Posted on Sept. 11: May Cohen Lecture will look at social inequalities in health

Can wealth determine a woman's chance of surviving breast cancer? Can gender stereotypes affect the diagnosis of heart disease? Scholar, author and activist Nancy Krieger will address such questions at the May Cohen Lecture in Women's Health today.

An associate professor at Harvard University's School of Public Health, Krieger is a social epidemiologist, focusing on the different ways that the social realities of gender, race and social class can affect health. Her lecture, “Genders, sexes, and social inequalities in health: An Ecosocial Perspective” will take an in-depth look at these issues.

“Social inequality in health is an important issue because it translates into problems that affect people's lives, and these problems can be prevented,” says Krieger, who holds a PhD. in epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Krieger's interest in social issues stems from a diverse background in biochemistry, the philosophy of science and the history of public health. She is also the co-editor of AIDS: The Politics of Survival and Women's Health, Politics and Power: Essays on Sex/Gender, Medicine, and Public Health.

The lectureship was established in 1997 after the retirement of Dr. May Cohen, the founding chair of the Women's Health Office. Cohen, who worked as a family physician, is well known for her work in the promotion of equality in academic medicine and as an advocate of female patients.

The lecture is part of the Interdisciplinary Grand Rounds, which encompass topics of interest to all disciplines within the Faculty of Health Sciences. The series was initiated by the Program for Faculty Development, to create a diverse community of scholars and initiate interaction and discussion.

Krieger's lecture will take place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 11, in Rm. 4E20 of the Health Sciences Centre. For more information call the Women's Health Office at 905-525-9140, ext. 22210.