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  • Tuesday, September 15, 2026

America at 250: How Public Health has Shaped the Course of our Nation's History

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The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness begins with good health for all. Since George Washington ordered mass smallpox inoculation for soldiers during the Revolutionary War, public health has quietly protected our unalienable rights over the past 250 years. On September 15 the University of Michigan School of Public Health brings this history into the light with an expert panel that will explore public health innovations in the United States - including the history of the uniformed Public Health Service Commissioned Corps - and the school's own part leading transformative change.

The expert panel includes leaders from around the country:

  • Dr. Arnold Monto, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan School of Public Health
  • Dr. Georges Benjamin, CEO, American Public Health Association
  • Dr. Marian Moser Jones, Associate Professor, College of Public Health and History Department, Ohio State University; History Editor, American Journal of Public Health
  • Dr. Boris Lushniak, Dean, University of Maryland School of Public Health; former Acting US Surgeon General
  • Moderator: the Honorable Dan Glickman, BA '66, former Congressman and Secretary of Agriculture This event is supported by a grant from the University of Michigan Democracy Week.
Event flyer for America at 250: How Public Health has Shaped the Course of our Nation's History
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University of Michigan School of Public Health

Questions?

Anne Reilly, annere@umich.edu