Tag Archives: Dr. Wendelyn Inman

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TSU receives $2.3 million grant to combat maternal mortality

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) –  Tennessee State University is set to address the increasing death rate of new mothers across the state and the country with a grant $2.3 million from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The five-year grant will support the establishment of a research center dedicated to applied maternal health disparities research. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), maternal mortality rose from 861 maternal deaths in 2020 to 1,205 maternal deaths in 2021, a 40% overall increase.

 Dr. Wendelyn Inman, TSU’s Interim Public Health Program Director, addressed the urgent need for action as the United States has the highest rate of maternal deaths across the globe.

Interim Public Health Program Director Dr. Wendelyn Inman, right, discussing research on maternal mortality with second-year Master of Public Health student J’La Jenkins. (Photo courtesy of Tennessee State University)

“That should be unheard of,” Inman said. “Part of it is because we don’t have culturally competent providers. Providers aren’t sensitive to their needs.”

TSU has been allocated $483,400 of the HRSA grant for the first year. Inman, who is the principal investigator for the grant, noted the significance for underrepresented women, emphasizing the importance of being part of research from the beginning, rather than entering at a later stage, when it might be too late.

“That will make a big different to some women’s life, and some child who gets to keep their mother.”

The CDC is categorizing maternal mortality as death while pregnant or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy. This is irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes. Statistics from the World Health Organization, from 2021, revealed “the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black (subsequently, Black) women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, 2.6 times the rate for non-Hispanic White (subsequently, White) women (26.6.) Rates for Black women were significantly higher than rates for White and Hispanic women.”

TSU second-year Master of Public Health student J’La Jenkins believes cultural competency is important, even within her program.

 Dr. Wendelyn Inman

“Especially being a Black woman of childbearing age, knowing the importance of how high the rates of maternal mortality are among Black women that look like me,” Jenkins said. “It is important that we have TSU, which is in the heart of a Black community, to be the research center for this work.”

Jenkins added that receiving this grant enables TSU to increase the public health workforce representing underserved communities. She said the numbers are declining and that receiving this grant from HRSA shows the University’s commitment to turning those numbers around.

“Not only is this going to impact me, but generations after me. I was astonished at how the university is currently underfunded, but we are still able to be the house of this research center,” she said.

From 2017 to 2020, the State of Tennessee reported that 113 women died during pregnancy or within a year of pregnancy from causes related or aggravated by pregnancy. These pregnancy-related deaths accounted for 35% of all deaths during that period. A published report from the State also saw a 2.5% increase in birth related deaths for non-Hispanic Black women compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Cardiovascular diseases, compounded by disparities, emerged as leading causes. TSU, along with 15 other HBCUs, received funding to establish research centers. Dr. Inman expressed the importance of involving the community in the research process to ensure a diverse and inclusive approach from the ground up. Inman said this research, alongside other HBCUs, will create research turned into interventions to help within the community.

Dr. Quincy Quick

“We are going to have research centers so we can train doctoral, master’s level, and undergraduate students to join the public health workforce and the health care workforce to make a difference from the inside out. HRSA knows that if we can get more African American providers out there, we will see better outcomes. This will also highlight the pivotal role it plays in addressing the root causes of maternal mortality.”

Dr. Quincy Quick, TSU’s Associate Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs, stressed the grant’s significance.

“Receiving funding from HRSA at TSU will bolster our capacity and capabilities in public health research, specifically as it relates to maternal mortality rates,” he said.

“This is particularly significant given that the state of Tennessee has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country.”

Both Inman and Quick believe the HRSA grant, and HBCU maternal mortality research initiative will place underrepresented women at the forefront. Just as important, it positions TSU to provide groundbreaking research to address this health disparities and to train a diverse and inclusive public health workforce that can bring the meaningful change needed to save lives for the state of Tennessee and beyond.

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TSU takes precautions to help campus combat extreme heat

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With the hottest month ever recorded around the world now over, Tennessee State University says it plans to continue taking precautions to keep the campus community safe.  The University has been proactive all summer long in sharing important information on how to beat the sweltering heat. TSU health officials and emergency management staff say their efforts will remain the same for the month of August.  

