PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, with the International Congress of Women’s Health Issues, will host ”Cities and Women’s Health: Global Perspectives,” Wednesday, April 7, through Saturday, April 10, on Penn’s campus.

The Penn-ICOWHI 18th conference will explore women’s health and urban planning, using research in practice and policy, redesigning cities for active living, increasing access to health care, treating adolescent girls in high-risk environments, achieving policy goals, eliminating policy gaps that undermine women’s health and curbing intimate-partner violence.

Bringing together experts in urban design, health, health policy, law, social policy and education, the conference will address the many health issues facing inner-city women.

“By gathering urban planning and health experts from every corner of the globe, this conference will host the most comprehensive conversation to date on how urban development affects women,” Afaf Meleis, dean of Penn Nursing, said. ”When women are healthy, their communities are healthy and vice versa. We need to understand the challenges we face.”

The Penn-ICOWHI conference is supported by the Office of the Provost at Penn and the Penn Institute for Urban Research.