The U.S. surgeon general will discuss his role as “the nation’s doctor” when he visits Marshall’s campus Thursday at 4 p.m.

Vice Adm. Jerome M. Adams became the 20th surgeon general of the United States in 2017 with the motto, “better health through better partnerships,” according to the Department of Health and Human Services website.

As the second African American male to hold the position in U.S. history, Adams oversees the operations of approximately 6,500 uniformed health officers who serve in nearly 800 locations around the world, pledging to lead with science, and facilitate locally led solutions to the nation’s health problems, according to the Department of Health and Human services.

Adams has already addressed prominent issues such as the opioid epidemic, oral health, and the links between community health and both economic prosperity and national security.

In his article, “Achieving Better Health for Mothers and Babies: Taking Action, Saving Lives”, published on the department’s website earlier this year, Adams addressed the issue of child birth in the U.S., and proposed solutions for hospitals throughout the country to improve maternal health in 2020.

“We need to redouble our collective efforts to eliminate the preventable causes of maternal mortality and morbidity and to dismantle the foundational factors that result in health disparities,” Adams said. “Empowering mothers and their families to speak up and listening to them as partners in their care are important steps in our journey.” 

Adams is also the former Health Commissioner of Indiana, where he oversaw the state’s response to the largest ever HIV outbreak in the United States related to injection drug use, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

The event is sponsored by The Carter G. Woodson Lyceum, which was created in 2017 to address critical issues involving education, freedom of expression and race/ethnicity.

The public is invited to attend Adams’ presentation in the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center.

Blake Newhouse can be contacted at [email protected]