 Dr. Wendelyn Inman, interim public health program director at TSU, stresses the importance of staying hydrated to combat extreme heat and associated illnesses like heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and severe dehydration.

In response to the summer heat, the university’s emergency management team takes proactive measures to ensure the well-being of those on campus, outdoor security workers and maintenance staff.

“For a physician, their patient is an individual. For public health, our patient is the community,” Inman says. “We want our community to have the best outcome when that heat wave is going on.”

 Inman reiterates that drinking more water, staying in shaded areas, and wearing sunscreen are preventive mechanisms to do while outdoors to lower the impact of unmitigated sunshine. She adds that proper ventilation and climate-controlled spaces are just as important when indoors.

 Considering what you eat, drink, and wear, even in 82-degree or above sunny weather, can serve as a preventative measure. Dr. Latasha Williams, assistant professor and director of didactic programs in dietetics, says listening to your body is also crucial.

 “Opt for lighter meals, consume electrolyte-replenishing beverages and listen to your body.”

The Joe W. Gilliam Football Camp is a non-contact football camp for boys and girls ages 12 – 18 that took place at TSU during the summer. (Photo courtesy Tennessee State University)

 Dr. Williams contends that, “by following these strategies, you can help maintain adequate food and nutrient intake during extreme heat while also supporting your body’s hydration needs and overall well-being.”

 “Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness that occurs due to prolonged exposure to high temperatures and inadequate fluid intake,” Williams explains. Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and fainting. While heat stroke sets in as high body temperatures, altered mental state, hot dry skin, and nausea.

 TSU director of sports medicine, Trevor Searcy, spoke about how the athletic department also takes innovative measures to ensure the athletes’ safety and mitigate possible heat illness as the university offers several outdoor sports.

From a brand-new hydration station, to rescheduling training sessions to early mornings, Searcy said the university has resources, protocols and emergency action plans set for preventable measures. “We are required to test wet bulb (globe temperature), which is ambient air, temperature, and humidity every 30 minutes of outdoor activity,” Searcy said.

The brand new TSU Hydration Center consists of drinks, fans, and snacks, ensuring that the athletes stay hydrated on and off the field.

 He notes that the department is cautious about heat after reaching 80 degrees by giving more water breaks, carrying ice towels, cold IV fluids and taking off lower and upper body equipment for football.

 “If it’s hot outside and you notice an athlete is not sweating, that’s a flag to pull them aside,” he said. “After 90 degrees, it is advised to go in doors and our coaches are really receptive to that.”

 The TSU Hydration Center consists of drinks, fans, and snacks, ensuring that the athletes stay hydrated on and off the field.

Together, TSU experts are navigating through the scorching temperatures and continue to demonstrate preparedness to beat the heat in Tennessee.

Generally, caution should be taken if the heat index is over 77 degrees (Fahrenheit). Above 82 degrees is considered ‘extreme caution’ — heat-related illness is possible with long exposure. Over 85 is dangerous — heat illness is likely and heat stroke is possible, according to Healthline.com.

The TSU emergency management team passes out cold refreshing beverages to students as the country had experienced unprecedented
heatwaves this summer.

From a public health standpoint, Dr. Inman said it’s important to be mindful of those who are more at risk of heat related illnesses.

In response to the summer heat, the university’s emergency management team has been taking proactive measures to ensure the well-being of those on campus, outdoor security workers and maintenance staff. Click here to see the emergency team distributing beverages to those patrolling the campus and cutting the lawn to demonstrate their commitment to the welfare of the university personnel to beat the heat in Tennessee.

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TSU expert cautions parents to ‘be on the watch’ with new spike in RSV cases

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, is on the rise in Tennessee, with spike in cases and hospitalization, especially among infants and children. Experts caution parents to be more proactive in helping to keep their children stay symptom free.

