As part of the Iowa Initiative's mission to reduce unintended pregnancies in Iowa among adult women through networking, outreach and education, we invite nationally-known health care thought-leaders to Iowa to provide an informed perspective on the issues at stake.  This also gives Iowa's family planning professionals opportunities to experience, learn from, and be inspired by national experts as well as lessons they can learn from each other.  Below are highlights on our upcoming and past "On The Issues" Speaker Series.

 
7/22/09 - Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council
The Iowa Initiative, in partnership with Des Moines University Global Health and the Iowa Department of Public Health, proudly welcomed Director Barnes to Des Moines on July 22.  You can learn more about the White House Domestic Policy Council at www.whitehouse.gov.  

If you were unable to see Director Barnes speak, you will have another chance.  Mediacom will be rebroadcasting her speech on channel 22.  It will air Thursday, August 13 at 4:30 pm and Friday, August 14 at 9:00 pm.  It will also air several additional times over the 30 days that follow.  The schedule for these subsequent airings can be found at www.connections22.com. 

Following a great morning, we had two other presentations.  Dr. Mary Mincer Hansen and Jenell Stewart from Des Moines University provided an overview of the current global landscape for maternal and child mortality.  You can view a copy of their presentation here.  Finally, Julie McMahon with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) discussed Iowa's health reform and the IDPH's efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies.

 
9/29/08 - Sarah Brown, The National Campaign to Reduce Teen and Unplanned Pregnancies
Sarah is the CEO and co-founder of The National Campaign headquartered in Washington, D.C.  To learn more, visit www.thenationalcampaign.org.  
 
6/11/08 - Dr. Lawrence Finer, The Guttmacher Institute
The Guttmacher Institute is the leading think tank on sexual and reproductive health issues in the United States and worldwide, headquartered in Washington, D.C. To learn more, visit www.guttmacher.org/.