Rather to headline American Middle East Institute Conference in Pittsburgh

Former CBS News anchor Dan Rather will headline this year's American Middle East Institute (AMEI) business conference Oct. 18 in Pittsburgh.

“We invited Dan Rather to Pittsburgh because he represents the steadiness and calm needed in current public dialogue,” AMEI Founder and CEO Simin Curtis said. “Few Americans can say they’ve seen it all, but Dan has. From covering the earliest days of the Civil Rights Movement and Vietnam, to the accelerated change we’re witnessing here and in the countries of the Middle East, his experience offers a unique perspective for our times. We’re grateful to have him in our city.”

In the morning and afternoon portions of the conference, participants will hear presentations from Dr. Ahmed Rady, minister of health and population for the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Dr. Basmah Al-Buhairan, health sector managing director for Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.

The daytime business conference and the evening with Rather require two separate registrations. To register and for a full schedule of events, visit www.ameiconference.org.

Daytime portions of the event take place at the Center for Connected Medicine; the evening portion is at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Music Hall.

This year's conference theme is "New Frontiers of Health," which focuses on emerging trends in health and technology.