Mona Hanna-Attisha to Deliver 2019 Convocation Address.
Mona Hanna-Attisha, a pediatrician, scientist, activist, and author whose research exposed the 2014 Flint water crisis, will deliver the 2019 School of Public Health Convocation Address.
Hanna-Attisha is founder and director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a public health program that aims to mitigate the effects of the water crisis that exposed Flint children and families to dangerous levels of lead. Hanna-Attisha is also an associate professor of pediatrics and human development at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSU CHM). She is the founding donor of the Flint Child Health and Development Fund, which supports the longterm health of Flint children affected by the lead exposure.
Hanna-Attisha has testified twice before the United States Congress, was awarded the Freedom of Expression Courage Award by PEN America, and was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World for her role in uncovering and leading recovery efforts for the Flint water crisis. She has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, and many other media outlets to champion the cause of children in Flint and beyond.
“It’s not just a Flint problem—our country’s most vulnerable children are already burdened with higher rates of lead exposure and every other toxic stress that threatens their future,” said Hanna-Attisha during a 2016 TEDMED talk. “The most potent medication that we can prescribe is to lift our families out of poverty. It’s not just a labor issue, nor an economic issue, it is a public health issue. It is an American Dream issue.”
Last year, Hanna-Attisha released the bestselling book What the Eyes Don’t See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance, and Hope in an American City, in which she shared a detailed account of the Flint water crisis and how the city came together to fight for justice, self-determination, and the right to build a better world for children. The publication was named a 2018 New York Times 100 Notable Book, an NPR Science Friday Best Science Book of 2018, and a 2019 Michigan Notable Book.
Hanna-Attisha received her bachelor’s and MPH degrees from the University of Michigan, and her medical degree from MSU CHM. She completed her residency at Children’s Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, where she was chief resident.