Conference Speakers

"Welcoming Remarks" Michael L. Hardman is Distinguished Professor and Chief Global Officer at the University of Utah. He served as the university’s Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and past Dean of the College of Education. Dr. Hardman has numerous experiences within education and public policy, including appointment as Visiting Senior Scholar at Cambridge University; Senior Education Advisor and Kennedy Fellow, the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation; Legislative Staff to the United States Senate; the Governor’s Representative to the California Advisory Commission on Special Education, University Coordinator for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring; President of the Higher Education Consortium for Special Education; and a member of the Board of Directors for several international organizations. He has directed or consulted on several international projects on school improvement for USAID, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and UNICEF. Carol Harris, MD is a Professor of Clinical Medicine within the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Einstein Institute of Global HIV Medicine. The Institute was founded in 2001, its activities being bound by its mission statement: "To break the barrier of ignorance and improve the quality of life."  Its purposes are (1) to teach AIDS medicine, (2) to understand and describe cultural, economic, and political barriers impeding the implementation of AIDS programs, (3) to act as a force for change enhancing HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment by the development of model programs. The Institute has activities in all three realms and students are actively involved. Over the past several years many students have been involved in projects in Ethiopia involving orphan and vulnerable children care and support, rehabilitation of marginalized women, rural and urban development, and malaria prevention and control efforts. "The Global Health Work Force: Physician Assistant's" Nadia Cobb MS, PA-C is actively involved within the University of Utah, serving on the Global Health Working Group, Interview Committee for the School of Medicine, Committee on Community and Governmental Relations, Service Learning Designation Committee through the Bennion Community Service Center, as well as a member of the Interdisciplinary Credentialing Committee.  On a national level she has served the Physician Assistant Education Association on the International Affairs Committee, and now as the liaison for the Consortium of Universities for Global Health. She received the Utah Association of Physician Assistants Humanitarian award in 2008 and 2011 for her work in Ghana.  On a global level, she has been an active member of the International Academy of Physician Associate Educators, where she was appointed as secretary to the board. She recently was invited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to work on the Human Resources for Health Technical Workgroup.  Her work developing the clinical service rotation in Ghana, West Africa, in collaboration with their Ministry of Health, College of Health- Kintampo and the KNUST Medical School, led to the University of Utah School of Medicine to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the College of Health - Kintampo in 2011. She annually leads teams of PA students and school of medicine faculty to teach the only CME seminar in the country for the Ghanaian PAs. "Successes and Failures in meeting national healthcare goals for quality care and access to care among the Navajo tribe in Utah" C. Albert Noyes, PharmD has been a clinical pharmacist for the Utah Navajo Health System (UNHS) for the past 3 years and is currently serving as the clinical pharmacy manager and secretary for the organization.  He graduated with his PharmD from the University of Utah College of Pharmacy in 2011.  Since that time, he has achieved board certification in advanced diabetes management.  He is also recognized as an American Association Diabetes Educator.  These additional certifications have strategically allowed for Dr. Noyes to optimally serve Utah’s Navajo nation, a nation with unique healthcare needs particularly in the area of diabetes management.  Furthermore, he has established various collaborative practice agreements that allow for better delivery of healthcare to the Navajo nation.     "Infectious Diseases in the Era of Increasing Human Mobility" William Stauffer MD, MSPH, is an Associate Professor Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases. He also holds appointments in Pediatrics, Infectious Diseases & in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He is an expert in travel and tropical medicine working in clinical medicine, surveillance and policy development. He serves as a technical advisor to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he works on issues of human mobility and how it affects human health (e.g. travel medicine, refugee & immigrant health). His research areas have included infectious disease surveillance, malaria diagnostics, neglected tropical diseases, cost evaluation of public health programs, avian influenza, strongyloidiasis and viral hepatitis.