Global health expert Jacob Gayle Jr., who, as vice president of the Medtronic Foundation, oversees grants to organizations that support access to healthcare for those with chronic diseases, will speak at Case Western Reserve University Nov. 1. His visit is part of the university’s Power of Diversity Lecture Series and will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Dively Building.
The event, sponsored by the Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity with the Office of Corporate Relations, is free and open to the public.
Gayle leads the development and implementation of so-called “global corporate citizenship programs,” including philanthropy and employee engagement for the foundation, which, in 2011, awarded $30.6 million in grants to improve global health.
“Jacob Gayle is an excellent addition to the Power of Diversity Lecture Series. He has a wealth of knowledge and expertise on critical minority issues in the United States, and he brings a significant global perspective to all of these issues,” said Marilyn S. Mobley, vice president for Inclusion Diversity and Equal Opportunity. “I believe his lecture will bring new insights to our dialogue on healthcare on campus and in the community.”
Founded in 1949 by Earl Bakken and his brother-in-law, Palmer Hermundslie, Medtronic Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the medical equipment industry. The technologies provided by the multinational company have transformed the way debilitating, chronic diseases are treated.
Prior to joining the foundation, Gayle served as deputy vice president of the Ford Foundation, where he led a five-year global HIV/AIDS initiative. In he same field, he worked as the technical adviser and chief of the global HIV/AIDS division to the U.S. Agency for International Development. He also has served as senior adviser to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS.
For more information, contact Janetta Hammock, diversity program manager, at 216.368.3206 or janetta.hammock@case.edu or visit case.edu/diversity/programs/power.html.