David McQueen is a Senior Biomedical Research Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, (an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Since 1998 he has been the Associate Director for Global Health Promotion in the Office of the Director at the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Prior to that he was Director of the Division of Adult and Community Health at NCCDPHP and Acting Director of the Office of Surveillance and Analysis at (NCCDPHP), as well as Chief of the nationwide Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Prior to joining CDC he was Professor and Founding Director of the Research Unit in Health and Behavioural Change at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland (1983-1992), and prior to that Associate Professor of Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health in Baltimore. His Doctoral training was in the behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University. He has an extensive record of presentations and publications in health promotion, chronic disease prevention and evaluation in public health. In recent years he has taken a leadership role in the development of behavioral risk factor surveillance systems globally, through consultation and work with numerous international agencies.

Currently he is Global Vice president for Scientific and Technical Development of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE)., as well as leader of the IUHPE Global Programme on Health Promotion Effectiveness and Chair of the International Scientific Committee for the IUHPE Global Conference in Vancouver Canada in 2007.

Ilona Kickbusch is known throughout the world for her contributions to innovation in public health, health promotion and global health. She has had a distinguished career with the World Health Organization, where she initiated the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. In 1998 she joined Yale University, where she contributed significantly to shaping the new field global health with a focus on global health governance. She is a sought after speaker and advisor on policies and strategies to promote health at the national and international level. She presently serves as senior health policy advisor to the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health and is a visiting professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva and adjunct Professor at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia. She advises organizations such as The Federation of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, the International Social Security Association and the European Foundation Centre. She has published widely and has received many prizes and honours, including an honorary doctorate from the Nordic School of Public Health. She is a member of a wide range of advisory boards in both the academic and the health policy arena. Most recently she has been invited to serve as the Thinker in Residence by the Premier of South Australia. She is a political scientist with a PhD from the University of Konstanz, Germany. Details can be found on her Website: www.ilonakickbusch.com

Dr. Jeff Reading earned his PhD in Public Health Sciences at the University of Toronto. He is the Scientific Director of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research - Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health, which is based at the University of Victoria. Dr. Reading is a Full Professor at the University of Victoria, Faculty of Human and Social Development and Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

For more than two decades, Dr. Reading has dedicated his energy to the emerging importance of aboriginal health issues in mainstream Canada. As an epidemiologist, his research has brought attention to such critical issues as disease prevention, smoking, healthy living, accessibility to health care and diabetes among aboriginal people in Canada. The long-term outcome of research activity aims to improve the health of aboriginal people in Canada and abroad.

Distinguished as a leading national and international expert in indigenous health research, his dedication to the pursuit of excellence in research is broadly recognized in academic and government circles. In 2000, Dr. Reading delivered the prestigious annual Amyot lecture at Health Canada, designed to foster innovation and debate on leading health policy issues.

As an aboriginal person, Dr. Reading personifies innovative and visionary thinking and excellence in research in Canada and around the world that encourages the meaningful involvement of community people working alongside multi-disciplinary teams of health researchers, each contributing their own perspectives and expertise. This combination produces research that is scientifically rigorous and relevant to aboriginal communities.

Vivian Labrie has a State doctorate in Literature and Human Sciences from the Université René Descartes (Paris V), Sorbonne Sciences Humaines. She is a researcher in the fields of social psychology and ethnography. For the past eighteen years, she has concentrated on public education and civic activities, while continuing her research efforts. Up to this year Ms. Labrie was coordinator and spokesperson for the «Collectif pour un Québec sans pauvreté» (a collective for a Quebec free from poverty). She is presently on a one year sabbatical leave.

Paulo Marchiori Buss is a physician graduated from Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 1972) with Master degree in Social Medicine from Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (1980). He was resident physician in Pediatrics (Hospital dos Servidores do Estado, 1974). He is a specialist in Pediatrics (Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria, 1975) and Public Health (Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca, ENSP,1975). He is also researcher at Fiocruz’s Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, where he was admitted in 1976.

He is a member of the Academia Nacional de Medicina, chair number 44, Medicine Section, having been elected on May 7, 2005.

President of Fundação Oswaldo Cruz since January 2001, Paulo Buss was elected by his peers for a second term which ends in December, 2008. At ENSP he held offices as deputy-director (1985-1989) and director for two terms (1989-1992 and 1998-2000). During his terms the ENSP inaugurated Public Health Residence, Public Health Doctorate, Distance Learning Program, Government Health and Professional Master Degrees.

He was vice-president of Education and Information at Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (1992-1996), having then created the Health Channel with the objective of broadcasting informations related to health education and the Fiocruz publishing house, of which he was the first coordinator. Still as vice-president, Paulo Buss structured the relationship between Fiocruz and Manguinhos Cooperative, as result of a community movement that attended the institution’s general services, a pioneer project which became a model in the whole country.

