Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist, who represented Tennessee in Congress from 1995-2007, will visit East Tennessee State University’s campus as part of the ETSU College of Public Health’s Leading Voices in Public Health lecture series.

Frist will speak on “The Intersection of Planetary and Human Health: A Doctor’s Call to Rethink Health in the Age of Climate Change.” His lecture will be held on Wednesday, April 22, at 6 p.m., in the Brinkley Center, 2001 Millennium Place. A meet and greet with Sen. Frist will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Leading Voices in Public Health is free and open to the public, and the event will be livestreamed at etsu.edu/cph/livestream.

Frist is a former transplant surgeon who earned his medical degree from Harvard Medical School and founded the Vanderbilt Transplant Center. His career as a senator includes a stint as the Senate majority leader from 2003-07.

Since leaving public office, Frist has been a strong advocate and supporter for educational achievement in Tennessee and beyond, and currently serves as chair of the Global Board of the Nature Conservancy.

He also founded Hope Through Healing Hands, a global health non-profit. Through the non-profit he launched the Frist Global Health Leaders Program, which provides students, residents and fellows in health professions with the opportunity to serve and train in underserved communities around the world for up to four months.

More than a dozen ETSU students have completed internships overseas through the program since it was founded in 2008.

“This lecture promises to be a truly remarkable event, and we are honored to host Sen. Frist for the Leading Voices in Public Health lecture series,” said Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of ETSU’s College of Public Health. “For our students, this represents a fantastic opportunity for them to hear from someone who has made improving health and wellness their life’s mission.”

The Leading Voices of Public Health lecture series regularly brings internationally recognized experts to campus to touch on a variety of topics impacting health and well-being, offering students unique opportunities to hear from those shaping the future of health in this region and beyond.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/4sFjPgn.

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