BIGSSS PhD students hold public panel discussion on the Ebola outbreak and the international response to the crisis.
May 5, 2015The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been the most disastrous and far-reaching outbreak of the virus so far. At the height of the crisis in 2014, eight PhD students from the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) [1] formed a group to inform the public about this serious issue and to investigate how such a crisis could be prevented in future.
On May 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., the students are inviting interested parties to a public panel discussion at Haus der Wissenschaft. [2]
Renowned experts on the panel include Babah Tarawally, journalist and author from Sierra Leone and Dr. Denis Pineda from Bremen’s Public Health Office who has been fighting Ebola in the west African region of Kailahun last year. They will be joined by Professor Uli Beisel (University of Bayreuth) whose research focuses on West Africa and health technology, as well as Dr. Frank Dörner, a former Director of the organization Doctors Without Borders in Germany and a Coordinator of the Department for Sierra Leone.
These experts will analyze the crisis from their different perspectives and reflect on the lessons that can be drawn from the crisis. Professor Klaus Schlichte, Dean of BIGSSS and Professor for International Relations at the University of Bremen, is going to moderate the discussion
About the Ebola crisis
The countries mainly affected by the outbreak have been Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia with documented 22,000 suspected cases and a death toll of 9,000. Different reasons for these high numbers have been put forward. On the one hand, the affected countries didn’t have enough medical facilities to combat and control the epidemic and were not prepared for the scale of catastrophe, on the other hand the late international reaction to the epidemic led to a larger outbreak of the virus.
Program
The panel discussion on May 11 will start at 6.30 pm and will be held in English. A reception will take place afterwards. Due to a limited number of seats, registration is necessary. Please email Nadine Binder at nbinder@bigsss.uni-bremen.de [3]. Further information can be found at: www.stopebolabremen.wordpress.com; [4] www.bigsss-bremen.de [5]
About BIGSSS
The Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS) was opened in 2008 and is a joint ”Excellence Initiative” project by Jacobs University and the University of Bremen. As a provider of excellent international doctoral education BIGSSS aims to integrate outstanding areas of graduate education and research at both higher education institutions. BIGSSS is founded upon the core disciplines of political science, sociology, and psychology, and supported by a solid foundation in social-science methods. It also integrates neighboring disciplines such as law, economics, history, and business administration.
For more information, please visit: www.bigsss-bremen.de [5]
Contact
Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS)
Lara Minkus PhD Fellow / Doktorandin an der BIGSSS
Tel.: 0421 218 66452 E-Mail: lminkus@bigsss.uni-bremen.de [6]
Links:
[1] https://www.bigsss-bremen.de/
[2] https://www.hausderwissenschaft.de/Startseite.html
[3] mailto:nbinder@bigsss.uni-bremen.de
[4] http://www.stopebolabremen.wordpress.com;
[5] http://www.bigsss-bremen.de
[6] mailto:lminkus@bigsss.uni-bremen.de