Buss was president of the Associação Latino-americana e do Caribe de Educação em Saúde Pública (ALAESP) (1998-2000) and of the Federação Internacional de Cooperação entre Centros de Pesquisa em Sistemas e Serviços de Saúde (1990-1994). In 1979 he founded the Associação Brasileira de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva (ABRASCO), Latin America‘s greatest public health scientific society, of which he was the first executive-secretary from 1979 to 1983 and vice-president between 2000 and 2003.

Today he is a member of the the following bodies: Management Collegiate at the Ministry of Health (since January, 2003), Executive Council at the Instituto Butantan (since April 2003), Administration Council at Instituto Vital Brasil (since March 2003), Rio deJaneiro Deans Forum (since January 2001), Higher Council of Social Integration at the Universidade Estácio de Sá (since November 2001) and Deliberating Council of the Centro de Estudos e Projetos em Tecnologia, Trabalho e Cidadania at Coppe/UFRJ-Coep (since March 1998).

He represents Brazil in the World Health Organization’s Executive Council (from December 2004 to May 2007), nominated by the President of Brazil, and represents Fiocruz in the world networks of the Health Research Institutes, led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), from USA, and of the Public Health Institutes, led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), also from USA.

Since January 2003 he takes part in the coordination of a research project called Health Innovation, which investigates the future of health inputs in Brazil (vaccines, drugs, diagnosis resources, surgical, diagnosis, and blood equipments) during 2003-2015.

He has written more than 80 technical-scientific articles for important scientific journals in Brazil and abroad; he is author of three books and 25 book chapters; besides, he has given more than 26 lectures in scientific institutions in Brazil and abroad and took part in about 180 scientific and technical events, including the VIII, IX, X, XI and XII National Conferences on Health, National Conferences on Health Science and Technology (1994), Science, Technology and Innovation (2001), and Science, Technology and Health Innovation (2004) and the 58th World Health Assembly from World Health Organization (2005).

He is a regular contributor to several newspapers and magazines, apart from interviews on public health given to radio and television networks, aiming at the population in general. He is a member of the Editorial Committee from several scientific periodicals. He is a regular consultant from World Health Organization, Pan-american Health Organization, National Institutes of Health (NIH/USA), Pasteur Institute (Paris/França), International Development Research Center (IDRC/Canadá), Canal Futura (Brazilian educational cable TV), from several universities and organizations in Brazil and other contries.

He is an active member of the Sociedade Brasileira para o Progresso da Ciência (SBPC), Associação Brasileira de Pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva (ABRASCO), Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria, Associação Brasileira de Educação Médica (ABEM), Centro de Estudos Brasileiros de Saúde (CEBES), International Association for Health Policy (IAHP), Federação Internacional para a Cooperação entre Centros de Pesquisa em Sistemas e Serviços de Saúde (FICOSSER), Asociación Latino-americana de Medicina Social (ALAMES), Associação Latino-americana e do Caribe de Educação em Saúde Pública (ALAESP) and of the Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA).

On December 19 , 2002, Paulo Buss was awarded the Ordem do Mérito Médico, Grande Oficial class, a top health decoration in Brazil, by the President of the country. He was awarded also the following decorations: Medalha do Centenário da Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (May 2000); Medalha do Centenário da Organização Pan-americana de Saúde/OPS (December 2002); Medalha Vital Brazil, (April 2003); Medalha Pedro Ernesto, awarded by Rio de Janeiro City Councillors (October 2004); and Honour References awarded by the National Council of Health Secretaries from Rio de Janeiro state (December 2002) and by the National Council of Health Secretaries from Rio de Janeiro municipality (June 2003). Rio de Janeiro City Councillors awarded Paulo Buss the title of Cidadão Carioca on September 2003, due to the relevant services he provided for the city.

Esau Fo`ofafimae Kekeubata is chairman of the Kwaio Fadanga (Kwaio council of chiefs) and founding health worker at Kafurumu health centre in the mountains of Malaita, Solomon Islands. The Indigenous Kwaio people live in the tropical rainforest of central Malaita and are the last of some eighty language groups in the Solomon Islands to retain their cultural autonomy, resisting pressure to relinquish ancestral culture and religion.

As an Indigenous leader Esau is involved in a wide range of community initiatives including establishing community controlled health and education services, leading sustainable grassroots community development and proactively leading peace building and conflict mitigation initiatives. In 1988 Esau established a culturally appropriate health facility in the mountains and in 2006 a further facility at the regional hospital for the many Kwaio excluded from hospital services because they follow traditional culture and religion. He continues to advocate for placing Kwaio cultural models of health and wellbeing at the centre of health and community development projects.

