HESBURGH LECTURE SERIES 2013 Program - Alumni Association ...

Rev. Thomas G. Streit, C.S.C., ’80, ’85 M.Div., ’91
M.S., ’94 Ph.D.
Founder, Notre Dame Haiti Program
Biography
Rev. Tom Streit, C.S.C., has been working in Haiti since 1993, studying the transmission
dynamics for the exotic parasite wuchereria bancrofti and the disease it causes—lymphatic
filariasis, or “LF,” the leading cause of elephantiasis and disability worldwide. Following the
World Health Assembly’s placement of LF on a short list of diseases slated for elimination, in
1999 the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded its first LF grant to the University to help a
collaborative group, including Holy Cross Hospital, the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, and the Haitian government build capacity for, and study the efficacy of, various
elimination strategies in Haiti.
The first steps of eliminating LF as a public health problem are varied and multidisciplinary;
efforts have focused on the development of an infrastructure and the technical capacity
to eliminate LF from Haiti by 2020. From a base of operations at Holy Cross Hospital (or
Hopital Sainte Croix in French), the Haiti Program supports initiatives such as training and
informational sessions for health agents, epidemiology support, operational research, a
reference/study center for lymphedema management and remediation of urogenital filarial
disease, as well as small business development for products that contribute to improved health
(bed net assembly, production/distribution of fortified salt, etc.). The program has grown to
include cross-disciplinary activities as diverse as neighborhood redesign and infrastructure,
assistance with water management, and addressing other pathogens such as HIV, H. pylori,
dengue, and TB. In 2006, Streit received a rare second grant from the Gates Foundation for
$4.4 million to continue his work, in addition to a commitment from the University to raise $2
million. Funds raised and committed to date total more than $12 million toward the goal of $30
million to eliminate LF from Haiti by the year 2013.
Lecture
No One is an Island
Streit engages in an informative discussion of historic cross-disciplinary research being conducted on the Stone Age scourge of
elephantiasis, and Notre Dame’s hands-on approach to improving quality of life. This lecture is a unique presentation
and experience.
92 The Hesburgh Lecture Series, 2013 Program
Categories
Science, Social Concerns