Fifth annual Jean Mills Health Symposium to be held Feb. 6

GREENVILLE, N.C.  —   Empowering individuals to take responsibility for their health will be the main topic of the fifth annual Jean Mills Health Symposium Feb. 6 in Greenville.Keynote speaker will be Dr. Camara Jones, research director on social determinants of health and equity in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Her talk begins at 9 a.m. in the Greenville Hilton.

The daylong symposium will feature recognized experts across the state and at East Carolina University who use a health empowerment model. Using presentations and posters, the symposium will describe research and services that empower individuals to take responsibility for enhancing their health, thereby reducing health disparities.

The event is hosted by the College of Allied Health Sciences in collaboration with the ECU Medical & Health Sciences Foundation, Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation and Eastern Area Health Education Center.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the symposium will be held 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Greenville Hilton and the Greenville Convention Center, 207 SW Greenville Blvd. 

Jean Elaine Mills earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977 and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in community health from ECU in 1984. She died from breast cancer in 2000.

Amos T. Mills III, Jean’s brother, created the symposium in an effort to keep her spirit of discovery and community outreach alive. Online registration and schedule is at www.eahec.ecu.edu . Call 744-5231 or e-mail woolards@ecu.edu for more information.

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at (252) 328-6799 (V) or (252) 328-0899 (TTY).