New Kentucky Public Health Commissioner to Speak at Appalachian Research Day

Kentucky’s newly appointed Commissioner of Public Health Dr. Angela T. Dearinger will speak at the fifth annual Appalachian Research Day: Come Sit on the Porch. The University of Kentucky Center of Excellence in Rural Health (CERH) hosts this one-day event each year to bring attention to health disparities research in Appalachia. Appalachian Research Day will be held Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the First Federal Center in Hazard. Registration for the event closes Sept. 12. Click here to register or to view the full agenda.

Originally from Paintsville Kentucky, Dearinger is board-certified in internal medicine, pediatrics, public health and general preventive medicine. She is assistant dean of accreditation with the Graduate Medical Education office and an associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine in the UK College of Medicine, was appointed by Gov. Matt Bevin as Kentucky’s Public Health Commissioner effective Sept. 1.

Dearinger has been a member of the UK College of Medicine faculty since 2007. In addition to her roles in the college, she also is  associate chief of staff for education managing the Lexington VA Health Care System’s medical, dental and health profession trainees.

“We are truly honored to have Dr. Dearinger join us this year at Appalachian Research Day," said Dr. Fran Feltner, director of the UK CERH. "She is a native of Appalachia and has a tremendous background and knowledge of the complex health issues we face in Appalachia and rural Kentucky.”

Appalachian Research Day is an opportunity to highlight community-based research that begins at the local level and builds upon relationships between people, neighborhoods, and groups who have common interests and concerns.

Highlights of this year’s conference include:

• Understanding and Improving Health: Lessons from Kentucky and America’s Poorest State, by Randy Wycoff, Dean, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State University
• Health Disparities in Hard to Reach Populations: A Community Health Worker Perspective, Kentucky Homeplace CHW Panel
• A Regional Approach to Improving Health Outcomes in the Kentucky River Area Development District, Scott Lockard, director, Kentucky River District Health Department
• Leveraging Strengths and Assets to Improve Health and Well-Being in Appalachia, Mike Meit, co-director, NORC Walsh Center for Rural Health Analysis
• Operation Change Perry County, featuring an Operation Change Participant Panel moderated by Keisha Hudson, research assistant, UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health
• More than 20 research posters on a variety of health topics will be presented and judged. Winners will be announced during lunch.
• Lunch entertainment will feature Appalachian Storytelling by drama students from Knott County High School, Johnson County High School and Hazard Independent High School.                                            

Click here to register or to view the full agenda. For more information, contact beth.bowling@uky.edu, 606-439-3557.