Campus News

UK CHET invites state leaders to focus on public health through civic engagement

Charles Booker and Eric Friedlander
Charles Booker and Secretary Eric Friedlander will be the featured speakers at the “From Campus to Capitol” event. Photos provided.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 2, 2024) — The University of Kentucky’s CHET is bringing together state leaders to host a discussion on the intersection of civic engagement and public health.

The event, “From Campus to Capitol: Making a Difference in Public Health Through Civic Engagement,” will be held Oct. 9 from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in room 150 of the Healthy Kentucky Research Building. In-person attendance is limited to the first 60 registrants with room for many more virtually. Registration is open online.

Secretary Eric Friedlander of Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services and Charles Booker, Kentucky state director of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in the Office of the Governor, will speak. Bridgett A. King, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Political Science in the College of Arts and Sciences, will moderate the discussion.

“We are grateful to have Secretary Eric Friedlander and Charles Booker to join us for this important headline event,” said Nancy Schoenberg, Ph.D., CHET director. “Research shows us that high levels of civic engagement often coincide with better public health outcomes. We look forward to hearing the perspectives from our invited state leaders to help us raise awareness of this connection in our Commonwealth.”

CHET hopes attendees will leave with a better understanding of the connection between civic engagement and health and recognize the implications in Kentucky. The event will highlight tangible examples of initiatives connecting the two areas and share information on strategies to incorporate civic engagement and health into future activities.

“From Campus to Capitol” is also supported by the College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, the College of Public Health and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

You can find more information about the event online. Questions can be sent to chet@uky.edu.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.   

In 2022, UK was ranked by Forbes as one of the “Best Employers for New Grads” and named a “Diversity Champion” by INSIGHT into Diversity, a testament to our commitment to advance Kentucky and create a community of belonging for everyone. While our mission looks different in many ways than it did in 1865, the vision of service to our Commonwealth and the world remains the same. We are the University for Kentucky.