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COMMONWEALTH NORTH FORUM
Avian Influenza
January 19, 2006 Introductions

MS. ALICE GALVIN: A couple announcements before we roll into things. Cell phones, if you have these wonderful devices with you, we really, really would appreciate it if you would turn them off or put them on silent. We always ask for that at the beginning.
And for those of you who may be guests and not familiar with how we do things, you'll find these cards on your table. And this is how we bring questions up forward. We don't ask questions from the floor. You write your question on a card and just raise it in the air. Someone from the back of the room will come and bring it forward.

Today we'll be hearing everything we wanted to know, possibly some things we don't want to know but should, about the avian influenza. Now as your lunch is being served I would just like to make this comment. We are well aware of the irony of today's lunch menu. So today is about things we don't know and things that we do know. And here's one of the things that we do know. Properly prepared poultry, say that three times in a row, will not give you the avian influenza. So we invite you to go ahead and enjoy your delicious chicken cordon bleu.


Because this topic is so important and because there's been a lot of interest in it, we've extended the forum today until 1:30. Just want you to know that. For those of you who have to leave, and many of you have commitments already, that's fine, just go ahead and know that. But for those of you who want to stay on and if the questions keep coming, we can be here until 1:30.


So now I'd like to introduce our head table and speakers. And then I'm going to turn the program over to Dr. Causey, who will moderate the panel and moderate the questions after the speakers have concluded. So to my immediate right Dr. Douglas Causey. I'd like to welcome him as a new member of Commonwealth North. Thank him for his membership. He is currently vice provost for research and graduate studies at the University of Alaska Anchorage. And as I mentioned, he's our moderator today.


Rick Kearney is the Wildlife program coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey. He's also the co-chair of the Interagency working Group for the early detection of highly pathogenic avian influenza. Pardon me?


DR. DOUGLAS CAUSEY: That's another mouth full.

MS. GALVIN: That is another mouth full. Right. But sounds impressive. Next to him another panelist is Dr. Jay Butler. He's the Alaska state epidemiologist and chief of the epidemiology section of the Division of Public Health.

And next to him is our last panelist, Dr. Richard Mandsager. He's director of the Division of Public Health for the State of Alaska.


Moving farther to the right, Walter Hickel, twice Governor of the State of Alaska, former Secretary of the Interior and co-founder of Commonwealth North.

And Bob Bulmer, president of Alaska Executive Search, and our underwriter today. Bob's a former board member and vice president of Commonwealth North. He remains an active member today. Thank you again for underwriting this event.

So ladies and gentlemen, please help me welcome our head table. Thank them for being here.


I'd also like to introduce and welcome two new members to Commonwealth North, who are in the audience today. One is Kurt Martens. Kurt, thank you. Kurt's a partner with Leonard & Martens, LLC. And Katherine Anderson, welcome, is the program manager for Procurement Technical Assistance Center at UAA's Small Business Development Center. So please help me welcome our new members. Thank you very much. So enjoy your lunch and enjoy the panel. It's going to be pretty interesting. And I'll turn it over to you, Dr. Causey.


The Avian Influenza presentation to Commonwealth North
may be reproduced but credit must be given to
Commonwealth North.

Article source

 
University of Anchorage Alaska 2007