Dean's Grand Rounds
November 2025
Topic: Current and Emerging Opportunities in Healthcare Leadership
Venue: University Center Ball Room (UC 320A)
Speaker(s): Dean's Healthcare Leadership Community Advisory Group Panel
About Speaker(s): Dr. Diane Sanders-Cepeda, senior health leader, clinical strategist, United Healthcare , Dr. Manali Ghag, Healthcare Administrator-Operations, Regional One Health , Sarah Gaskell, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare , Clint Cummins, chief executive officer, The Memphis Medical Society, Dr. Laurie Shanderson, president and chief executive officer, Accreditation Insights
About Speaker(s): Dr. Diane Sanders-Cepeda, senior health leader, clinical strategist, United Healthcare , Dr. Manali Ghag, Healthcare Administrator-Operations, Regional One Health , Sarah Gaskell, senior vice president and chief strategy officer, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare , Clint Cummins, chief executive officer, The Memphis Medical Society, Dr. Laurie Shanderson, president and chief executive officer, Accreditation Insights
October 2025
Topic: Global Perspective on Quality Health Information
Venue: University Center Bluff Room (UC 304)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes
About Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes: Dr. El-Mohandes is a pediatrician and public health academic with a deep commitment
to public service and community engagement. He is an established researcher in the
field of infant mortality reduction in minority populations. Dr. El-Mohandes’ funded
research focuses on population-based interventions in underserved communities both
locally and globally. ...
September 2025
Topic: Global Health Diplomacy in Action: Lessons from the TOPOWA Study in Uganda
Venue: Rose South Lobby (115)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Monika H. Swahn
About Dr. Monika H. Swahn: The Inaugural Dean of the School of Public Health at Virginia Commonwealth University
is Monica H. Swahn, Ph.D., MPH. She is a psychiatric epidemiologist with internationally
recognized expertise in global health, mental health, gender-based violence, and substance
use. She leads The Onward Project on Wellbeing and Adversity (TOPOWA), an NIH-funded
...
March 2025
Topic: Leveraging Tennessee's Public Health Infrastructure: 2025 and Beyond
Venue: UC Ballroom C (320 C)
Guest Speaker: Dr. Ralph Alvarado
About Dr. Ralph Alvarado: Join us for an exclusive event featuring Dr. Ralph Alvarado, Tennessee's Commissioner
of Health and a trailblazer in public health policy! With a distinguished career spanning
both medicine and politics, Dr. Alvarado has been at the forefront of healthcare innovation,
championing initiatives that improve access to care, reduce health disparities, and
enhance public health infrastructure. ...
December 2024
Topic: Estimating the Causal Effects of Extreme Weather Events on and HIV care outcomes
in the IeDEA Cohort Collaboration: Study design and early results
Venue: Senate Chamber 261
Guest Speaker: Dr. Denis Nash
About Dr. Denis Nash: Dr. Nash is an epidemiologist with over 20 years of experience and leadership in conducting
epidemiologic studies. His central interests include infectious diseases, the field
of public health surveillance, the use of public health surveillance data to conduct
rigorous assessments of programmatic effectiveness, and the impact of policies on
health. He has worked extensively in domestic and international settings conducting
large-scale ...
September 2024
Topic: Strategic Collaboration with the Medical Community
Venue: Ball Hall Room 124
Guest Speaker: Mr. Clint Cummins
About Mr. Clint Cummins: Clint Cummins is the Chief Executive Officer for Memphis Medical Society (MMS), MedTemps
healthcare staffing agency and Memphis Medical Foundation. He joined MMS in 2016.
He has more than 20 years of experience as a leader with national and local nonprofits
including American Cancer Society and Ronald McDonald House. He received his Master
of Healthcare Administration degree from University of Memphis in August of 2021.
April 2024
Topic: "The Skin You’re In" | Racial Health Injustice | Overcoming an American Crisis
Venue: Fountain View Round Suite 350
Guest Speaker: Dr. Thomas LaVeist
About Dr. Thomas LaVeist: LaVeist seeks to develop an orienting framework in the development of policy and interventions
to address race disparities in health-related outcomes. Specific areas of expertise
include U.S. health and social policy, the role of race in health research, social
factors contributing to mortality, longevity and life expectancy, quantitative and
demographic analysis and access, and utilization of health services.