Dr. Wendelyn Inman

Dr. Wendelyn Inman, an epidemiologist and public health expert, says while adults may only show signs of the common cold, RSV among children – especially those under a year old – shows more severe symptoms because their lungs are more susceptible to the inflammatory effects of the virus. 

“In some cases, children showing these symptoms need supplemental oxygen and hospitalization because of severe respiratory infections,” says Inman, professor and director of the public health program in the College of Health Sciences. She warns parents “to be on the watch.” 

“If you have an infant, wash your hands frequently and keep sick friends and family members away to prevent the spread of RSV,” she says, adding, “Watch your child. If they show any symptoms, take them to the pediatrician as soon as possible.”

Inman also cautions parents to avoid close contacts, cover coughs or sneezes, and clean surfaces (doorknobs, car seats, mobile devices) frequently.

Dr. Dorsha N. James

This summer, as in Tennessee, there was an increase in RSV cases in many areas of the country with the expectation it would accelerate in the fall. The trend has played out as expected, and even more adults in Tennessee are coming down with RSV, according to local news reports. 

At TSU, officials say over the past 5-6 weeks, there has been “a drastic” uptick in the number of sick visits to the Student Health Services Clinic for upper respiratory symptoms, such as cough, congestion, running nose, and others.

“Luckily for these otherwise healthy individuals, the virus will only usually cause mild, cold-like symptoms,” says Dr. Dorsha N. James, interim medical director of student health. “In light of our decreasing COVID cases, I would make the assumption that we are seeing some cases as a result of RSV.” 

On COVID-19 and the flu, two of the three viruses with RSV that are going around, the officials warn individuals to get immunized as the surest way to avoid serious illness or hospitalization. Flu activity reportedly increases in October and peaks between December and February.

 “Get your flu shots and get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible if you already haven’t,” Inman cautions. “We are seeing that people who are immunized against COVID and the flu are still not in the majority of the cases that are severe and dying.” 

For more information on how to protect against RSV, COVID or the flu, visit the Tennessee Department of Health at www.tn.gov/health.html.

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TSU expert warns of triple threat from flu, COVID, RSV

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The U.S. is facing a potential triple threat of flu, COVID-19, and RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, and a Tennessee State University infectious disease expert is calling on individuals to get immunized, as the surest way to avoid serious illness or long-term hospitalization. 

 Dr. Wendelyn Inman

 Dr. Wendelyn Inman, professor and director of the public health program in the College of Health Sciences, warns that the flu, COVID-19 and RSV are highly contagious respiratory infections caused by different viruses, with flu activity increasing in October and peaking between December and February. 

 “Get your flu shots and get vaccinated for COVID-19 as soon as possible if you already haven’t,” she cautions. “We are seeing that people who are immunized against COVID and the flu are still not in the majority of the cases that are severe and dying.” 

 Inman says before the pandemic, the United States averaged between 60,000 and 85,000 people dying every year from the flu. But with isolation techniques employed during the pandemic – masking, washing hands, social distancing – those numbers plummeted and almost disappeared.  

 “We had so few flu-related deaths. Now that we are back together, we have to remember those rates can go back up because we have people who do not get immunized for the flu, and that we are in closer contact,” says Inman, previously the chief of epidemiology for the State of Tennessee. 

Dr. Dorsha N. James

 Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control, Inman says the flu is not a grave concern in Tennessee, with the state in the ‘minimal’ category when it comes to flu levels being reported nationwide. 

 “Tennessee is not at the bottom, but we could do better,” she says. 

 At TSU, officials say precaution are in place to help minimized the potential for flu and COVID-19 spread. 

Dr. Dorsha N. James, interim medical director of Student Health Services, says there is a significant decrease in COVID-19 cases on campus – from about 7 percent a month ago to 0.1 percent now. She however, reports a slight uptick in people with upper respiratory infection, or flu symptoms. She encourages students to get their flu shots or get vaccinated for COVID-19. 

 “We are doing well on the COVID front but we are not doing well washing our hands,” James says. “We have been trying to tell students to wash their hands multiple times a day or use the hand sanitizing stations across campus. And if they have the cold, to make sure they do not cough in the air, and stay a good distance from people when they are talking to them.”

