Global Media Event

On Monday, 19th May, the World Hepatitis Alliance hosted a press event in Geneva, Switzerland, to coincide with the first day of the World Health Assembly. The event ‘1 in 12: Why the World Should Care’ included the following speakers:

Speaker Biographies

Charles Gore – President, World Hepatitis Alliance

Charles Gore has been instrumental in establishing World Hepatitis Day on May 19th and was elected President of the World Hepatitis Alliance, the umbrella organisation representing some 200 patient groups worldwide set up to run the Day. Charles set up and is the Chief Executive of The Hepatitis C Trust, the national UK hepatitis C charity. He was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 1995 and cirrhosis in 1998, and cleared the virus after treatment in 2001-2. Charles was the first President of the European Liver Patients Association in 2004 -2006.

Professor Shivaram Prasad Singh – Chairman Kalinga Gastroenterology Foundation, Cuttack, India

Professor Singh is the Head of the Department of Gastroenterology at the S.C.B. Medical
College, India. He is founder of the Kalinga Gastroenterology Foundation and Hepatitis B Eradication Day. In 2004, he launched the free access journal Hepatitis B Annual dedicated to dissemination of knowledge about Hepatitis B amongst the medical fraternity of the developing world. He was a member of the 2007 World Digestive Health Day Committee of the World Gastroenterology Organisation.

Professor Jean-Michel Pawlotsky, Secretary General European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)

Professor Pawlotsky is Professor of Medicine at the University of Paris XII and Director of the Department of Virology and of the French National Reference Centre for Viral hepatitis B, C and D at the Henri Mondor University Hospital. In addition to being the Secretary General of EASL, Professor Pawlotsky is a member of the Scientific College of the French National Agency for AIDS and Viral Hepatitis Research (ANRS).

Joanna Meynell – Hepatitis B patient

Diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B when she was 18 years old, Joanna Meynell has felt the disease negatively affected many of the personal relationships in her life and left her feeling isolated. Because of the reactions she encountered, she feels patients are less likely to come forward for diagnosis and treatment. For these reasons, she believes that education can change the perception about the disease and the stigma attached to it so that more patients come forward for advice or help. While at university, Joanna tackled this issue by creating a support group for people with the virus. She has also spoken at various training events for healthcare professionals to provide a patient perspective and supports the campaigns for universal vaccination.

Craig N. Shapiro, M.D.

Craig N. Shapiro is Medical Officer, Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, Expanded Programme on Immunization at the World Health Organization

Agenda

1 in 12: Why the World Should Care