Supercourse Newsletter, May 28 2003
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Golden Lecture
Prevention (protection) is better than treatment
This is an ancient Arab saying that a good friend Suad Sulaiman sent
to us from the Sudan. Isn't it amazing that almost all cultures have
sayings about prevention. Please send us quotes about prevention. We
want the golden lecture to be magnificent.
Things are really "cooking" we go over 50 different comments on the
lecture. Faina is now working to make the changes. It should be ready
early next week. The comments were wonderful, and extremely construc-
tive. The biggest complaints were 1) the size may have been a little
too big so some remote areas were having difficulty pulling it down
and 2) why wasn't my disease included? Faina should be complimented.
We tried to do our best to address all the comments we received. We
would like to get your input on what would be the optimal size of the
golden lecture. Please, let us know how big of a file your mailbox
can accept, especially if you were one of those who could not open
the file. We really need your feedback to figure out what the next
draft should look like!
During the next week we are working to translate the lecture, and we
need your help. Orlando Barrionue from Argentina amazingly already
took it upon himself to translate the lecture into Spanish. That was
so kind. During the next week in our group we will translate the lec-
ture into Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. If you
could help to translate into these languages or others it would be
wonderful. Please send a note to Faina at <fyl1@pitt.edu>.
At the end of next week we are planning the distribution system to
try and capture a million minds for prevention early September. We
are trying to think of ways to count the number of people who see the
lecture, but it is not easy. We will put at the final slide a form to
be sent back to us, but we know this will be incomplete. We thought
it would be a neat idea to bring some of our epidemiology concepts
into "counting" the people seeing the Golden Lecture. We think we can
set up a system of capture recapture to estimate the number of people
who see the lecture.
http://www.pitt.edu/~super1/lecture/lec0032/index.htm
Shhhh, a secret
The excitement is rising with the pending marriage of Hippocrates
with Hygeia on Sept. 19. This marriage proves our case that preven-
tion is better than treatment. Hygeia has lived somewhere between
(95% CI, 3000-infinity), Hippocrates and his treatment approach lived
about 80 years, therefore one is at a minimum 3000/80 or OR 35 better
off with prevention. A really good friend Chandra Pandav brilliantly
pointed out that we neglected to mention that some of us need do to
do the HIV testing on this couple prior to the marriage, as well as
to discuss reproductive epidemiology. Now, here is a secret, that you
cannot mention to anyone. None of us knows if the rumor is true, but
there is a famous reproductive epidemiologist formerly from South Af-
rica whose birth date is Sept. 19 who contributed a full course to
the Supercourse. We cannot reveal his name because of confidentiality
laws. We coded the name so it would be confidential NEYEGELLY
PANTENTH606. There is a rumor floating about concerning, NP's parents
truly being Hippocrates and Hygeia.
So, please send us your thoughts concerning translation and distribu-
tion of the golden lecture
Why do we do this?
Friends, obviously we are all having fun with the Supercourse. But it
is important for us to come back to reality. We get many letters like
this a week. This is why all 10,000 of us are doing it, we are making
a difference even at the primary health care level across the world:
Sir,
Kindly send me two copies each of the several series of the super
course. Access to the internet remains an expensive luxury in most
parts of Bayelsa State of Nigeria, where several of my colleagues
with interest in public practice.
I have talked so much to them about Super Course that I am now barely
allowed to restrain my colleagues. I look forward to your relieving
my friends and I by your sending us copies of the super, super-
course.
Dr.B.Z.Avah
Dept.Primary Health Care
Ministry of Health
P.M.B.24
Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, NIGERIA
--
Ron, Faina, Mita, Eugene, Akira, EunRyoung, Abed, Soni, Rania, Julia,
Beatriz, Deb, Wendy, Tom and 10,000 members of the Global Health Net-
work Supercourse
mailto:super1+@pitt.edu
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