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Kosovo's politics and medicine to be lecture topic
Free and open to the public, the discussion is scheduled from 1:30 to 2:45 p.m. in Davis Auditorium of Palamountain Hall. Rotary International is a sponsor of the event, along with Skidmore's Department of Government and International Affairs Program.
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. In 1998-99, it was the scene of ethnic cleansing of its Albanian Muslim population on orders from the former Serbian President Milosevic and 800,000 Kosovar Albanian Muslims fled their homes. After NATO warplanes bombed Serbia for 78 days in 1999, a ceasefire was arranged and the country was put under a UN protectorate. Today, UN-authorized NATO and EU forces help provide security. Serbia and Russia, among others, oppose an independent Kosovo. Although the country has not been admitted into the UN, 60 states now recognize its independence and the country has joined the IMF and the World Bank.
The size of Connecticut, Kosovo faces enormous challenges as it develops a new national identity, encourages economic and social development, addresses Serbian minority concerns in the north, seeks international recognition and reconciliation with Serbia, and addresses the urgent healthcare needs of its two million inhabitants.
Following his talk, Abazi will answer questions from the audience.
A graduate of Kosovo's University of Prishtina Medical School, Abazi completed an internship in neurosurgery at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany. He earned a master of public health degree with a concentration in health-care management and policy at Harvard and currently holds an appointment in the Neurosurgery Department of Children's Hospital Boston and Brigham and Women's Hospital.
His research interests include health-sector reform in developing countries and assessment of healthcare systems. His partnership with Rotary International has enabled him to travel and speak on health care topics in a number of different venues, including Japan, The Netherlands, Canada, and Finland, as well as throughout the United States.
In addition, he has published a number of papers on neurosurgical techniques in professional journals. Abazi has volunteered his services to help bring terminally ill children from Kosovo to the U.S. to allow them to obtain life-saving heart surgery at Harvard-affiliated hospitals, and has worked on a campaign in Prishtina to raise awareness about preventing AIDS and STDs in Kosovo.
Abazi's honors include the Paul Harris Fellowship Award from the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, the Harvard School of Public Health Presidential Scholarship, and a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship Award for graduate studies in the U.S.
Tags: international affairs program, rotary international, gani s. abazi, kosovo/a, department of government
