Acclaimed disease expert to address opioid overdose crisis

Last of the 2019 Chancellor’s STEM Speaker Series features epidemiologist Celine Gounder in Charleston on Nov.7

CHARLESTON, W.VA. – An educational science lecture program wraps up 2019 with an installment highlighting issues that hit close to home.

The Chancellor’s STEM Speaker Series will feature Dr. Celine Gounder, presenting, “America’s Heartland: Ground Zero for the Opioid Overdose Crisis,” on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Culture Center Theater in Charleston.

Gounder, a clinical assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine, is currently on an “ill-health tour” of the United States, caring for patients in disease hotspots throughout the country. She received her bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Princeton University, her master’s degree in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and her doctor of medicine degree from the University of Washington. Gounder also was named to People Magazine’s list of “25 Women Changing the World” in 2017.

Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, interim chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, said the Chancellor’s STEM Speaker Series brings outstanding and often outspoken scientists, researchers and thought leaders to West Virginia to encourage understanding on issues of international importance.

“This is an opportunity to both learn something new and challenge your own understanding of complex issues,” Tucker said. “It is an honor to host such accomplished researchers and scientists in our capitol city, and I think Dr. Gounder’s presentation will be particularly poignant, given the tremendous challenges we face with opioid addiction in West Virginia.”

The Chancellor’s STEM Speaker Series is presented by West Virginia Science & Research, a division of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, with a goal of communicating science, technology, engineering and mathematics to all West Virginians. This event is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation and is free to registered guests.