Wright State University Public Health – Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence

Education is transformation. The Public Health program at Wright State University has transformed our community and the lives of our students. Our graduates don't just use their education to change their own lives; as community leaders, they actively shape the communities they serve, guided by values of diversity, opportunity, and generosity instilled at Wright State.

Our community works shoulder-to-shoulder, offering our best to our region and beyond. As we celebrate 20 years of excellence, we stand together to celebrate and reaffirm our mission to transform lives and communities through curiosity, adaptability, and innovation.

Beginning in the Fall of 2024, Wright State, along with our local public health, health care, and non-profit partnership organizations, will host a series of events celebrating the 20 years since enrolling our first public health students.

Why celebrate?

• To recognize the contributions of public health to the well-being of our local community
  • As the first MPH in southwest Ohio, we were founded in partnership with local public health agencies to address a workforce shortage and growing trends in health inequities. Our commitment to service has not wavered. As of spring 2024, over 400 professionals have graduated from the MPH program, many to lead local and state agencies and community wide initiatives. Our graduates serve as health commissioners, advocates, epidemiologists, physician leaders, educators, and much more! The program was founded to build capacity for change and well-being – and our events will recognize these accomplishments!
• To connect and expand the alumni network
  • Being connected has never been more important. Today's population health issues and opportunities are complex and routed in generational histories. Our work requires strong partnerships, diverse skills, communication, and engagement with all segments of society. The anniversary events will promote the connecting of colleagues and the expansion of new and fruitful connections. Students and young professionals eager to engage with and learn from experienced professionals are encouraged to attend!
• To raise awareness about meaningful careers in public health
  • Since our inception, our mission has been to work in partnership to recruit and train the local public health workforce. Now – more than ever – this work is needed. Celebrating our successes and expanding our partnerships creates an opportunity to raise awareness of the various meaningful professions within public health. Together, we inspire bright futures for each student—a generation of leaders ready to tackle public health challenges.
• To chart a path for the future
  • What will Public Health 3.0 look like and how should we prepare ourselves and our partners for the next generation of work? Also, how can we engage the broader community in collective action and meaningful change – from outreach to surveillance, intervention to advocacy? Part of our activities this year will be to explore these questions and chart a path for the future.

20th Anniversary Kick-off Event

Join us on Thursday, September 26 to kick off a year of celebration. To honor our 20th anniversary, we welcome alumni, students, faculty, community partners, and the wider Raider community to celebrate where we are, where we have been, and where we are headed. The event will conclude with a celebration reception – friends, partners, and students of the program are encouraged to attend!

• 3 p.m. - Welcome and Opening Comments
• 3:30 p.m. - Keynote Address – AI & Public Health: Bridging the Gap from Threat to Opportunity
• 4 p.m. - Networking Reception

AI & Public Health: Bridging the Gap from Threat to Opportunity

Gathering information about health and behaviors has always been at the forefront of public health practice. With the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and enhanced data sharing, our understanding of population health has progressed from single-dimension maps to complex models and machine-generated information. In this keynote address, Dr. Walter Reiling, Chief Medical Informatics Officer at Premier Health, will discuss current uses of AI/ML in health care and public health, forecast future opportunities, and, importantly, discuss how the high-tech ecosystem can be positioned with the need for high-touch engagement and the safeguards to ensure equity and trust in our local communities.

Walter Reiling, III, MD, graduated from the University of Cincinnati Medical School and completed his residency in Family Practice at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. Dr. Reiling is certified in Family Practice by the American Board of Family Physicians. In his current role as Chief Medical Informatics Officer, Dr. Reiling has helped lead the project to select and implement the Epic EMR at all of the Premier facilities. Dr. Reiling serves on the Upstream Medicine Task Force of Premier Health and several community non-profits, including the boards of the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Physicians Charitable Foundation.