World Congress on Health and Medical Sociology September 19-20, 2016 Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Social Medicine applies social science and humanities research to constantly improve the practice of medicine, the delivery of treatment, and the development of health care policies locally and worldwide. Major efforts include developing the science of global health delivery implementation; advancing equity in health care delivery; and educating students and researchers on biosocial determinants of disease, health care delivery, and responsible practice of medicine.

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events (including disease), and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems.

Medical anthropology is the study of how health and illness are shaped, experienced, and understood in light of global, historical, and political forces. It is one of the most exciting subfields of anthropology and has increasingly clear relevance for students and professionals interested in the complexity of disease states, diagnostic categories, and what comes to count as pathology or health.

Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases.

Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society. An explicit health policy can achieve several things: it defines a vision for the future which in turn helps to establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term. It outlines priorities and the expected roles of different groups; and it builds consensus and informs people.

Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.

Genetics is the branch of science concerned with genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms. It seeks to understand the process of trait inheritance from parents to offspring, including the molecular structure and function of genes, gene behaviour in the context of a cell or organism (e.g. dominance and epigenetics), gene distribution, and variation and change in populations.

Old Age also called Senescence, in human beings, the final stage of the normal life span. Definitions of old age are not consistent from the standpoints of biology, demography (conditions of mortality and morbidity), employment and retirement, and sociology. For statistical and public administrative purposes, however, old age is frequently defined as 60 or 65 years of age or older.

Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., Alcohol, Cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behaviour is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.

Medical sociology is the study of the societal dimensions of health and medicine and it provides an analytical framework for understanding the social contexts of health, illness and health care. Central topics include the subjective experience of health and illness, political, economic and environmental circumstances fostering ill health.
 

Gender is an important dimension of social life which intersects with others in social class, ethnicity and age. Gender and social relationships affects the health. Health experiences of women are different from those of men.  The cultural and religious norms of a society have a profound influence on roles, attitudes, and behaviour of men and women within the society. Gender inequality is most common in women dealing with poverty. The study of gender and development has become a broad field that involves politicians, economists, and human rights activists. Gender and Development, particularly women empowerment, includes a broader view of the effects of development on gender including economic, political, and social issues.

The relation between medical sociology and sociological theory is crucial to the sub discipline. Theory is usually distinguishes research in medical sociology from socially oriented studies like public health and health services research. Sociological theory allows medical sociology to remain unique among the health-related social and behavioural sciences. Medical Sociology was intended to help solve a clinical problem, rather than develop theory.

The practice of advocating for individuals and communities is social work. Social work plays a major role in medical sociology in the form of medical social workers. Medical social workers deal with the emotional, social and financial needs that frequently accompany with healthcare issues. They generally work in medical and surgical hospitals. They perform duties like new patient admissions, discharges and following up on aftercare plans. 

Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging stimuli, such as stubbing a toe, burning a finger, putting alcohol on a cut, and bumping the funny bone. Pain motivates the individual to withdraw from damaging situations, to protect a damaged body part while it heals, and to avoid similar experiences in the future.

Race is a group of people who share similar and distinctive physical characteristics. There is a relationship between individual health and one’s race and ethnicity. Health disparities are seen among different racial and ethnic groups. The race-conflict approach is a sociological perspective that looks at disparity and tension between people of different racial and ethnic groups. It's a way of viewing and studying people that focuses on racial inequality and conflict. There is a lot of difference between whites and blacks in America. White Americans earn higher level of income, obtains advanced educational degrees, have better access to quality healthcare and live longer than American racial minorities. The injustices against black and minority groups are very high in some of the developed countries.

An Ethnicity is a category of people identify with each other based on common social, cultural or national experiences. Ethnicity is often assumed to be the cultural unity of a group, often based on language and tradition. It is primarily an inherited status. There is a relationship between health of an individual and race & ethnicity. Health disparities are seen among different racial and ethnic groups. Health disparities, which include variations in life expectancy and prevalence of disease, due to the differences in health conditions across various ethnic populations that can be attributed to inequalities in living environment and access to healthcare may also play a role.

Sick Role the role played by a person who has defined himself or herself as ill, with or without validation of the role by health care providers or family members. Adoption of the sick role changes the behavioral expectations of others toward sick persons. They are exempted from normal social responsibilities and not held responsible for the condition; they are obliged to “want to get well” and to seek competent medical help. The sick role also involves behavioral changes, including increased attention to the body and bodily functions, regression (increase in dependent behavior), narrowing of interests, and emotional overreactions.

Social conditions and psychiatric disorders shape the lives of the people. The changing life conditions of people have more effect on their mental health such as psychological distress, the impact of life events, stress and coping.

Economy and health are inseparably linked, and life expectancy at birth is a measure of the overall health of the nation. Life expectancy is high in well developed countries where as low-income nations do not have the resources to maintain good health. People live in poor nations have less information and are less able to access to healthcare. A low-income nation mainly suffers from poor quality food, bad water and less medical personnel. Some modern life health issues are seen in high income countries, like drug use, eating disorders and obesity. There are economic inequalities in health between the rich and poor even in the wealthiest countries.  

Healthcare system is a system of people, institutions, and resources that deliver healthcare services to meet the health needs of target populations. Healthcare system’s goals are good health to the citizens, responsiveness to the expectations of the population, and fair means funding operations.

Health and Medical Sociology 2016 provides great avenues for investors seeking for investment opportunities and expanding their business horizons.  Our conference is attended by participants from more than 40 countries and attracts an interesting combination of academic researchers, practitioners and individuals who are engaged in various aspects of innovations in Medical Sociology research thereby providing plenty of networking opportunities and newfound knowledge.

To explore more about business and investment opportunities write us at medicalsociology@conferenceseries.net