East Tennessee State University is honoring Drs. Kate Beatty and Mildred Maisonet as the 2026 recipients of the Notable Women of ETSU Awards on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

Both honorees are faculty members in ETSU’s College of Public Health, where their work addresses questions of healthcare access, public health systems, environmental health and the needs of rural and underserved communities.

The ETSU Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program established the awards 25 years ago to recognize the scholarship, leadership and service of women across the university.

Who is Dr. Kate Beatty?

Beatty is a professor of Health Services Management and Policy in ETSU’s College of Public Health and director of the Master of Public Health program.

Her research focuses on healthcare access and public health systems, with particular emphasis on collaboration between researchers and community partners. She works with both the Center for Applied Research and Evaluation (CARE) in Women’s Health and the Center for Rural Health Research, where her work helps examine disparities in public health and healthcare delivery at the local and regional levels.

Beatty is currently leading a mixed-methods research project examining access to contraceptive care and how clinic characteristics, policies and practices affect the delivery of contraceptive services.

She also serves as Faculty Senate president and teaches courses on health systems, policies and regulations at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels.

Who is Dr. Mildred Maisonet?

Maisonet is an associate professor of epidemiology in ETSU’s Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.

Her research focuses on environmental and community-based epidemiology, combining exposure assessment, community engagement and applied analytic methods to address public health challenges in underserved populations, particularly rural and Hispanic communities.

Maisonet’s work includes research on environmental exposures, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as well as community-based studies examining population health outcomes.

She earned a Master of Science in epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico School of Public Health and a Ph.D. in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

In addition to her research and teaching, Maisonet works closely with community and public health partners to strengthen practice-based public health efforts and advance community health.

A quarter century of recognizing women’s work

The Notable Women of ETSU Awards began 25 years ago under the leadership of Dr. Amber Kinser, now professor emerita, who was the founding director of the then-Women's Studies Program.

Kinser said the idea grew from a simple observation: faculty often traveled elsewhere to share their scholarship, but had fewer opportunities to learn about the work happening among colleagues on their own campus.

“We seldom get to share our work with our colleagues and other faculty, and seldom get to see and hear about the terrific work they are doing,” Kinser said.

She said that gap felt especially important for women scholars, whose work and professional journeys had historically received less visibility.

“Women’s work in general has historically gone unnoticed or been undervalued,” Kinser said. “Notable Women of ETSU recognitions are one way that we fulfilled our mission to bring attention to women’s lives and contributions.”

The program was designed to give students, faculty and staff a fuller picture of the women whose scholarship, teaching and service were shaping ETSU and the surrounding community.

Kinser said she never expected the recognition to have the staying power it has shown.

“At our five-year anniversary celebration, I said we could never have guessed it would grow in visibility, notoriety and stature like this,” she said. “And here we are, still going strong a quarter of a century later.”

For Kinser, the program's continued strength reflects a broader cultural impact.

“Notable Women not only focuses on women’s accomplishments, but also highlights the personal journeys that brought those accomplishments about,” she said.

Recognizing impact

The 2026 honorees continue that tradition through work that connects research, teaching and community engagement with public health needs across Tennessee and Appalachia.

Learn more about the faculty, research and programs shaping academic excellence at ETSU at etsu.edu/trailblazers.