
A hero dies too young
Chadwick Boseman exemplified courage and dedication to purpose more lasting than ourselves.
This post is adapted from a July 9 letter to the Gillings School community that was endorsed by most members of the Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Dean’s Council. The text here reflects substantial revisions to the letter text. The opinions are mine, and I take responsibility for any errors or omissions.
In the past week, our Gillings School community lost two remarkable individuals, Phil Singer, PhD, emeritus professor of environmental sciences and engineering (ESE), and Travis Johnson, MD, MPH, associate professor in the Public Health Leadership Program, and founder and interim director of the Master of Public Health (MPH) Program’s Place-Based Health concentration in Asheville, N.C., our shared program with UNC Asheville and the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC).
The New York Times on Sept. 23 carried the text of a speech by publisher A. G. Sulzberger, given at Brown University, titled, “The Growing Threat to Journalism Around the World.” He documented how, in multiple countries, journalists are being threatened, harassed, thrown in jail without due process, intimidated, kidnapped, tortured and killed. He attributed...
I’m proud that our Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health ASPPH has a new policy that states that we have zero tolerance for discrimination and harassment. As the organization that represents academic public health, our commitment to zero tolerance is important. It also should be a message to any faculty or staff member whose behavior is less than honorable. Zero tolerance means no tolerance.
On two of the past three weekends, members of pro-Confederacy groups have visited our campus to continue to protest the toppling and removal of the Confederate soldier monument. I did not write after the first incident because one event, although deplorable, could be an anomaly. When the second event occurred, I felt compelled to respond. Two events could be the beginning of a trend.
Thanksgiving 2018 In this message, I share observations from our annual World of Difference event, held November 8. The World of Difference dinner is our thank you to donors who generously support students, faculty and groundbreaking initiatives. This message is for those who attended and those who were not present. Throughout the evening, alumni told...
Kavanaugh hearings So much has been said and written about the special session in the Senate last week that was part of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing. It was to be a time during which senators, their staffs and the public would hear from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford about her alleged sexual assault by Kavanaugh when both were in high school. Both would make statements and respond to questions from a seasoned attorney. Whatever the outcome...