Legacy International Chairman Harold Robles to speak at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, Va., Jan. 8, 2010 – Harold Robles, founder of the Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI) and the Albert Schweitzer Institute for the Humanities, will deliver a lecture at Virginia Tech on Monday, Jan. 11 at 4 p.m.

Robles’ talk is entitled “Together We Can Make a Difference: AIDS, Africa, Education and Public Health.” The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at the Assembly Hall at The Inn at Virginia Tech.

Dedicated to promoting healthcare education as a human right, Robles co-founded the MKI in 1999, a nonprofit organization associated with the World Health Organization and the United Nations. A native of the Netherlands, Robles is currently the Chairman of the Board of Advisors to Legacy International, a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening civil society around the world by helping local citizens create increasingly cooperative and productive lives.

“We are delighted that Dr. Robles will share his thoughts on how we can collectively address and affect world health issues,” said John Burton, Professor in the School of Education at Virginia Tech. “Our school has a long history of involvement in various African countries, including Malawi, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. We have not only established teacher education programs but we have also impacted sustainable farming through mobile technology, and developed citizen exchanges to foster civic responsibility.” For more info on these programs, read the related University Spotlight on Impact: “Cultural exchange impacts lives of 500 in Kenya.”

At the American Public Health Association convention in 2008, the Robert Wood Johnson foundation extended an award to Robles for his work in advancing public health systems. A nominee for the Bill and Melinda Gates Global Health Award, Robles was most recently appointed Knight in the Order of Oranje-Nassau by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands.