SMITHFIELD, RI – Bryant University’s Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS) will hold a series of expert talks covering critical areas of healthcare this fall. Renowned national leaders will look at “Healthcare in America” from multiple perspectives, first focusing in on the water crisis in the community of Flint Michigan, and then expanding to a broader perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic as well as national and global healthcare leadership for the future.
"The speakers' scientific contributions, diverse perspectives, and continuous advocacy for their respective constituencies embody the mission of the Center for Health and Behavior Sciences."
This series, which follows the Center’s inaugural series last spring, will kick off virtually on October 7th at Bryant’s 2nd Annual Day of Understanding presented by Bryant’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The series will continue on Oct. 14 and Nov. 3. Below is the full slate of speakers and details.
Thursday, October 7th at 12 p.m.
What the Eyes Don’t See: Stories from the Frontlines of the Flint Water Crisis
Virtual presentation
Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Founder and director of the Michigan State University and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative
Dr. Hanna-Attisha will deliver the keynote speech as a part of Bryant’s Day of Understanding. In this powerful moderated discussion, Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha delivers a personal account of her research and activism to expose and mitigate the effects of the Flint water crisis. Her dramatic story—from how she used science to prove that Flint children were affected by lead to the brutal backlash she faced after courageously going public with her findings—inspires audiences to safeguard their own communities by speaking truth to power.
Thursday, October 14, 10-11 a.m.
Insights on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic
On campus in MRC 4
Dr. Andrey Zarur, Founder, President & CEO of GreenLight Biosciences.
Andrey Zarur, Ph.D., is the Founder, President, and CEO of GreenLight Biosciences, a company focused on solving some of the world’s greatest challenges in human health, animal health, and food production through the use of ribonucleic acid (RNA). Greenlight Biosciences is currently developing and expanding vaccine efforts to establish a scalable manufacturing platform that will allow for the production of almost any RNA-based COVID-19 vaccine at a scale and cost that enables global delivery. Zarur is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lumicell Surgical and is a Senior Lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Zarur has holds over 100 provisional and issued patents and has a regular contributor in international media including Fortune, Stat, Financial Times, Investors Business Daily, Wired, Business Insider and CNBC.
Wednesday, November 3, 4-5 p.m.
The future of healthcare in America
Virtual presentation with group viewing on campus
Dr. Jerome Adams
The 20th Surgeon General of the United States
After growing up poor and Black in a Southern rural community, Dr. Jerome Adams went on to lead the 6,000 person U.S. Public Health Service as “America’s Doctor” during a worldwide pandemic. As Surgeon General from 2017 to 2021, he brought a passionate commitment to fighting issues that his own family and community experienced, including limited healthcare access, chronic disease, substance use disorder and stigma, tobacco addiction, maternal health, mental illness and the opioid epidemic. Dr. Adams’ talks merge his expertise at the forefront of national and global health policy with his own personal experiences: growing up with life-threatening asthma, as a brother to someone with substance use disorder, and as someone navigating politics to tirelessly champion the health of the vulnerable and voiceless during times of crisis.
“This seminar series is an incredible opportunity for our students who are at Bryant preparing to contribute to the ever-growing field of healthcare in meaningful and productive ways."
“We are honored to be welcoming these distinguished speakers to Bryant University,” says Kirsten Hokeness, Ph.D., Director for the CHBS, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Science and Technology. “Their scientific contributions, diverse perspectives, and continuous advocacy for their respective constituencies embody the mission of the Center for Health and Behavior Sciences – to educate and train the next generation of leaders who are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of others.”
“This seminar series is an incredible opportunity for our students who are at Bryant preparing to contribute to the ever-growing field of healthcare in meaningful and productive ways,” says Joseph Trunzo, Ph.D., CHBS Deputy Director, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychology. “Through this series as well as other interdisciplinary programming at the CHBS, students, scholars, leaders, practitioners, and members of the public will gain important knowledge and insights that will help them successfully navigate the interconnected nature of human health and wellness – for themselves and for their communities.”
About Bryant University’s Center for Health and Behavioral Sciences
The mission of the CHBS is to educate and train the next generation of leaders who are dedicated to improving the health and well-being of others. The challenges of the ongoing global pandemic have highlighted the critical need for multi-disciplinary approaches to identifying and solving problems in this sector. The Center leverages the strength of Bryant’s business core to become a premiere choice for students pursuing a career in health sciences, health care, or behavioral sciences. Students learn the scientific foundations of human health and disease along with the core concepts in their chosen field of study, while gaining a holistic view of the healthcare industry, human behavior, and mental processes.
