A CDC Medal of Excellence winner will be at the College of Charleston on March 24, 2014, to share how public health impacts you and the society in which you live. The event is free and open to the public and will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Alumni Center of the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance (86 Wentworth St.).

Eugene Gangarosa

Eugene Gangarosa

Dr. Eugene Gangarosa will talk about his professional public health journey, how public health has impacted his life, and opportunities for future public health professionals.

[Related: Learn more about the public health major.]

“As a public health major, I have found that knowing the history behind your area of interest is extremely beneficial when attempting to learn and make effective changes,” says Katie Hafer, president of Public Health Society. “It is an honor for the Public Health Society at the College of Charleston to host Dr. Eugene Gangarosa from Emory University in Atlanta. He brings unmatched knowledge and experience of the history of public health as well as intriguing opportunities for all interested in public health.”

The event is being hosted by the Public Health Society, a student organization designed to increase community efforts, encourage and promote networking with public health professionals, and allow new relationships to begin.”

About Eugene Gangarosa

Eugene Gangarosa is the recipient of the Center for Disease Control’s Medal of Excellence, its highest recognition for distinguished scientific contributions, and Emory University’s Thomas Jefferson Award for his accomplishments in transforming public health.

After serving in the Army and completing medical and graduate schools, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR). While there, Dr. Gangarosa helped to lay the foundation for later studies of cholera, leading to the development of oral fluid therapy, the primary means of cholera treatment today. After moving to CDC, he served as director of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, chief of the Enteric Diseases Branch and deputy director of the Bacterial Diseases Division. He has also served as a consultant to the WHO on enteric diseases, including cholera. In 1978, Dr. Gangarosa retired from CDC to serve as Dean at the American University of Beirut. In 1983, he joined Emory University where he develop the Rollins School of Public Health.

For more information, contact Andrea DeMaria, public health professor, at demariaa@cofc.edu or 843.953.1035.