Rollins names Dr. Adewale Troutman distinguished visiting scholar and invites to talk
National Public health leader Dr. Adewale Troutman poses the question “What if we were equal?” as it pertains to social and moral issues of health care.
The Rollins College Center for Health Innovation (CHI) kicked off its inaugural Heath Forum Series with Dr. Adewale Troutman, former president of the American Public Health Association. Dr. Troutman presented a public lecture titled “How Eliminating Health Disparities Can Help Cure Our Nation’s Healthcare Ills.” Held at the College’s Bush Auditorium, the event was attended by more than 200 Rollins students, faculty, staff, and community residents.
From left: Dr. Adewale Troutman at Rollins College with Dr. Chet Evans and Dean David C.S. Richard.
Selected as a Thomas P. Johnson Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Rollins, Dr. Troutman has established a long-held commitment to social justice, human rights, community activism, and national and global health. For over 40 years, he has upheld the principles of universal freedoms and the elimination of racism, injustice, and oppression. During the lecture, Dr. Troutman posed the question “What if we were equal?” as it pertains to social and moral issues such as health care. He discussed how creating a more diverse population of health-care professionals will help eliminate disparities, improving the nation’s overall health outlook.
Dr. Troutman expects the Affordable Care Act will significantly improve the health profile of the U.S. In a 2009 study, the American Journal of Public Health estimated that nearly 45,000 deaths a year were attributable to a lack of health care insurance in the United States. He believes that access to health care insurance made available through the act will lead to a reduction in mortality in the U.S. as well as provide increased emphasis on prevention, leading to healthier lifestyles and reducing the incidence of many chronic diseases.
“In order to reduce the gap in health disparities, we have to look beyond the medical model,” Dr. Troutman said. “The gap in mortality rates between minority populations and the white population is linked to social determinates, including level of education, poverty, early childhood development, drug addiction, housing, and many more.”
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