School of Population Health 10th Anniversary

Good morning.

A lot can happen in 10 years. An experiment can become an evolution; a challenge can become a celebration.

That’s what comes to mind as we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the John D. Bower School of Population Health.

The school was established in 2016 to look beyond treating illness one patient at a time but rather focus on conditions affecting entire communities.

That mission is especially important for Mississippi. Our state continues to carry a disproportionate burden of chronic diseases and other health challenges, but we are working aggressively to improve those outcomes. Over the past decade, our Bower School of Population Health has been an important part of that effort by helping us better understand why disease occurs, where disparities exist and how factors such as geography, behavior, environment and access to care influence health.

I also want to recognize the legacy of Dr. John D. Bower, a longtime UMMC physician, educator and leader whose vision helped transform health care in Mississippi. Dr. Bower was a visionary physician who was far ahead of his time. His approach to treating patients with chronic renal failure was in fact “population health”. He was using this approach in caring for his patients long before it had the name we give it today. His commitment to improving the health of Mississippians lives on through the school that proudly bears his name.

The school has carried that vision forward through education, research and community engagement.

Despite Mississippi’s lingering health challenges, there is much to celebrate. Over its first decade, the school has:

• Expanded UMMC’s expertise in population health science, biostatistics, data science and preventive medicine while preparing PhD-level scientists and master’s degree students to tackle complex problems.
• Attracted significant sponsored program funding and produced discoveries that contribute to UMMC’s growing research enterprise and extend the school’s influence in Mississippi and beyond.
• Connected Mississippi communities with community-based research, interventions and resources through the Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities, helping address transportation, food insecurity and other health-related social needs.

And the school’s work doesn’t stop at the classroom or campus boundaries.

We’ve seen population health put into practice through free HIV and syphilis screenings and sexual health education at the Jackson Free Clinic, as well as statewide efforts addressing maternal and congenital syphilis. Initiatives such as B.E.S.A.F.E. and the “We Need to Talk” campaign have brought faculty, students and community partners together around education, prevention and testing.

Our students are going into communities, too. This summer, students and faculty traveled through the Mississippi Delta, seeing firsthand how history, geography, access to care and community leadership intersect to influence health.

As the school enters its second decade under the leadership of Dr. Thomas Dobbs, I’m excited about what comes next. New technologies, increasingly sophisticated data and stronger community partnerships are creating opportunities we could only imagine 10 years ago.

Happy 10th anniversary to the John D. Bower School of Population Health.

You’ve accomplished much in your first decade. And I believe your greatest impact is still ahead as we continue building A Healthier Mississippi.