this collaboration represents a deepening of our relationship to be mutually beneficial to not only GW and ICF but to the entities we support.”
The series’ first panel, “Obesity Prevention and Control in Worksite Settings,” will take place Jan. 21 from 9 a.m. to noon at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health. The panel will feature experts in public health, with introductory comments from Nicola Dawkins-Lyn from ICF and William Dietz, director of the Sumner M. Redstone Global Center for Prevention and Wellness at the GW Milken Institute School of Public Health, who will also be a panelist.
Additional panelists will include:
• Ron Goetzel, senior scientist and director, Institute for Health and Productivity Studies, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health• LuAnn Heinen, vice president, workforce well-being, productivity and human capital, National Business Group on Health• Charlotte A. Pratt, program director, Clinical Applications and Preventions Branch, National Institutes of Health• Nico Pronk, adjust professor of social and behavioral sciences, Harvard School of Public Health
“More than one-third of U.S. adults suffer from obesity and the annual medical cost of obesity in 2008 was estimated as $147 billion - primarily tied to health conditions in adults,” said Dr. Dawkins-Lyn. “The panel will discuss research that addresses the economic and health benefit of worksite initiatives, including ways to improve their effectiveness for obesity prevention and control.” The George Washington University In the heart of the nation’s capital with additional programs in Virginia, the George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in the District of Columbia. The university offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study, as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries.
ICF InternationalICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI) provides professional services and technology solutions that deliver beneficial impact in areas critical to the world's future. ICF is fluent in the language of change, whether driven by markets, technology, or policy. Since 1969, we have combined a passion for our work with deep industry expertise to tackle our clients' most important challenges. We partner with clients around the globe—advising, executing, innovating—to help them define and achieve success. Our more than 5,000 employees serve government and commercial clients from more than 70 offices worldwide.
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