Ned Baker Lecture Series

2012 - Telling the Public Health Story - How to Affect Policy, Engage Elected Officials and Inspire Citizens 

Since we first began talking to each other, telling stories has been an effective way to capture attention, engage an audience, and motivate them to act. Modern technology has given us new tools to help us communicate – think Twitter and Facebook to name just two – but in our fervor to remain cutting edge and professional in public health, we often ignore our natural inclination to tell a good story. Andy Goodman explained why he believes storytelling remains the single most powerful communication tool we possess, and offered specific ways organizations can use stories to advance their mission in public health.

View the 2012 Baker Lecture webcast.

2011 - Using Social Marketing to Strengthen Public Health Policies

Kristen Grimm, founder and president of Spitfire Strategies, was the speaker for the 2011 Ned E. Baker Lecture in Public Health.  Ms. Grimm discussed using marketing "to help get people to do the public health behaviors we want them to do."

Information was presented concerning how public health policy makers can prepare their communities for policy changes, including how proven persuasive strategies can support adoption of public health policies.  Key concepts to build into public health policies were identified that would  increase effectiveness and avoid unintended consequences.  Concluding comments included how to evaluate the impact of public persuasion on the effectiveness of public health policies.

View the 2011 Baker Lecture webcast.

2009 Building a Healthier America

Moderator: J. Nick Baird, M.D. is the chief executive officer of the Alliance to Make US Healthiest, a collaborative effort of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The Alliance's mission is to transform the nation's health system to make the U.S. the healthiest nation in a healthier world.

Panelist: Stephanie B.C. Bailey, M.D., M.S.H.S.A. is chief of Public Health Practice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her office, which provides leadership in building and supporting public health infrastructure, is responsible for serving as an advocate, guardian, promoter and conscience of public health practice throughout the CDC and in the larger public health community. Bailey was appointed to four national committees by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, including the Advisory Board to the Director of CDC. Panelist: Lt. General Russel Honoré (Ret.), has been dubbed the "Category 5 General" for his work during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Following the destruction of the devastating hurricane, Honoré brought leadership to New Orleans, reminding soldiers to lower their weapons and help those in need, creating a more positive atmosphere as rebuilding began. An expert in preparedness and responding to catastrophe, he offers insights into protecting people and organizations, outlining the principles necessary to lead through unexpected and uncontrollable crises.

Panelists discussed rebalancing public health priorities. As prevention is the key to providing value based health care and emergency disaster management, panelists emphasized that Americans are not getting a good return on health and well being investments in a system that focuses on tertiary involvement.
Click here to view the 2009 webcast

2010 A Growing Hunger: The Nation's Demand for Food Safety and Nutrition Information
The topic of the 11th annual Ned E. Baker Lecture in Public Health was "A Growing Hunger: The Nation's Demand for Food Safety and Nutrition Information." A panel of speakers, moderated by Dr. Bruce D. Dart, president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), discussed food safety and nutrition as public health issues. Panel members included Dr. Claudine J. Kavanaugh, an interdisciplinary scientist with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Keith Krinn, administrator of the Environmental Health Division of Columbus (Ohio) Public Health, and Dr. Margo Wootan, director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Click here to view the 2010 webcast.  

2009 Building a Healthier America

Moderator: J. Nick Baird, M.D. is the chief executive officer of the Alliance to Make US Healthiest, a collaborative effort of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, and the National Association of County and City Health Officials. The Alliance's mission is to transform the nation's health system to make the U.S. the healthiest nation in a healthier world.

Panelist: Stephanie B.C. Bailey, M.D., M.S.H.S.A. is chief of Public Health Practice of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Her office, which provides leadership in building and supporting public health infrastructure, is responsible for serving as an advocate, guardian, promoter and conscience of public health practice throughout the CDC and in the larger public health community. Bailey was appointed to four national committees by Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt, including the Advisory Board to the Director of CDC. Panelist: Lt. General Russel Honoré (Ret.), has been dubbed the "Category 5 General" for his work during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Following the destruction of the devastating hurricane, Honoré brought leadership to New Orleans, reminding soldiers to lower their weapons and help those in need, creating a more positive atmosphere as rebuilding began. An expert in preparedness and responding to catastrophe, he offers insights into protecting people and organizations, outlining the principles necessary to lead through unexpected and uncontrollable crises.

Panelists discussed rebalancing public health priorities. As prevention is the key to providing value based health care and emergency disaster management, panelists emphasized that Americans are not getting a good return on health and well being investments in a system that focuses on tertiary involvement.
Click here to view the 2009 webcast

2008 Institute of Medicine's Future of Public Health 20 Years Later 

Hugh H. Tilson, M.D., is one of the original members of the Institute of Medicine's report on The Future of Public Health. He also contributed to the follow-up report The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century. He spent 15 years in public service including city/county public health officer and human services director for Multnomah County in Portland, Oregon, and state public health director for North Carolina. He was president of the National Association of County and City Health Officials and spent 15 years with Wellcome Foundation as pharmacoepidemiologist. In 1996, he joined the clinical faculty of University of North Carolina School of Public Health in Chapel Hill.

The content and the impact of the Institute of Medicine's, 1988 report, "The Future of Public Health" was presented. The lessons learned over the last twenty years and how to apply this new understanding to current challenges and opportunities in public health were also discussed.

Click here to view the 2008 webcast

2007 New Rules for Strengthening the Public Health System

Leslie M. Beitsch, M.D., J.D., is director of the Center for Medicine and Public Health and a professor of health policy at Florida State University. From 2001-2003, he was the commissioner of the Oklahoma State Department of Health. He served as deputy secretary and assistant state health officer for the Florida Department of Health from 1997-2001, where he provided guidance and direction for public health programs, the county health departments, the state laboratory and pharmacy. He is a member of the board of directors of the Public Health Foundation and the Public Health Leadership Society.

Public health care standards and their relationship to the Ten Essential Public Health Services were discussed. The benefits of public health accreditation through a voluntary national program which offers the opportunity to increase accountability and improve the quality of public health care services were also presented. Local and state public health leaders were encouraged to act in concert for accreditation to embrace meaningful systems improvement.
Click here to view the 2007 webcast

2005 Working with Local Elected Officials to
Improve Public Health

Vaughn Mamlin Upshaw, DrPH, Ed.D., is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health. From 1987-1993, she served as the Director of the Association of North Carolina Boards of Health where she implemented a $400,000 grant funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to develop leadership training and orientation programs for local boards of health. Upshaw was a founding member of the National Association of Local Boards of Health and is a past-president.

The policy environment for local elected officials was discussed as well as identification of the challenges and opportunities for local public health policy. The speaker illustrated ways to elevate public health issues within the local policy-making process and provided examples of local elected officials' support for public health policies.
Click here to view the 2005 webcast

2003 Communicating Under Fire: Focus on Public Health Situations

Vincent T. Covello, Ph.D., founder and Director of the Center for Risk Communication, is a nationally and internationally recognized trainer, researcher, consultant, and expert in crisis, conflict, change and risk and crisis communications.

Professionals were provided techniques that could be used to identify effective risk and crisis communication strategies. Additionally, tools and resources available from the CDC to help participants effectively prepare for bio-terrorism emergencies were presented.
Click here to view the 2003 webcast