News Bureau

United Nations Side Event on Non-Communicable Diseases in Urban Settings


“Alwan NYAM”: Dr. Ala Alwan, Assistant Director General for Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health at the World Health Organization, discusses global smoking prevalence.

On Sunday, September 18, 2011, Management Sciences for Health, in collaboration with the New York Academy of Medicine, the International Society of Urban Health, and Eminence, hosted an exciting panel discussion entitled “Non-communicable Diseases in Urban Settings: A Call to Action in Lower and Middle Income Countries.” The event, which was held at the New York Academy of Medicine in conjunction with the United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs), was attended by more than 60 people.

Dr. Gloria Sangiwa, Director of Technical Quality and Innovation at the Center for Health Services at Management Sciences for Health, acted as a moderator and was joined by Dr. Jo Boufford, President of the New York Academy of Medicine, and Dr. Shamim Hayder Talukder, Chief Executive Officer of Eminence, in highlighting the growing burden of the NCD epidemic in urban areas while calling for increased attention in scaling up existing platforms and evidence-based interventions in lower and middle income countries.

During the panel discussion, Dr. Ala Alwan, Assistant Director General for Non-communicable Diseases and Mental Health at the World Health Organization, described growing trends in urban health and poverty, emphasizing that NCDs are the largest contributor to global mortality. He stated, “urban populations demonstrate the most obvious disparities.”

Professor K. Srinath Reddy, President of the Public Health Foundation of India, focused his presentation on various interventions aimed at the prevention and control of NCDs in urban settings, including New York City’s campaign against trans fats, in addition to several other global policies, regulations, and programs and their impact on urban health.

Finally, Dr. AFM Ruhal Haque, the Honorable Minister of Health and Family Welfare from the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, closely examined Bangladesh’s urbanization and rising rates of diabetes and hypertension.

This was the first of two events that MSH participated in surrounding the UN High Level Meeting on NCDs.

Learn more about MSH’s work on NCDs.


For additional information or to arrange for a press interview, please contact Barbara Ayotte, Director of Strategic Communications, at 617.852.6011 or bayotte@msh.org.


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