DG Court Dowis with Emory-Clifton President Pia Valeriano and AG Lorri Christopher

Striving to build on the success of its first year that included receiving a Service award for distributing over 2,000 pairs of shoes to Filipino children, the Rotary Club of Emory-Clifton installed new officers on June 18. Chris Brand, the President of the Dekalb County Rotary Council presided over the event with DG Alec Smythe (outgoing) and Court Dowis (incoming) and AG Lorri Christopher in attendance. Also joining the event were Tony Tai, Director of Development at the Republic of China (Taiwan) Counsel in Atlanta, Didi O’Connor, Chairman of Makabayan Georgia, Inc., Nenette Smith, President of Filipino-American Association of Greater Atlanta, and Meg Bhuiyan, Chairman of Kalayaan Committee 2018.

Dr. Victor Coronado, MD of Bridge to Health and adjunct faculty at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health presented a fascinating update on the research on Human Microbial Biomes and the implications for human health. Shortly after the presentation Dr. Coronado and Dr. Koko Djo-Roy of the CDC became the latest inductees to the club.

The club is off to a rapid start for the new Rotary year with two major projects of international importance. The first project will provide backpacks/school supplies to indigenous school children in Palawan, Philippines. The club is also sponsoring “The Polio Symposium” on Saturday, September 29 at the Shriner’s Auditorium that will feature national and international polio experts from CDC, Emory and UNICEF, including Rotary’s Carol Pandak on the progress and challenges to meeting polio eradication.