TSU offers COVID-19 vaccines on campus in collaboration with Meharry Medical College.

Kenneth A. Rolle II, president of Student Government Association, says TSU’s proactive effort is commendable.  “The university has already laid out a strategic plan for if and when the viruses (COVID, flu) make their way to campus,” says Rolle. “Although we have not seen any threats from them on campus, we are most definitely ready to expect the unexpected.”

Dr. Curtis Johnson, associate vice president and chief of staff, says most of the prevention measures from the pandemic are still in place.

“First and foremost, we want the university to remain safe and encourage and/or adopt practices protecting the health of faculty, staff, students, visitors or others,” Johnson says. 

According to the CDC, from October 1, 2021, to April 23, 2022, the United States has seen an estimated 3,200- 9,400 flu deaths reported in the preliminary flu season.

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TSU to continue COVID safety protocols with surge in cases and fall semester coming soon  

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – The excitement of the upcoming fall semester at Tennessee State University will be coupled with concerns on managing the campus population due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the country and in Tennessee.

University officials are optimistic based on the success of navigating through the pandemic over the last two years and are closely monitoring Davidson County and the City of Nashville.  

“We have put various protocols in place to assist individuals with safety to minimize the spread on campus,” said Dr. Curtis Johnson, associate vice president and chief of staff. “We will continue working with faculty and staff to have the necessary PPEs (personal protection equipment) available for students attending classes and for all offices.”  

TSU does not have a mask or vaccination mandate in place as outlined by state law, but university officials encourage campus family to wear masks, practice social distancing and to get vaccinated. (Photo: Aaron Grayson)

Recently, Davidson County had an uptick in confirmed COVID cases with an average of 2,842 cases within a seven day span, according to the state’s Department of Health. 

TSU does not have a mask or vaccination mandate in place as outlined by state law, but University officials strongly encourage the campus family to wear masks, practice social distancing and to get vaccinated and boosted.

Last year, the university even offered incentives, encouraging students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated by offering gift cards.

Dr. Wendelyn Inman, an infectious disease expert, professor and interim public health program director in the College of Health Sciences, is in support of the university safety protocols and recommend students to return immunized to keep COVID-19 case numbers low.  

“For people who need to, want to, and should wear a mask, they should wear them freely without question,” she said. “And people who aren’t immunized should get immunized.” 

Dr. Wendelyn Inman

 
Frank Stevenson, associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students, said the university will continue abiding by CDC protocol for the upcoming semester and will provide the COVID-19 vaccine to students at their requests. 

“We are asking all students to be both vaccinated and boosted,” he said, noting that students are required to report COVID-19 positive results to student affairs. “We know a whole lot more than we did two years ago,” Stevenson said. “And we feel good about being able to operate the campus in a safe environment.” 

Students who test positive for COVID-19 are placed in an area identified as IQ, or isolation and quarantine zone where they receive “round the clock” service, including a health professional, meal service delivered three times a day, laundry service, and medication if needed. 

Stevenson also encourages students to feel comfortable enough to continue taking online classes as an option as well. The university is currently offering discounts to students that take 100 percent of their classes online.   

All students, faculty and staff can get tested for COVID at the Campus Health Center. If you are experiencing coronavirus symptoms, contact the Campus Health Center at (615) 963-5291 or studenthealthservices@tnstate.edu. Students and faculty can visit the emergency management website to request supplies as needed at www.tnstate.edu/emergency/. 

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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 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.

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Black History: TSU’s Wendelyn Inman recounts family’s traumatic experience in the ‘Tuskegee Experiment’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – It’s been nearly 50 years since the “Tuskegee Experiment” ended, but Wendelyn Inman is constantly haunted by the thought of what it did to her “Uncle Gus.” 

Wendelyn Harris Inman on receiving her Ph.D. from Vanderbilt Graduate School of Medicine (Submitted Photo)

“He was in that study and didn’t realize it was a study,” says Inman, sobbing, as she recounts her family’s trauma that resulted from the study, arguably the most infamous biomedical research study in U.S. history. 

