The 40th annual Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture spotlights turning points in public health

|March 18, 2014| from Fielding School of Public Health News Page

This year’s Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecturer, Dr. Gerald Kominski, is also the Dean’s Distinguished Scholar for 2014. The Fielding School honored new Alumni Hall of Fame inductees and also named the winner of the student writing competition.

On March 17, the Fielding School hosted the 40th annual Lester Breslow Distinguished Lecture in memory of visionary public health leader and FSPH professor, Dr. Lester Breslow. This year’s featured lecturer was also the 2014 Dean’s Distinguished Scholar, Dr. Gerald Kominski. Dr. Kominski, Professor of Health Policy and Management and Director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research at the Fielding School, addressed the impact of the Affordable Care Act as a turning point in U.S. health care similar to reforms like the New Deal and the institution of Medicare.

Commitment to community and human rights were highlighted in the achievements of this year’s Alumni Hall of Fame inductees, all of whom exemplify the School’s commitment to teaching, research and service. Dr. Emmett Chase and Dr. Eva Smith, who are married and received their MPH degrees in 1990, have worked together throughout their careers to address the health needs of the Hoopa Valley, in northern California, and beyond. Ms. Kristin Kalla of the Trust Fund for Victims, which supports the International Criminal Court in The Hague, has dedicated her career to restoring the dignity of survivors of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in over 25 countries. She received her MPH in Community Health Sciences in 1993.

Student ingenuity shone during the Student Writing Competition presentations, in which students from each of the five Fielding School academic departmentsdiscussed how the public’s health can be improved by innovation at the Fielding School and beyond. MPH student Evan Shannon was chosen by a panel of distinguished judges as the $5,000 grand-prize winner for his call to integrate epidemiology and information technology.

Student Writing Competition winner Evan Shannon, finalists Tess Verhoef, Maria-Elena Young, Lauren Gase and Gregory Watson with Dr. Mario Molina and Dean Jody Heymann

Dean Jody Heymann, Dr. Gerald Kominski, Ms. Devra Breslow and Dr. Jonathan Fielding