UAMS College of Public Health Hosts Former U.S. Surgeon General for Grand Rounds
| Antonia Novello, M.D., Dr.PH, MPH, the 14th U.S. surgeon general, visited the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to give a presentation about difficulties in health care and potential solutions to the issues.
Novello’s lecture — held in the Jack T. Stephens Spine and Neurosciences Institute Fred Smith Auditorium — was the opener to the UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health’s 2025 grand rounds series. Throughout Novello’s address, she presented research along with candid viewpoints.
“There are biases in this country,” Novello said. “There are biases in health. You have to find out the biases and discrimination, or else you are part of the problem and not part of the solution. You have to ask questions that will not be easy to address.”
The Puerto Rican native and first Hispanic to serve as U.S. surgeon general told the audience that they can make an impact by not quietly accepting situations that they know compromise the well-being of others.
“We must be willing to advocate,” Novello said.
“In the face of all these issues, you may ask if we can achieve health equity, and I believe that we can,” she said while gazing out into the audience. “But we cannot do it in darkness. There must be a concerted effort to address the root causes of the inequalities.”
Novello also highlighted her book, “Duty Calls: Lessons Learned from an Unexpected Life of Service,” as she spoke on numerous disparities in housing, finances and health care — just to name a few.
“Wealth, housing, employment, education, health, food insecurity — those are the things that keep us from building equity,” she said. “But the most important of those factors is wealth.”
Access to care also leads to health disparities. Some people don’t live near, or they lack transportation to, a clinic. Everyone should have easily accessible health centers, regardless of their zip code, Novello said.
“Increase health care facilities — specifically in rural and minority communities,” she said. “We think to take care of the children, but we forget to take care of the parents.”
The education level of most of the people in a demographic can also lead to inequities, she said. Education level usually dictates a person’s income, access to health care and ability to understand health needs. For that, Novello offered a simple solution that can serve as the foundation to remedying the situation.
“It’s important to tell people why they must remain in school,” she said. “Education is extremely important to solving health disparities.”
Antonia Novello (left), M.D., Dr.PH, MPH, 14th U.S. surgeon general and Joycelyn Elders (right), M.D., 15th U.S. surgeon general, were both on site at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) to participate in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health’s January grand rounds event.
Novello also participated in a Q&A panel discussion for College of Public Health students, staff, faculty and special guests. Joycelyn Elders, M.D., Arkansas native, UAMS professor emeritus, and the 15th U.S. surgeon general, joined Novello for the discussion.
Both Novello and Elders, as women and public health advocates, spoke about their careers and the importance of public health and how its principles can lead to solutions for health disparities.
Following the discussion, Novello and Elders, spoke to and took cell phone photos with attendees who wanted an additional opportunity to meet with the two public health titans. Novello also signed copies of her book.
Mark Williams, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health, applauded the event. He said the grand rounds was significant, especially when considering how two former high-ranking federal government officials were together speaking to Arkansans.
“Having Drs. Novello and Elders together on the UAMS campus was a rare experience for faculty, staff and students,” Williams said. “Both women came up the hard way. Neither were from even middle-class backgrounds. Each achieved high public office through hard work and dedication to public service. It was a privilege to learn from their experiences.”