INDIANAPOLIS—Dr. Robert S. Scott, Chair of the International PolioPlus Committee at The Rotary Foundation, will give the fourth annual Constance M. Baker and Robert S. Ort Lecture in International Healthcare Philanthropy in Indianapolis on November 3.

Scott will discuss The Rotary Foundation’s commitment, begun in 1985, to eradicate the disease poliomyelitis, known as polio, by immunizing children around the world. The Rotary Foundation reports that since that time, the number of polio cases has been reduced by 99%.

The Baker-Ort Lecture in International Healthcare Philanthropy is a program of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, a part of the IU School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). Scott will talk about the successes and lessons of The Rotary Foundation’s polio eradication program, questions about the role of philanthropy and nonprofit and public-private partnerships, and the application of those principles to other global health concerns.

The Rotary Foundation reports that when its polio initiative began in 1985, there were more than 1,000 cases of polio diagnosed per day worldwide. In 2008, that number has been reduced to about 2,000 per year. In January 2008, Scott and The Rotary Foundation announced the $100 Million Challenge, a three-year fundraising program to match a $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to completely eradicate the disease.

A Paul Harris Fellow, Scott has received the Rotary International Service Above Self Award, The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, the International Service Award for a Polio-Free World, and the Four Avenues of Service Citation. He has been named an outstanding leader in polio eradication by the United Nations Foundation and has received the Glenn Sawyer Service Award from the Ontario Medical Association for professional and community achievement.

Formerly Vice President of Rotary International, Scott became a Rotary Foundation Trustee in 2004. In 2006, he began his term as Chair of the International PolioPlus Committee.

Scott was born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, and received a medical degree with distinction in dermatology and chest diseases from the University of Edinburgh. He worked as a general practitioner and medical director in North Wales, UK, and Ontario, Canada. Scott served as coroner for the Province of Ontario and investigated more than 1,200 cases before retiring in May 2000.

The Baker-Ort Lecture will be held Monday, November 3, at 3:30 p.m. in the Lilly Auditorium at the University Library on the IUPUI campus in Indianapolis.

Media are invited to attend and cover the lecture. Please contact Josh Sprunger at 317- 278-8932 or for additional information.

About the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University
The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University is a leading academic center dedicated to increasing the understanding of philanthropy and improving its practice worldwide through research, teaching, public service and public affairs programs in philanthropy, fundraising, and management of nonprofit organizations.

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