NASHVILLE, Tenn.(TSU News Service) – The second annual
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr. Lecture Series will take place on Oct. 17 during
Tennessee State University’s Homecoming week.
Dr. Edith Peterson Mitchell
This year’s featured speaker is Dr. Edith Peterson Mitchell, a TSU alumna and member of the university’s Board of Trustees. She is also a renowned cancer specialist, and retired Air Force brigadier general.
The lecture is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Robert N. Murrell
Forum in the university’s Floyd-Payne Campus Center.
The
lecture series, a component of the Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr., Institute, was
established to honor Watkins, a 1966 alumnus of TSU and the first
African-American to be accepted into and graduate from the Vanderbilt School of
Medicine. It features prominent speakers who address areas in health care and
STEM to prepare students for the medical field.
In
addition to the lecture series, the Institute also consists of a pre-med
society and an endowed scholarship.
The late
Watkins is known worldwide for being the first surgeon to successfully implant
an automatic heart defibrillator in a human patient at John Hopkins Hospital.
Dr. Levi Watkins, Jr.
Dr.
Watkins was also a pioneer in civil rights at Hopkins. He fought to diversify
the medical staff and student ranks at the hospital. His legacy of recruiting
and mentoring minority students helped to change the landscape of the medical
profession.
Watkins
retired from Hopkins in 2013, dedicating 43 years of service to helping others.
He passed away on April 11, 2015.
Tennessee State University 3500 John Merritt Boulevard Nashville, Tennessee 37209 615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees. TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee. With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Renowned cancer specialist and TSU alum, Dr. Edith P. Mitchell, is part of a panel that recently submitted 10 cutting-edge scientific recommendations to help speed the development of cancer cures.
Mitchell, clinical professor and director of the Sidney Kimmel Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities at Thomas Jefferson University, served on the Blue Ribbon Panel of scientific leaders and cancer patient advocates named to provide direction for Vice President Joe Biden’s National Moonshot Initiative.
President Obama announced the $1 billion initiative as part of his State of the Union Address in January and named Biden to head it. The Moonshot aims to make more therapies available to more patients, while also improving efforts to prevent cancer and detect it at an early stage.
In September, Mitchell’s panel submitted their report, with recommendations aimed at the Moonshot goal of making 10 years of progress in five years.
“Serving on the Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel is one of the most exciting things that has occurred in my career,” said Mitchell, who is also outgoing president of the National Medical Association. “As members of the panel, we were able to take what we know from experience from cancer and working with cancer research to come up with these recommendations, which we are certain will help the vice president in his work.”
The panel recommended that the Moonshot consider the following:
Establish a network for direct patient involvement
Create a clinical trials network devoted exclusively to immunotherapy
Develop ways to overcome resistance to therapy
Build a national cancer data ecosystem
Intensify research on the major drivers of childhood cancers
Minimize cancer treatment’s debilitating side effects
Expand use of proven prevention and early detection strategies
Mine past patient data to predict future patient outcomes
Develop a 3D cancer atlas
Develop new cancer technologies
Mitchell, a retired Air Force brigadier general, is one of Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s nominees for Tennessee State’s University Board of Trustees.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 25 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The President of the National Medical Association, Dr. Edith P. Mitchell, and Former U.S. Congressman Harold Ford, Jr., will be the keynote speakers at Tennessee State University’s spring commencement ceremonies.
Mitchell, a retired Air Force brigadier general, will speak at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 6, at the graduate commencement in the Gentry Complex. Ford will address the undergraduate class at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 7, in Hale Stadium.
More than 1,300 undergraduate and graduate students will receive degrees in various disciplines.
“I congratulate all of our graduates and wish them the very best as they enter a new and exciting chapter of their lives,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “Commencement is an exciting time for the university because it highlights the academic achievement of our students and the commitment of faculty and staff in their educational and social development. TSU students are prepared to work and serve in the global marketplace.”
Mitchell, a 1969 TSU graduate with a B.S. degree in Biochemistry, is Clinical Professor of Medicine and Medical Oncology, and Program Leader in Gastrointestinal Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University. She is a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a member of the American Medical Association, the National Medical Association, Aerospace Medical Association, Association of Military Surgeons, and the Medical Society of Eastern Pennsylvania.
Last year, she was elected president of the NMA, the nation’s oldest professional society for African-American physicians.
In addition to her medical achievements, the retired brigadier general served as the Air National Guard Assistant to the Command Surgeon for U.S. Transportation Command and Headquarters Air Mobility Command at the Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. In this capacity, she served as the senior medical Air National Guard advisor to the command surgeon and was the medical liaison between the active Air Force and the Air National Guard.
Ford, a five-term former member of Congress from Tennessee, was chair of the Democratic Leadership Council. He served on the Financial Services and Budget Committees and worked to balance the budget and promote free enterprise for the House Blue Dog coalition, the organization that gave then Governor Bill Clinton his start in national politics.
As president, Clinton once referred to Ford as “the walking, living embodiment of where America ought to go in the 21st century.” Ford is a longtime supporter of small and mid-size businesses, as well as a staunch advocate for fiscal and economic reform. Since leaving office in 2007, he continues to work diligently to promote healthy non-partisan debate on today’s most pressing issues.