“They gave him syphilis and he didn’t realize he had been given syphilis,” adds Dr. Inman, a professor and director of the public health programs in the College of Health Professions at Tennessee State University.

In the study, conducted between 1932 and 1972 by the U.S. Public Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, investigators enrolled a total of 600 impoverished African American sharecroppers from Macon County, Alabama. Of these men, including Inman’s uncle, Augustus Reynolds (Uncle Gus), 399 had latent syphilis, with a control group of 201 men who were not infected.  

Milton Reynolds, Inman’s grandfather, was the younger brother of Augustus Reynolds or “Uncle Gus.” (Submitted Photo)

As an incentive for participation in the study, the men were promised free medical care, but were deceived by the PHS, which never informed them of their syphilis diagnosis and provided disguised placebos, ineffective methods, and diagnostic procedures as treatment for “bad blood.” More than 100 died as a result. 

Inman, now a microbiologist and a nationally recognized infectious disease control expert, says as result of the study, her uncle contracted syphilis and eventually went blind. By the end of the study, Inman’s family, including her grandparents, had left Alabama, and moved to Sandusky, Ohio, where she grew up. Reynolds’ wife divorced him because of his syphilis diagnosis, accusing him of being unfaithful. Blind and no one to care for him, he moved to Ohio and stayed with his siblings.  

“He was blind, and I remember my siblings leading Uncle Gus out of the house to sit with us under the tree in the summer and having to lead him to go to church and things like that,” Inman recalls. “He died from it. That’s what I remember.” 

Inman says she became interested in medicine and public health to “help my people better understand and avoid the mistakes” of the past. 

Inman is from a family of eight brothers and sisters, with accomplishments in medicine, law, military service and education. Back row, from left: Donald Harris, Inman, Anthony Harris, Howard Harris, and Helen Harris Abrams. Middle row: Howard Harris, Sr., father, a Ada Reynolds Harris, mother. Front row: Lt. Col. Steven Harris, Adrianne Harris, and Gaye Harris Miles. (Submitted Photo)

“When he (Uncle Gus) was going through this, I was a very young child,” says Inman. 

“So, I heard a lot of things about what my parents talked about. It did motivate me for a research career that I chose. What did my Uncle Gus die from? An infectious disease. So, I am on my path to helping my people be better, because now, I have a complete understanding of how a microbe works,” adds Inman. And she does! 

When COVID-19 hit the United States followed by widespread vaccine hesitancy, especially among black people, Inman was among those public health experts encouraging her fellow African Americans to take the available drug against the disease. The Tuskegee Study is often cited as one of the reasons African Americans do not trust the vaccine. Efforts to increase vaccination rates among African Americans often focus on misconceptions surrounding the study as a result. 

“This is no time for hesitancy,” says Inman. “The vaccines work.”

At TSU, in particular, Inman has helped in the effort to get employees and students vaccinated. Currently, close to 80 percent of the university’s full-time faculty and staff have received vaccinations, as well as hundreds of students.

Looking back at what happened to “Uncle Gus,” Inman has good reason to be optimistic about the vaccines. After all, she is a professor of public health, been an advisor on several national initiatives in that area, and previously served as the chief of epidemiology for the State of Tennessee. 

“There is great advancement in medicine today,” she says. “When you look at science, there are so many benefits that outweigh the negatives, and there is access. If they (Uncle Gus and others) had equal access to healthcare, they could have gone to another doctor, but they didn’t have access to other healthcare and they knew it. So, they (U.S. government) enticed them by offering them healthcare while they were destroying their health.” 

On May 16, 1997, President Bill Clinton formally apologized on behalf of the United States to victims of the Tuskegee study, calling it shameful and racist.

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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 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.

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COVID-19 Omicron variant poses ‘great concern,’ TSU public health expert says

NASHVILLE, TENN. (TSU News Service) – A Tennessee State University public health expert calls the COVID-19 omicron variant “one of great concern,” and is applauding the U.S. government’s quick response in imposing travel restrictions on people coming in from southern African, where the variant was first detected. The Biden administration is going even further by requiring all Americans entering the U.S. to be tested. 

