May 20, 2021 12:30 pm
Livestream
Video Archive
As the 20-21 academic year comes to a close, we ask our experts: is the end of the COVID-19 crisis also in sight?
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About the panel
Dr. Ali Mokdad
Chief Strategy Officer for Population Health, University of Washington
Dr. Ali H. Mokdad, PhD, is Professor of Health Metrics Sciences at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and Chief Strategy Officer for Population Health at the University of Washington. Prior to IHME, Dr. Mokdad worked at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He has published groundbreaking research on local- level disease trends and leading risk factors for poor health. His work on obesity is among the most highly cited in the field.
Dr. Umair Shah
Secretary of Health, Washington State Department of Health
Umair A. Shah, MD, MPH, was appointed Secretary of Health by Governor Jay Inslee and joined the Department of Health in December 2020.
Prior to this role, Dr. Shah served as Executive Director and Local Health Authority for Harris County Public Health (HCPH) – the nationally accredited county public health agency for the nation’s 3rd largest county with 4.7 million people.
Dr. Shah earned his BA (philosophy) from Vanderbilt University; his MD from the University of Toledo Health Science Center; and completed an Internal Medicine Residency, Primary Care/General Medicine Fellowship, and MPH (management), at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He also completed an international health policy internship at World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland.
Upon completing training, Dr. Shah began a distinguished career as an emergency department physician at Houston’s Michael DeBakey VA Medical Center. He started his formal public health journey as Chief Medical Officer at Galveston County’s Health District before joining HCPH to oversee its clinical health system and infectious disease portfolio. Under his leadership, HCPH has won numerous national awards including recognition as Local Health Department of the Year from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in 2016.
Dr. Shah currently holds numerous leadership positions with respected entities like the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention; Trust for America’s Health; Network for Public Health Law; and Texas Medical Association. He previously served as president of NACCHO (and its Texas affiliate) representing the nation’s nearly 3,000 local health departments.
Over his career, Dr. Shah has been a clinician, an innovator, an educator, and a leader in health.
About the moderator
Hanson Hosein
Co-Founder, UW Communication Leadership
Hanson Hosein is a trusted convener and education leader. He is the Co-Founder of the Communication Leadership master’s program at the University of Washington and the President of HRH Media Group LLC, a media production and communications strategy firm that has worked with organizations such as REI, Factal, Microsoft, Tableau Software, and the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Hanson has law degrees from McGill University and the University of Paris, and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University.
About the Series
Moderated by Hanson Hosein
The Graduate School’s Office of Public Lectures, in partnership with faculty from Population Health, the Communications Leadership program within the Department of Communication, and many others, will host a weekly panel titled “Coexisting with COVID-19.”
Join moderator Hanson Hosein Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. for 30-minute livestream talks featuring 2-3 faculty from across the UW. The series is presented free of charge; advance registration required.
Want to catch up on an episode you missed? Visit our Coexisting with COVID-19 episode archive to watch previous installments.