For Immediate Release December 15, 2005

For More Information Contact: Diane Brown, 317-274-7711 habrown@iupui.edu

Health Care Experts to Discuss Urban Health Crisis at IUPUI Symposium

Health Care Experts to Discuss Urban Health Crisis at IUPUI Symposium

INDIANAPOLIS - A widely-published expert on the patterns and causes of disparities in health care will present the luncheon address for the 17th annual Joseph Taylor Symposium on Wednesday, February 22, 2006, at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

This year's theme for the annual symposium is "The Crisis in Urban Health Care." The symposium will be held from 8:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. February 22 at the University Place Conference Center, 850 W. Michigan St. Conference registration begins at 8:15 a.m.

University of Michigan sociology Professor David R. Williams, a member of the National Academy of Science's panel on measuring racial and ethnic disparities in health care, will speak at the luncheon to be held from noon to 2 p.m. Williams is also a professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the director of the South African Initiatives Office.

Judith A. Monroe, Indiana state health commissioner, will present the keynote address at 9 a.m., followed by a panel discussion at 9:45 a.m. and a town hall meeting at 10:45 a.m. Panelists are Lisa Harris, CEO of Wishard Health Services; Samuel L. Odle, president and CEO of Methodist and IU hospitals; and Bernice A. Pescosolido, IU sociology program and director of the Indiana Consortium for Mental Health Services Research.

Symposium attendance is free and open to the public; however tickets and reservations are required for lunch. Deadline for lunch reservations is Feb. 10. Lunch tickets are $30 per person, or $25, if purchased before Jan. 31. Sponsors and table patron tickets are also available. To register for lunch tickets, call (317) 274-3280 or e-mail hfuller@iupui.edu.

The Taylor Symposium was established to honor Joseph T. Taylor, the first dean of the IU School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI. He served as a sociology professor from 1965 to 1983 and as dean from 1967 - 1978. Taylor, who died in September 2000, is remembered for his commitment to dialogue and diversity. ###