Dr. Wendelyn Inman

Dr. Wendelyn Inman, an infectious disease expert and professor and director of the public health program in the College of Health Sciences, says she does not see the need for a shutdown or lockdown, but calls the measures “another layer of protection for the general public until we have a full understanding of the virus.” 

“It could be two or three weeks before we fully know how the new COVID-19 variant is transmitted between people and if it can cause more severe illness than other mutations of the virus,” says Inman, previously the chief of epidemiology for the State of Tennessee. “What we do know is that the symptoms are milder for healthy people and those that are immunized.” 

As of Friday, the U.S. had reported the omicron variant in five states. Minnesota, Colorado, New York and Hawaii confirmed new cases of the variant on Thursday. The first case was reported Wednesday in California. The infected person, a resident of San Francisco, had just returned from a trip to South Africa. 

With the virus already detected in over 25 countries, the U.S. government and other countries are restricting travel in the hope of keeping the virus from spreading. And, Inman and other scientists are urging the public to continue to adhere to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation to get immunized, continue to wear masks, social distance, and wash hands. 

So far, the COVID-19 vaccines have proved to be highly effective in preventing hospitalization and death, with people who are unvaccinated 10 times more likely to be hospitalized if infected. And vaccine-makers are optimistic the current vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. will provide protection against omicron, too. 

“If you are immunized, it is not going to send you to the hospital or to the morgue,” says Inman, who worries that there are still vaccine skeptics in Tennessee, especially Middle Tennessee. “I am more concerned for people in areas where larger numbers of unimmunized people are working, living, and playing. Most people don’t grasp the concept until a family member or somebody they know dies. No one has to die before we take it seriously.” 

According to the CDC, more than 60 percent of Tennessee residents are fully vaccinated. 

At TSU, the university reports a high vaccination percentage among employees and students. More than 70 percent of full-time faculty and staff, as well as hundreds of students are vaccinated. As of Nov. 8, TSU officials say 74.5 percent, or roughly 920 faculty and staff, have had both vaccination shots. More than 2,300 students have presented proof of vaccination. 

“Tennessee State University has worked diligently to keep infections to a minimum,” says Dr. Curtis Johnson, TSU’s associate vice president and chief of staff. “We continue to enforce the guidelines we have in place to protect the health and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff, along with our visitors. We are grateful for the cooperation we have received from the TSU family. It is encouraging to see the results of our efforts, and it benefits our communities greatly.” 

For more information on TSU’s COVID-19 protocol, visit https://www.tnstate.edu/nanobio/COVID19.aspx 

Department of Media Relations

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 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.

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TSU expert says slow decline in Tennessee’s COVID cases not enough: ‘We need to do better’

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – A recent report shows that Tennessee is ranked 7th in the nation with the number of COVID-19 cases, which is a drop from number 1 and a 21 percent decrease compared to a week ago. According to the weekly State Profile Report for Tennessee released Sept. 14, the state also fell to 18th in COVID deaths, dropping from 11th the previous week. 

Dr. Wendelyn Inman

While this decline shows improvement, a Tennessee State University public health expert says, “We need to do better.” 

“Twenty-one percent is excellent. That means our cases have fallen, but we still have a high transmittable number,” says Dr. Wendelyn Inman, an infectious disease expert and professor and director of the public health program in the College of Health Sciences. “It still puts us in the top 10. That 21 percent is not enough to garner, ‘I don’t have anything to worry about.’ It says that we’ve done better, and we hope it continues.” 

Inman, previously the chief of epidemiology for the State of Tennessee, says she hopes the numbers keep declining.

“Instead of being 7th, we need to come out of the top 10,” she says. “That’s my hope. We are the volunteer state. We should be number 1 in the fewest cases.”

On what the state can do to continue the downward spiral, Inman cited efforts at Tennessee State University. She says although TSU falls in a zip code with 37 percent vaccination rate, the university is more active in encouraging solution, which is prevention.  

