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Monthly archive  Sunday, September 11, 2005 
 

Disasters And The Gift Of Knowledge

Hurricane Natural and unnatural disasters have been happening for all of recorded time. The common element to all disasters that I can remember has been the incredible outpouring of assistance from not only immediate neighbors of those affected, but also from strangers thousands of miles away. The assistance comes in the form of money, people opening their homes to evacuees, healthcare, police, and fire volunteers giving of their time time and expertise, and behind the scenes volunteers helping unite families and administer aid that helps people with basic services that they have lost. My friend Ron LaPorte, professor of epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, believes one of the greatest gifts that can be offered is the gift of knowledge.

Ten years or so ago, Ron sent me an email after a speech I had given about the future of the Internet. Ron liked the vision he heard about the Internet and he described to me the vision he had for global health. I knew very little about his area of expertise but was captivated by the passion he had for changing the world. Ron invited me to the University of Pittsburgh and I went there to share my thoughts. That was the beginning of a decade of sharing thoughts with each other. During that time, I saw Ron draw people and organizations into his web of collaborators and I have witnessed huge strides he has made in using the Internet to share information through creation of a "global health network". (read more)

People September 11, 2005 05:48 PM


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