On Wednesday, October 24th, at 1:30 pm sharp, Dr. Jan Carney will present a lecture at the Lamoille Valley Osher Lifelong Learning Institute entitled Current Debates In Public Health And Health Policy. This is part of the 9-lecture OLLI Fall 2018 Series, each of which will be held at our new location, the Commodores Inn on lower Main Street, Route 100 South in Stowe.

Are e-cigarettes harmful or an aid to quit smoking? What works to prevent firearm injuries and deaths? Can sitting too much really kill us? Why is healthcare so controversial? Join Dr. Carney, who served as a former Vermont Commissioner of Health for 13 years during the Kunin, Snelling and Dean administrations, for a discussion of current debates in public health and health policy. During her years in government she articulated a vision for the State of Vermont in the form of the "Healthy Vermonters" program. By engaging health professionals and citizens in that vision, she brought about improvements leading to the reduction of lead levels in babies' brains, reductions in the rate of young baby child abuse, increases in childhood immunizations and increased levels of prenatal care.

Dr. Carney published a book, Controversies in Public Health and Policy, in 2015 and is currently working on another, A Concise History of Public Health. She is an experienced teacher, practitioner and leader in public health.

During Wednesday's session, Dr. Carney will also explore how controversy can be both a helpful tool to raise public awareness and a hindrance for progress in health policy. Learn how and why politics, money and scientific debate fuel these spirited disputes.

The cost is $5 and reservations are not required. As usual, refreshments will follow the presentation.