“TSU is encouraging our people to be healthier during this pandemic; that’s something we can be proud of. We are being positive with our population, encouraging them to get immunized. For the state, we are not doing enough. Twenty-one percent is great, but wouldn’t 70 percent be better?”  

In June, TSU, in collaboration with the Nashville Metro Public Health Department, started offering vaccines to residents 12 years old and up. The university’s student health center also stays open for COVID testing. 

Frank Stevenson, associate vice president of Student Affairs and dean of students, says TSU has remained very active in executing a plan to mitigate issues around COVID. He says that more than 50 percent of students living on campus have been vaccinated, and more than 3,000 of all students have been tested. The university tests an average of more than 100 students a day. 

“We are doing very well in our effort to keep the campus safe,” says Stevenson. “I think we kind of created a wall or barrier that is making it tough for the virus to spread on campus as aggressively as we’ve seen it spread in other places.” 

 Vaccines are administered Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., in Kean Hall on the main campus. Daily testing is also set up in Kean Hall.  

Department of Media Relations

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 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.

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TSU public health expert discusses seriousness of COVID-19 Delta variant

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With evidence mounting about the dangers of the COVID-19 Delta variant, a TSU public health expert is urging the public to take the warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seriously and get vaccinated. 

Dr. Wendelyn Inman

“This is no time for hesitancy,” said Dr. Wendelyn Inman, an infectious disease expert and professor and director of the public health program in the College of Health Sciences. ”The vaccines work. This Delta variant is nothing to brush off; it is very serious.” 

Reminding the public about the need to take necessary precaution, including wearing masks, and how the CDC arrives at its conclusions, Inman said the agency looks at “all of the data – the bigger picture.” 

“They look at anecdotal information, they look at statistics, they look at the obvious and they look at the things that really are in the background that we really don’t see,” said Inman, who was previously the chief of epidemiology for the State of Tennessee. 

“So, it will take them days to explain things to us. But what they have digested in offering solutions for us as the prime directive is to save lives. A lot of times we don’t understand that and a lot of times we don’t agree with it. But if they have chosen to make a recommendation to wear mask again, even in-doors, even if you have been immunized that means our situation is taking another level of seriousness.” 

In its recent recommendation urging people in COVID-19 hotspots like Tennessee to resume mask-wearing in indoor public spaces, the agency laid out what is known about the delta variant, which now accounts for most of the COVID-19 cases in the United States. 

Dr. Felicia Tinuoye

“The Delta variant is showing every day its willingness to outsmart us and be an opportunist,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said. “In rare occasions, some vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant after vaccination may be contagious and spread the virus to others. This new science is worrisome and unfortunately warrants an update to our recommendations.” 

In Tennessee, the state’s Department of Health rates 85 of the state’s 95 counties with “high” or “substantial” transmission ratings. The remaining 10 have “moderate” ratings. Davidson County, which includes Nashville, is rated “substantial.” 

Inman described the COVID-19 microbe as “an enemy that takes advantage of us touching, breathing, and seeing each other.” 

“So, why we may not understand how microbes are transmitted, you need to know that the variant is more transmissible than its last existence. It has mutated. This happens in the microbial world every day. That’s why we have the Delta variant,” Inman said.

Dr. Tatiana Zabaleta

In June, TSU, in collaboration with the Nashville Metro Public Health Department, started offering vaccines to residents 12 years old and up at the university’s Avon Williams Campus. The next vaccine event will be on Aug. 30 in Kean Hall on the main campus, from 9 a.m. – noon. To register, visit www.signupgenius.com/go/tsu

Dr. Felicia Tinuoye and Dr. Tatiana Zabaleta, international public health professionals, are part of the MPH, or Master’s in Public Health program at TSU. They said in addition to their medical disciplines, they have learned so much in the TSU program to help them better understand the seriousness of the need to get protection against COVID-19 and the Delta variant. 