Currently, Ford serves as a political analyst and contributor for CNBC and MSNBC, and a professor of public policy at the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
Matthew Edwards is graduating from TSU with a degree in Agriculture. (Photo by John Cross, TSU Media Relations)
Matthew Edwards is among the undergraduates who will receive their degrees on May 7. He said he’s glad TSU invited Mitchell and Ford to speak, and he believes they will inspire students to continue to strive for success beyond college.
As for his experience at TSU, Edwards said the university has faculty and administrators who really care about students’ success. He said TSU officials provided him with resources to overcome some hardships when he transferred from another university, and he encourages high school graduates to consider TSU as an option for getting a higher education.
“They transferred all the credits, made sure everything was set, and provided me with a work-study scholarship,” said Edwards, who is getting a degree in Agriculture. “I went from not having a place to go, to having a place to call home and a nice steady job in an area that I liked.“
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News service) – With family, friends and notables in medicine, politics and entertainment watching at the Cobo Center in downtown Detroit Aug. 4, TSU graduate and retired Air Force Brigadier General, Dr. Edith P. Mitchell, was sworn-in as president of the National Medical Association, the nation’s oldest professional society for African-American physicians. She becomes the 116th head of the organization.
Mitchell, a renowned researcher and cancer specialist, is the director of the Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University. She was sworn-in during the 113th Annual Convention and Scientific Assembly of the NMA, a 30,000-member organization aimed at promoting equality and eliminating disparities in health care.
“I am deeply honored to be sworn-in as president of this prestigious organization,” Mitchell said. “There is still much work to be done with regards to disparities in medical treatment. I believe that we can all work together and make great strides to address barriers in helping underserved populations get better care and lead to better health care in our nation.”
Dr. Edith P. Mitchell, left, receives a TSU pin from Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Eloise Abernathy Alexis during Dr. Mitchell’s swearing-in ceremony in Detroit Aug. 4. (Photo by Kelli Sharpe, TSU Media Relations)
In a statement from Tennessee State University, President Glenda Glover congratulated Mitchell, referring to her as “one of our very best who has committed her life and career to making sure the least of us receives the best.”
“The Tennessee State University family joins me in saluting Dr. Mitchell on this great achievement,” President Glover said. “Her outstanding leadership in the medical field and life continue to give hope to thousands of people suffering from cancer and who are not fortunate to receive the quality care they need.”
In addition to Glover’s congratulatory message, the university presented Mitchell with a TSU pin. Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement Eloise Abernathy Alexis made the presentation and noted Mitchell’s achievement as president of the NMA as “representative of her exemplary career leadership and service” in research and medicine.
Several TSU officials and alums were on hand to congratulate Dr. Mitchell. They included from left (front row), Merlton Brandenberg, Dr. Carletta Harlan, Pat Brandenberg, Dr. Mitchell and Dale Mitchell. In the second row are from left, Cassandra Griggs, Rita Jordan, Eloise Alexis, Dr. Jeanette M. Campbell and Dr. Harvey Bowles. George McKinney is far back. (Courtesy photo)
“As a retired Brigadier General, and the first female physician in the history of the United States Air Force to achieve this rank, she both inspires and challenges students and alumni toward excellence,” Alexis said. “Along with her leadership of the NMA, and her fight to end cancer disparities, Dr. Edith Mitchell is spearheading the attack on cancer and its devastating impact on underserved communities and people of color. We are proud to uplift her advocacy and scholarship as reflective of the educational experience that Tennessee State University has provided for more than a century.”
Mitchell, who received a B.S. degree “with distinction” in Biochemistry from TSU in 1969, is also the program leader of gastrointestinal oncology and associate director for Diversity Programs at Thomas Jefferson Hospital. A former senior medical Air National Guard advisor to the command surgeon and the medical liaison between the active Air Force and Air National Guard, Mitchell was the first female physician to receive the rank of Brigadier General in the Air Force.
A cross section of family members, friends and notables from medicine, politics and entertainment joined TSU alums and officials to celebrate Dr. Mitchell’s swearing-in as president of the National Medical Association. (Photo by Kelli Sharpe, TSU Media Relations)
In recognition of her advocacy for the underserved population, and her commitment to community health, Mitchell has received numerous accolades. They include the “Tree of Life Award,” the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Control Award” the National Cancer Care Physician of the Year Award, the American Society of Clinical Oncology Humanitarian Award, the Living with Cancer Foundation Looking Glass Award, and the Women in Medicine Research Award, from the NMA.
In her military career, Mitchell received 15 service medals and ribbons, including the Legion of Merit, two Meritorious Service Medals, a National Defense Service Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. In addition to President Glover, industry, medical and business professionals, Dr. Mitchell received congratulatory messages from people across the nation, including several members of Congress, state lawmakers, the Mayor of Philadelphia Michael A. Nutter, and Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, among others.
At the swearing-in ceremony, TSU was also represented by Kelli Sharpe, assistant vice president for Public Relations and Communications; Cassandra Griggs, director of Alumni Relations; and several TSU alumni. They joined other prominent guests such as Desiree Johnson, CEO of Johnson Publishing Company; Reverend Alvin Kibble, vice president of the Society of Adventist Communicators; music industry mogul Kenneth Gamble; Retired Brigadier General Jackson S. Davis; U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.); and Dr. Stephen Klasko, president and CEO of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health.
Department of Media Relations
Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331
About Tennessee State University
With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a comprehensive, urban, co-educational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top universities in the country by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University celebrated 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.