Esau first traveled from Solomon Islands in 2004 to attend the Melbourne IUHPE World Conference. Since then his grass roots initiatives have received growing recognition as exemplars of sustainable, community driven, culturally appropriate approaches to health promotion action.

Professor Stephen Matlin joined the Global Forum for Health Research in Geneva as Executive Director in January 2004. Educated as an organic chemist (Imperial College, London), he worked in academia for more than 20 years, with research, teaching and consultancy interests in medicinal, biological and analytical chemistry. In 1995 he joined the Commonwealth Secretariat, an inter-governmental organization based in London, as Director of the Division responsible for health and education. Following a year as Chief Education Adviser at the UK Department for International Development (2001-2002), he worked as a freelance consultant in health, education and development before moving to his current post. The Global Forum for Health Research is an independent international foundation promoting more health research to combat the neglected diseases and conditions that are major sources of ill health in developing countries.

Dr. Nadarajah Sivarajah is a Visiting Professor of Community Medicine at the University of Jaffna in Sri Lanka. He also coordinates the activities of the World Health Organization in the Northern part of Sri Lanka. He has over 25 years experience in teaching medical students and paramedics in community health and health promotion and a further 15 years experience in clinical and preventive medicine in the Ministry of Health in Sri Lanka with a wide experience at grass root level health care especially in the war torn areas of Northern Sri Lanka.

Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's first Chief Public Health Officer, heads the newly created Public Health Agency of Canada, providing leadership on the government's efforts to protect the health and safety of Canadians. He has served as Medical Officer of Health for Algoma District and Simcoe County in Ontario as well as Medical Health Officer for Sun Country and Consulting Medical Health Officer for Saskatoon Health Regions in Saskatchewan. He is also an Associate Clinical Professor with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan and has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

From 1952 to 2002, Dr. Butler-Jones was Chief Medical Health Officer for the Province of Saskatchewan and Executive Director of the Population Health and Primary Health Services Branch for the province. He has worked in many parts of Canada and has experience with consultations and work exchanges in places as diverse as the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Scotland, Brazil, Kosovo, and Chile.

Dr. Butler-Jones has served as: President of the Canadian Public Health Association and current Executive Board member; Vice President of the American Public Health Association; Chair of the Canadian Roundtable on Health and Climate Change; International Regent on the board of the American College of Preventive Medicine; Member of the Governing Council for the Canadian Population Health Initiative; Chair of the National Coalition on Enhancing Preventive Practices of Health Professionals; and Co-Chair of the Canadian Coalition for Public Health in the 21st Century.

Maurice B. Mittelmark is a psychologist and epidemiologist. He conducted health behaviour research at the University of Minnesota from 1978 to 1987. At Wake Forest University (1987-1995) he directed the Center for Human Services Research and several community studies related to the health needs of vulnerable population sub-groups. Since 1995, he has held a Chair in Health Promotion at the University of Bergen, where his interests include the development of tools to support healthy public policy. He directs HP-Source.net, a universally accessible collection of researchable databases on country-level capacity to engage in effective health promotion. Professor Mittelmark is President of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education.

Dr Monique Bégin is from School of Management, University of Ottawa, Canada. A sociologist, Dr Bégin was the first woman from Québec elected to the House of Commons. Re-elected three times, she was twice appointed Minister of National Health and Welfare. She remains best known for the Canada Health Act 1984. An academic since she left politics, Dr Bégin taught in Women's Studies at Ottawa and Carleton Universities.

Monique Bégin co-chaired the Royal Commission on Learning of Ontario and served on the International Independent Commission on Population and Quality of Life. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, she received several honorary doctorates in recognition of her contribution to human rights and to public policies. In 1998, she was invested as Officer of the Order of Canada.

Michael Marmot has been at the forefront of research into health inequalities for the past 20 years, as Principal Investigator of the Whitehall studies of British civil servants, investigating explanations for the striking inverse social gradient in morbidity and mortality. He chairs committees of the BHF and the Wellcome Trust. He was a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution for six years. Internationally acclaimed, Marmot is a Vice President of the Academia Europaea; a member of the RAND Health Advisory Board; a Foreign Associate Member of the Institute of Medicine, and chairs the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health. He was awarded the Balzan Prize 2004 for Epidemiology and gave the RCP Harveian Oration in October 2006. He was Knighted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2000 for services to epidemiology and understanding health inequalities.

María Dolores Fernós is an Attorney at Law for the Government Office of Attorneys Protecting Women's Rights in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

The Government Office of Attorneys Protecting Women's Rights (OPM) has developed important and productive work since the Law 20 passed on April 2001.

