September 22, 2015

Jackson School gathers experts to discuss Syrian humanitarian crisis Oct. 6

Syria’s drawn-out civil war has displaced more than 10 million people since 2011 and the flood of refugees from the area has drawn the concerned attention of the world.

The University of Washington Jackson School of International Studies will hold a free, public forum at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, in Room 101 of Thomson Hall. The forum is titled “Focus on Syria: A Humanitarian Crisis,” and will be moderated by Resat Kasaba, Stanley D. Golub Chair of International Studies and director of the Jackson School.

Panelists for the event are:

• Jennifer Butte-Dahl, director of the Jackson School’s Master of Arts in Applied International Studies, who volunteered last month with the nonprofit organization Shelterbox on the Greek island of Lesbos (a destination for many refugees arriving by water).
• Kathie Friedman, Jackson School associate professor whose research interests include forced migrations and refugees.
• Neil McFarland, M.D., a family physician with UW Medicine who has volunteered in Greece, Jordan and other refugee camps.
• Mark S.Ward, director of the Syrian Transition Assistance and Response Team at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, who will join the discussion via Skype.

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For more information, contact Kristina Bowman, Jackson School communications specialist, at 206-221-1323 or kriscb@uw.edu.