“The program gives students exposure on how to be proactive,” said Tinuoye, of Nigeria, who completed her MPH degree in April. “TSU is doing what it is supposed to be doing. We need to ensure that the public gets the right message to help people make up their minds about available preventive measures.” 

Zabaleta, from Colombia, who graduates in December, agrees. 

“This program has given me the opportunity to learn more about global health and how to help solve the problem of health disparity in my own country,” she said. “TSU’s MPH program empowers students to really get involved in helping people, especially during this pandemic.” 

To learn more about the university’s COVID-19 protocols, visit https://www.tnstate.edu/covid19/ 

Department of Media Relations

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 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.

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COVID-19 podcast features TSU infectious disease control expert in hour-long national Q&A session

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – With new COVID-19 variants spreading across the country, a Tennessee State University infectious disease control expert is urging all Americans to take advantage of available vaccines and get immunized, as the surest way to protect against the coronavirus.  

Dr. Wendolyn Inman

Data so far suggests current vaccines should protect against the emergence of three main variants from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, and the pathogen circulating in the United States. 

Dr. Wendolyn Inman, professor and director of public health programs in the College of Health Sciences, was the featured speaker on a podcast organized Monday by the TSU Department of Graduate and Professional Development to address COVID-19 concerns. More than 100 people from across the country tuned in to the podcast themed, “Pacing for the Pandemic, A Question and Answer Session on Preparing for the Next Phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Listeners raised questions from “Who should take the vaccine?” “Is the vaccine safe?” to “When will there be normalcy?” 

Inman, who was previously chief of epidemiology for the State of Tennessee, said she thinks everyone should be required to take the vaccines because they are “effective and potent.” 

“If it shows that it is not killing folks, and if it shows that it is helping people, I think everyone should be required to take it, unless they have a religious or a health exemption,” said Inman. She debunked the idea that the vaccine is a killer. 

Jeia More

“I can guarantee you that some of the most elite people on the planet have had that shot, and they won’t take it if it were a killer,” she said, adding that if Americans continue to observe COVID-19 safety protocols, and get immunized, “life could have some normalcy by August.” 

Currently in circulation are the Pfizer and Moderna two-step vaccines. On Friday, Johnson & Johnson announced that its single-dose coronavirus vaccine is 72 percent effective against the pathogen in the U.S. and will ask federal regulators for approval this month. 

“I suspect that with these new things – like the Johnson & Johnson announcement – we have the potential of having more normalcy by August than we’ve had in the past year,” Inman said. 

Jalaya Harris

Among those watching the podcast were Jeia Moore and Jalaya Harris, two returning TSU students who attend classes online from their dorm rooms because of COVID-19. They wanted to know the efficacy of the vaccines, and when things would return to normal. 

“This podcast helped me understand the vaccine and what it actually helps me with, as well as the pros and cons of wearing a mask,” said Moore, a junior information systems major from Memphis, Tennessee. “To see 100 people on this podcast was heartwarming; the TSU family wants the best for each other.”

Harris agreed. 

“I got a lot of questions answered about how to be safe during this pandemic,” said Harris, a junior computer science major also from Memphis. “This podcast provided an informative and open space to gain and spread awareness and knowledge about this COVID.” 

Dr. Robbie Melton, dean of the School of Graduate Studies, said the podcast, presented monthly by the Department of Graduate and Professional Development, is intended to highlight experts at TSU who are usually heard only on the outside. 

“We are taking advantage of our own faculty members and staff who are usually called by people around the country, but we don’t take advantage of them,” Melton said. “Dr. Inman is an expert in addressing COVID-19 issues. But we have yet to have her present to our own faculty. So, this was a podcast to really address some of the fears, concerns and questions in an open forum.” 

Dr. Timothy Jones, TSU associate professor of Human Performance and Sport Sciences, who also listened in on the podcast, said Dr. Inman’s presentation was informative and highly educational. 

“She (Dr. Inman) was precise in presenting and debunking rumors about COVID-19 and the vaccine,” Jones said.

Dr. Inman is scheduled to do a Part 2 presentation on COVID-19 at the end of February.

Department of Media Relations

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 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight 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.