Speaker: Steven M. Gordon, October 2003 Winslow Lectureship and Health Care Leadership Forum

The Health Care Leadership Forum & Winslow Lectureship partnership proved to be a wonderful match on Tuesday, October 14, 2003. Featured Speaker Steven M.Gordon, M.D. presented an update on new and emerging infectious diseases and their implications.

Dr. Gordon is the Hospital Epidemiologist for the Cleveland Clinic and has worked for the Centers for Disease Control and the United States Public Health Service.

He discussed recent outbreaks of Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome and the implications of airline travel in the global society. He presented information showing how 13 people originally infected with SARS spread the medical illness to hundreds of people in a very short amount of time. He also talked about the relationship of animal diseases and illnesses to human conditions. While many people think that disease is transmitted from human to human, in reality it is usually animal to human.

More than 180 health care leaders joined together for the evening's event. In addition to the featured presentation, two awards were given to Dr. Joe Schwarz. The Michigan State Medical Society presented a Community Service Award to Dr. Schwarz, and the Dale Griffin Award was also presented to Dr. Schwarz for his outstanding work on local health care issues.

The next Health Care Leadership Forum is scheduled for the first Tuesday in February, 2004.

Dr. Steven M. Gordon