AIC to Hold 4th Annual Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture

Springfield, MA, March 20, 2013 --(PR.com)-- Reflections from the Frontline: Women"s Health in the Cross Fire, will be the topic at the 4th annual Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture at American International College in Springfield, Mass. Leslie Tarr Laurie, President/Chief Executive Officer, of Tapestry Health in Florence, will be the keynote speaker.

Since 2010, American International College has hosted distinguished speakers in its annual Desmond Tutu Public Health Lecture Series. Archbishop Tutu served as the series' inaugural speaker and its namesake.

The public is invited to attend free of charge.

Laurie has dedicated herself to health and human services since 1969. Under her leadership, spanning the existence of Tapestry Health, more than 100,000 people have been served in Wester Massachusetts.

Tapestry Health remains the only non-profit organization in the region to offer family planning and reproductive health care to often marginalized individuals, such as young people, women living in poverty, recent immigrants, uninsured and underinsured persons, injection drug users, the homeless, and men and women with HIV/AIDS, despite their ability to pay.

Dr. Peter Bittel, a member of the AIC Board of Trustees, is one of the series’ originators and a strong advocate for its mission. "The function of the lecture series is to bring attention to issues of public health in the college community," said Dr. Bittel. He noted that, according to a recent study, Hampden County has the highest incidence of public health issues in the commonwealth, underscoring the need for local public awareness campaigns.