HH&S Director Buffington to speak at InterAction Forum 2012 on using entertainment to spread awareness of global issues

By Russell DeVita

Hollywood, Health & Society Director Sandra de Castro Buffington will speak at a communications workshop on May 1 at the InterAction Forum 2012 in Arlington, Virginia.

The workshop, “Get Your Message Heard During a Crowded Electoral Year,” will explore how to use movies, TV and other forms of entertainment to spread awareness and advocacy of global issues.

InterAction comprises more than 190 member organizations—faith-based and secular—working in developing countries to improve the lives of the poor, ensure human rights and safeguard a sustainable planet. The annual event serves as a meeting ground for leaders of non-governmental organizations, as well as decision-makers in government and representatives of the nonprofit, corporate and philanthropic sectors, and development experts.

The three-day InterAction Forum 2012, being held April 30 through May 2, will feature panels and workshops with experts from around the world. Among those also scheduled to participate are Maria Otero, under secretary of civilian security, democracy and human rights at the U.S. State Department; Lakshmi Puri, United Nations assistant secretary-general for intergovernmental support and strategic partnerships (UN Women); Samuel Worthington, president and CEO of InterAction; Judith Rodin, president of the Rockefeller Foundation; and Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank.

Hollywood, Health & Society is a program of the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center that provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate and timely information for health storylines. 

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