Ms. Fernós was responsible for the creation of the Inter-agency Committee for Integrated Public Policy on Domestic Violence on June 25th, 2003, which was then passed as Law 88 on August 16th, 2005. In addition, OPM has been advocating to the Department of Education for an affirmative action plan to eliminate occupational segregation in the schools; to the Tribunal Administration Office to develop a pilot project for automated protection warrants and to establish a special office to handle domestic violence cases; and to all public agencies in Puerto Rico to implement the Law on mandatory creation of daycare centers in government institutions.

Prior to working at OPM, Ms. Fernós was Associate Professor at Puerto Rico’s Inter-American University in the Faculty of Law, and was Program Director of Clinical Education to law students. She was also the Executive Director of the Community Legal Office, which offers free legal services to the most impoverished or with low-incomes.

Before her work in academia, Ms. Fernós worked 22 years for the Legal Services Corporation of Puerto Rico (SLPR), an avant-garde institution which offers free legal services to the most impoverished or with low-incomes. She was highly recognized and distinguished as an engaged lawyer while she directed the Support Center at the SLPR, where she worked to advocate the right to housing and marginalized women’s rights. She has always been a fond advocate of women’s rights.

María Dolores Fernós graduated from Colombia University in the United States where she obtained her degree in Law with a specialty in Constitutional Law. She was Juris Doctor Magna Cum Laude in Public Law at the University of Puerto Rico.

She has been President of the Women’s Affairs Commission at the School of Attorneys in Puerto Rico and member of the Puerto Rican Organization of Women Workers. She was founder and member of the organization of Peace for Women. She is a member of the Academic and Research Network, the Puerto Rican Association for Family Well-being, Vice-President of the Governors’ Advisory Committee of Technical and Occupational Training, member of the Cantera Project, member of the Commission on Gender Equality of the Supreme Court in Puerto Rico and member of the Board of Director of the Safe House Julia de Burgos.

Since 2001, as entrusted by the Secretary of State of Puerto Rico, she assists regional meetings of the Board of Directors of the Regional Conference on American and Caribbean Women. Thanks to her presence, Puerto Rico has achieved significant recognition for its advancements. She is currently one of the Vice-Presidents on the Board.

She has presented her work on women’s rights in several conferences and has numerous publications.

María Dolores Fernós was recognized by the School of Lawyers with the Nilita Vientos Gaston Award for her work on defending women’s rights.

On March 25th, 2006, the Dominican community, through the journalist Rochy Torrens, awarded OPM with the Hermanas Mirabal Award for the Office’s work defending rights and protecting life.

Mary holds a PhD (Social Anthropology) from the University of Cambridge (UK). She is currently the Executive Director of the African Institute for Health & Development (AIHD), based in Nairobi, Kenya. The Institute’s focus is on “working with communities for better lives.” She is a Board Member of the IUHPE. In addition, she is the Regional Coordinator of the African Programme for Health Promotion Effectiveness (APHPE), which is part of the Global Programme for Health Promotion Effectiveness (GPHPE). She has worked in various national and international organizations including the Population Council, African Population & Health Research Centre (APHRC), African Medical & Research Foundation (AMREF) and the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), where she has served in various capacities. She serves on various TDR–WHO committees including the Implementation Research and the African Programme for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC).

Né en 1949.

Etudes de sociologie et d’anthropologie à Lille puis à Paris.

Travaille dans la sociologie urbaine dans les années 70.

Enseigne dans les écoles de travail social.

Entre au CNRS en 1981.

Travaux sur les politiques urbaines, les politiques sociales, la santé mentale :

Principales publications :

Travail social et changement social, Paris, CNAF, 1981

Travail social et pauvreté, Paris, SYROS, 1992

Les paradoxes du travail social, Paris, Dunod, 1999, 2003

Thèse de sociologie à l’EHESS Paris, sous la direction de Robert CASTEL en 1997.

Participe à de nombreux programmes de recherche français et européens sur les thématiques de la pauvreté, de l’exclusion, des rapports entre science et politique, de l’économie des services, de l’économie solidaire.

Membre de l’Observatoire National de la Pauvreté et de l’Exclusion Sociale (1999-2005).

Elu maire adjoint de la ville de Seclin (F 59) en charge de l’économie solidaire (2001).

Elu Vice-Président du Conseil Régional Nord-Pas de Calais, chargé des politiques de prévention et de santé (2004).

Elu Président de la Commission Santé de l’Association des Régions de France (2004).

Président de la Conférence Régionale de Santé du Nord-Pas de Calais (2006).