Wright State’s Master of Public Health program to celebrate 20th anniversary

Wright State University’s public health program will celebrate 20 years of excellence with a series of events with local public health, health care and nonprofit partnership organizations.

Wright State’s Department of Population and Public Health Sciences will host a kick-off event and reception on Thursday, Sept. 26, at 3 p.m. in the Apollo Room in the Student Union. Register to attend.

“To honor our 20th anniversary, we welcome alumni, students, faculty, community partners and the wider Wright State community to celebrate where we are, where we have been and where we are headed,” said Marietta Orlowski, Ph.D., chair and professor of population and public health sciences in the Wright State Boonshoft School of Medicine. “Our program was founded to build workforce capacity and promote community well-being. This kickoff event will bring awareness to the meaningful work of our alumni and the broader public health community.”

The kick-off event will feature a keynote address on “AI and Public Health: Bridging the Gap from Threat to Opportunity” by Walter Reiling III, M.D., chief medical informatics officer at Premier Health. Learn more about the kick-off celebration.

Reiling will discuss current uses of AI and machine learning in health care and public health, future opportunities, and how to balance high-tech advancements with the need for personal engagement and equity.

Reiling led the implementation of the Epic EMR system at Premier Health. He serves on the Social Determinants of Health Council at Premier Health and several nonprofit boards, including the Montgomery County Medical Society and the Physicians Charitable Foundation. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati Medical School and completed his family practice residency at Miami Valley Hospital.

Wright State’s Master of Public Health program was the first such program in southwest Ohio. It was founded in partnership with local public health agencies to address a workforce shortage and growing trends in health inequities. As of spring 2024, more than 400 professionals have graduated from the program, many who lead local and state agencies and communitywide initiatives.