Noted physician-activist to lecture at UW-Madison

Physician, alternative healer, poet, human rights and environmental activist Juan Almendares will present a free public lecture Wednesday, Sept. 26, at UW–Madison.

Almendares, a former victim of torture, has just received the 2001 Barbara Chester Award for his landmark work with other torture victims.

His lecture, “Healing, Human Rights and Complementary Medicine: Combining Ancient Folk Wisdom with Modern Science and Social Justice in Latin America and Beyond,” will begin at 7 p.m., 2650 Mosse Humanities Building, 455 N. Park St.

Almendares also has turned his attention to the plight of prisoners, the poor and indigenous peoples in Latin America. He is renowned for his dedication to eradicating alcoholism, drug abuse, violence against women, malnutrition, pesticide poisoning and ecological damage.

The former dean of the medical school and rector of the University of Honduras, Almendares has written books dealing with alternative medicine, and the effects of tobacco on health. He teaches courses on these and other topics at the Open School in New York.

He is writing four books: on health and ecology, alternative therapies for torture survivors, a volume of short stories and a book of poems.

For information about Almendares’ appearance, contact William Ney, (608) 262-0616.