East Tennessee State University Represented at the Summit on Children

Randy Wykoff, Dean of the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, recently spoke at the Summit on Children: The Science & Story of Poverty.  The event sought to bring the state and community together to discuss and plan how to better support children and families, and how to address poverty at a community level.  It was held on April 11, 2018 at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center in Greeneville, Tennessee.

Dr. Wykoff’s talk titled “The Tightening Web and the Vicious Circle” reviewed current information about the impact of poverty on health outcomes.  Among the data covered was a recent study by College of Public Health faculty that looked at the wealthiest and poorest counties in the country   This study showed the people in America’s poorest counties had a life expectancy that was lower than over half the countries in the world. 

Scott Niswonger and David Golden, members of the East Tennessee State University Board of Trustees, spoke at the Summit.  Scott Niswonger, Chairman and Founder of the Niswonger Foundation, opened the summit with “Why Here, Why Now?” At the end of the summit, David Golden, Senior Vice President of Eastman Chemical Company, gave a call to action titled, “What Now? Go and Fulfill YOUR Commitment.”  The Dean of the ETSU College of Education, Dr. Greg Aloia, encouraged individuals to find their own area of passion and help people there in his discussion “What About ME?”