On Wednesday, November 12, the Community of Sant’Egidio in New York City was pleased to host “Dare to DREAM,” an expert panel reflecting on the successes of the DREAM program and considering what the future of global health might hold.
The event was conceived in light of Roberto Morozzo Della Rocca’s “Sant’Egidio’s DREAM,” and the current approach to global public health in the West.
Three speakers participated in a moderated conversation.
- Ana B. Amaya, DrPh, MPH – Associate Professor of Health Policy College of Health Professions, Pace University & Associate Research Fellow, United Nations University (UNU-CRIS)
- Susan Michaels-Strasser, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN – Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (in ICAP) at the Columbia University Medical Center & ICAP Assistant Professor of the Department of Epidemiology
- Stefano Orlando, PhD – Associate Professor of Biomedicine and Prevention at Tor Vergata University, Rome & Former Administrator of the DREAM Program
Over the last nearly three decades, the DREAM program has demonstrated dramatic efficacy, focusing on reaching isolated rural areas through clinics, local training, and home care. This approach, which is always offered free of charge, makes it possible to achieve high retention rates and a great participation in health education.
All the panelists also agreed that in difficult times, the answer to any problem comes from personal attention to and relationship with those who are suffering, as expressed through DREAM. They encouraged all attendees to continue to meet and encounter those in need, and, while encouraging governments and large non-state actors to play their part, always insisting that it is possible to dream and to act.