Dr. Michael H. Merson, dean of public health, will be the guest at a tea at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, March 4, in the Pierson College master's house, 231 Park St. His topic will be "Public Health: From AIDS to Managed Care." The event is free and open to the public; seating is limited.
Dr. Merson came to the School of Medicine in 1995 as its first dean of public health and chair of the department of epidemiology and public health.
Previously, he had worked for the World Health Organization WHO for 17 years. There, he headed the Diarrhoeal Diseases Control Programme and the Acute Respiratory Infections Control Programme -- two international programs that have greatly reduced mortality in infants and young children in developing countries. He also directed the WHO Global Programme on AIDS. This program, with a staff of 400 persons working in over 60 countries and an annual budget of $80 million, was responsible for mobilizing and coordinating the global response to the AIDS pandemic.
Dr. Merson has received two Commendation Medals from the United States Public Health Service: the Arthur S. Flemming Award and the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Medal.