Tennessee State Senator Brent Taylor Visits UofM SPH

July 8, 2025 - Tennessee state Senator Brent Taylor met with Provost Russomanno, Ken Moody, Executive Director, Governmental and Community Affairs for the University of Memphis and Dr. Ashish Joshi, SPH Dean and a Distinguished University Professor.

Dean Joshi discussed how the UofM SPH Model for the public health clubs has been adopted in high schools in the Memphis Shelby County area, as well as nationally and internationally – noting that the goal of the public health clubs is to set a standard for educating youth about their individual health and highlight the many careers in the public health industry. Dean Joshi touched on the importance of public health ambassadors who can encourage other students to play an active role in promoting public health in their communities.

During the meeting, Senator Taylor discussed issues of barriers towards public health pathways and how school of public health are overcoming these barriers. Dean Joshi also highlighted the success of the SPH annual high school public health club hackathon held recently at the UofM SPH, which involved more than 90 high school students from around the world, who shared solutions for public health concerns in their communities.

(Second from left) Senator Brent Taylor (left to right) Provost Russomanno, Dr. Ashish Joshi, SPH Dean and a Distinguished University Professor and Ken Moody, Executive Director, Governmental and Community Affairs for the University of Memphis.