NDSU Public Health Seminar to feature national leader in public health

The NDSU School of Health Systems and Innovation will host a public seminar featuring Dr. Alonzo L. Plough, chief science officer and vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 1:30 p.m. in the Memorial Union’s Anishinaabe Theater.

Plough’s presentation, “The Public’s Health in a Hard Time: Evidence, Trust and the Work of Rebuilding Common Ground,” will explore how to protect and advance the public’s health when evidence, institutions and public trust are under strain.

“The purpose of these seminars is to facilitate learning and discussion on current public health issues of research and scholarship to educate faculty, staff and students at NDSU and individuals external to NDSU about current public health research and issues,” said Lauren Dybsand, assistant director of the Center for Immunization Research and Education.

Through discussion of community health, infrastructure, funding, prevention and evidence-based decision-making, Plough will highlight public health’s broad impact, beyond just a profession to a shared civic responsibility. The presentation will call for stronger partnerships among government, universities, funders and public health organizations to connect science to policy, build trust and improve health.

“The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has been a national leader in envisioning improved population health, and funding innovative approaches to accomplish that,” said Mark Strand, NDSU professor of practice and public health. “Dr. Alonzo Plough will cast vision and chart an inspiring pathway forward.”

Plough has been a national leader in public health practice for over 25 years, including time spent as director of emergency preparedness and response with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, director and health officer for the Seattle and King County Department of Public Health and as director of public health for the city of Boston. Prior to his roles in public health, he worked as an academic researcher, serving as a professor in graduate programs at Boston University, Tufts and Harvard. He has published an extensive body of peer reviewed research and is the author or editor of eight books.

Today, Plough is the chief science officer and vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a Clinical Professor of Population Health at the University of Washington School of Public Health.

The presentation will be moderated by Teresa Conner, Dean of the NDSU College of Health and Human Sciences and will be followed by a Q&A session with Plough. The event is open to the public. For those unable to attend in person, register to receive a Zoom link.