March 2024
Topic: Understanding and Responding to the Condition of Poverty
Venue: Maxine A. Smith University Center - Fountain View Suite 350
Guest Speaker: Dr. Marcella Wilson
About Dr. Marcella Wilson: Dr. Marcella Wilson is the CEO and founder of Transition To Success (TTS), a system
of care that changes our understanding and treatment response to the condition of
poverty. Dr. Wilson’s work and research has been showcased on CBS Evening News, The
New York Times, cited in numerous journals, and is recognized as a Clinton Global
Initiative.
October 2023
Topic: Interventions Related to HIV from a US and Global Perspective
Venue: Ball Hall, E.C. - 124
Guest Speakers:
Guest Speakers:
- Dr. Latrice Pichon, Moderator UOFM SPH | SBS Professor
- Dr. Michelle Taylor, Memphis | Director and Health Officer, Shelby County Health Department. HIV Early Intervention Service
- Dr. Derek Dangerfield, Maryland/DC Area | Prevention Scientist with expertise in HIV/STI prevention, social and behavioral science, and lifecourse theoretical approaches
- Dr. Denis Nash, New York | Distinguished Professor, Executive Director, CUNY Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health. Former Director of HIV/AIDS Surveillance at the New York City Department of Health
Topic: Peeling the Digital Onion: How the Modern Information Environment Affects Public Health
Venue: Maxine A. Smith University Center - Shelby Room 342
Guest Speakers: Ms. Tina Purnat and Ms. Elisabeth Wilhelm
Guest Speakers: Ms. Tina Purnat and Ms. Elisabeth Wilhelm
About Ms. Tina Purnat: Tina D. Purnat is a Visiting Senior Scholar at the University of Memphis School of
Public Health. She has worked in Europe and globally for over 25 years in health information
systems, digital health, Data and analytics, infodemic management and pandemic preparedness,
including for World Health Organization, European CDC, University of Munich, University
of Illinois at Chicago and Oregon Health & Science University.
About Ms. Elisabeth Wilhelm: Elisabeth Wilhelm is a Visiting Senior Scholar at the University of Memphis School
of Public Health. She has worked in the US and globally for over 15 years on health
communication and social and behavior change programs, including for CDC, UNICEF and
USAID.
September 2023
Topic: Public Health Opportunities and Challenges
Venue: University Center - Room 350
Guest Speaker: Dr. Laura Magaña
Guest Speaker: Dr. Laura Magaña
About Dr. Laura Magaña: Dr. Laura Magaña is President and CEO of the Association of Schools and Programs of
Public Health (ASPPH). She is also the founding President of the Global Network for
Academic Public Health (GNAPH), an alliance of seven regional associations representing
schools and programs of public health worldwide. Under her leadership, ASPPH has continued
to advance academic public health ...
April 2023
Topic: Priorities and Activities of the Shelby County Health Department
Venue: University Center - Room 342
Guest Speaker: Dr. Michelle Taylor
Guest Speaker: Dr. Michelle Taylor
About Dr. Michelle Taylor: Dr. Michelle Taylor is Director and Health Officer for Shelby County Health Department
(SCHD) and a Lt Col in the TN Air National Guard. She is a licensed Pediatrician
with a MD from East Tennessee State University, a MS in Epidemiology from the University
of Tennessee Health Science Center, a DrPH in Maternal and Child Health from Johns
Hopkins, and a MPA in Minority Health Policy from Harvard University. ...
March 2023
Topic: Sickle Cell Anemia: Through the Lens of a Physician, Public Health, and a Parent
Venue: FedEx Institute of Technology, Methodist Presentation Theatre
Guest Speaker: Dr. Tobi Amosun
About Dr. Tobi Amosun: Dr. Tobi Adeyeye Amosun, MD, FAAP, is Assistant Commissioner at the Tennessee Department
of Health, and the Director of the Division of Family Health and Wellness. She previously
served as medical director for the largest pediatric practice in Tennessee, a bilingual
clinic where she still sees patients every week. She graduated with honors from Vanderbilt
University with ...