Global Health Leaders Ask Creative Community At Cannes Festival For Help In Solving Top Global Health Issues

CANNES, France, June 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McCann Global Health and the United Nations Foundation hosted an inspiring session yesterday at the Lions Health in Cannes, France, with the United Nations Foundation's chief communications officer Aaron Sherinian leading a discussion on the challenge of eradicating polio from the face of the earth with UNICEF's Sherine Guirguis and Dr. Mickey Chopra of the World Bank.

Ms. Guirguis explained, "UNICEF has blazed a unique path in the public health space by bringing together both academia and private sector partners to help change the way the 'hard to reach' and 'hard to convince' audiences look at polio vaccination. The communications strategy created by McCann Global Health to support the UNICEF effort in Pakistan is a powerful demonstration of the role that insight, inspiration and strategy can play in driving communications that change the way people think and behave."  

Dr. Chopra said, "We have a great opportunity beyond polio to use some of these same private sector approaches and principles for other global health issues including HIV, Zika, Ebola and others. In the public health arena there needs to be a shift from 'presentation to conversation' to include all stakeholders around public, community and personal health issues for the underserved populations in some of the most challenged environments in the world."

Mr. Sherinian added, "There is help needed from the broader marketing and advertising community and all of those attending the Lions Health Festival in Cannes have a very important role to play in helping us to achieve this goal."

About Sherine Guirguis
Sherine Guirguis is a Senior Communications Manager with UNICEF, leading behaviour communication strategies to eradicate Polio. She has been working with UNICEF for 15 years, in public health nutrition, post-tsunami recovery, polio eradication and the Ebola response in West Africa.  Ms. Guirguis has been working on public health issues at country level with national health programmes - in Darfur, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, and the Maldives - and has been working at UNICEF Headquarters for the last 5 years supporting Governments to end polio for good in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, East and West and Central Africa.

As a spearheading partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, UNICEF is the lead agency for communication with communities. Since 2013, Ms. Guirguis has been responsible for the oversight and coordination of all behaviour and social change communication strategies to end Polio by 2018.  Ms. Guirguis holds a Masters in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a Masters degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

About Mickey Chopra, M.D.
Dr. Chopra is the Global Solutions Lead for Service Delivery at the World Bank where he leads their work on optimizing service delivery and models of care to achieve both efficient and equitable outcomes. He's also leading the work of the Bank in Health in Afghanistan where eradicating polio is a priority.

Previously, he was Chief of Health and Associate Director of Programs at UNICEF's NY Headquarters, leading the agency's work on maternal, newborn and child health, immunization, pediatric HIV/AIDS, and health systems strengthening, policy and research. Dr. Chopra led this UN agency's efforts toward remarkable progress in improving child health, to reduce childhood and maternal mortally, increasing funding for children's health programs, and seeing through a renewed focus on child health and eradication of polio.

Dr. Chopra started his career in a deep rural hospital in KwaZulu doing everything from outpatient clinics to abdominal surgery. He holds degrees in medical sociology and medicine, clinical postgraduate qualification in child health and a PhD. He's published over 170 international peer-reviewed papers and contributed to numerous books.

About Aaron Sherinian

Aaron Sherinian is the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer for the United Nations Foundation. Aaron has led the Foundation's public relations efforts, media relationships, strategic outreach, and online presence since 2009, managing an award-winning team of communicators and digital pioneers who believe that innovative communications can help change the world.  He has helped build some of the most talked about milestones in digital global engagement around causes and UN issues over the last few years including the Social Good Summit, #GivingTuesday, Rio+Social and the Momentum1000 global social media rally.  He is a passionate supporter of efforts to build a new era of global activism and philanthropy among a younger generation that is emerging on the global scene. His team won three consecutive honors by PRNews as "Public Affairs Team of the Year" in 2012, 2013 and 2014.

About McCann Health

Comprising the world's most connected community of health and wellness experts, McCann Health (www.mccannhealth.com) is the most awarded professional and consumer health communications network with the largest international expertise spanning 20 countries and 60 offices. McCann Health consists of three strong marketing communications global networks: McCann Torre Lazur, McCann Healthcare (professional) and McCann HumanCare (consumer health & wellness). Specialty units include McCann Echo (professional), McCann Global Health (public health), McCann Pharmacy Initiative, McCann Managed Markets, McCann Complete Medical, and Double Helix (market access, medical communications, strategic consultancy & research). McCann Health is a part of McCann Worldgroup and the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG).

About United Nations Foundation
The United Nations is the one international organization with the reach and vision capable of solving global problems.

The United Nations Foundation links the UN's work with others around the world, mobilizing the energy and expertise of business and non-governmental organizations to help the UN tackle issues including climate change, global health, peace and security, women's empowerment, poverty eradication, energy access, and U.S.-UN relations.

The United Nations Foundation is honored to work with you and the United Nations to foster a more peaceful, prosperous and just world. Learn more about our mission, our relationship with the UN, as well as the campaigns and initiatives we've developed and sponsored to connect you to the UN's work. Click here to download our one pager.

About the 63rd Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, 18-25 June 2016, Cannes, France Founded in 1954, Cannes Lions is an eight-day programme of creative inspiration, celebration, education and networking. Over 15,000 delegates from around 100 countries attend the Festival, making it the only truly global meeting-place for branded communications professionals to connect, share and discover.
Lions Health is dedicated to life-changing creativity, showcasing and inspiring ideas that transcend especially challenging boundaries. With insights from thought-leaders, marketers, specialists and scientists, Lions Health connects global healthcare and pharmaceutical professionals, allowing them to share successes, problem-solve and do business. 

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