JOHNSON CITY – The “Leading Voices in Public Health” Lecture Series sponsored by the
East Tennessee State University College of Public Health will kick off “close to home”
this year with the latest update on Appalachian health.
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, several experts from the ETSU faculty will provide 10-minute summaries of the chapters they contributed to the book “Appalachian Health: Culture, Challenges and Capacity,” published this summer by the University of Kentucky Press. The free public lecture will begin at 6 p.m. in the Grand Soldiers Ballroom of the Carnegie Hotel, following a 5 p.m. reception in the hotel’s Wilder Room.
“This should be a wonderful opportunity for attendees to update their understanding of our region, its health challenges and potential resources, and the important role that ETSU plays in improving the health and well-being of the region,” said Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of the College of Public Health.
Wykoff served as co-editor of the book, which examines such issues as affordable and accessible medical care, the opioid crisis, and other social, political, economic and environmental forces that impact the people of Appalachia, as well as the strengths and tools that they can use to address those challenges.
Following an introduction by Wykoff, who will provide an overview of the book, presentations will be given by:
- Ron R. Roach, chair of the Department of Appalachian Studies, who wrote “Appalachia: An Introduction to the Region”;
- Melissa White, research associate, who co-authored the chapter “The Social Determinants of Health” with Dr. Kate Beatty, associate professor;
- Michael Meit, co-director of the ETSU Center for Rural Health Research, who co-wrote the “Deaths of Despair in Appalachia” chapter; and
- Angela Hagaman, operations director of the Center for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention and Treatment, who co-wrote the chapter “The Opioid Crisis in Appalachia” with Drs. Bill Brooks, Stephanie Mathis and Rob Pack of the ETSU Addiction Science Center and Dr. Kelly E. Moore of the Department of Psychology.
Copies of the book will be available for sale at the Sept. 13 event. The book is also available online at ETSU’s Sherrod Library. Royalties from book sales at this event will be donated to the Sherrod Library.
For more information, call the College of Public Health at (423) 439-4243 or email storkj@etsu.edu. For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at (423) 439-8346.