The Abstract: November 7, 2022
November 7, 2022
Whether you’re local or global, student or alumni, the Abstract’s weekly news digest will help you stay in the loop with our amazing Gillings School community.
Remembering Walter Lee Isaacs, one of the founders and first secretary of the Minority Student Caucus
Walter Lee Isaacs
Walter Lee Isaacs passed away peacefully at home on Oct. 18, 2022.
Born Dec. 24, 1940, Isaacs grew up in West Medford, Massachusetts, enjoying community sports, cultivating his love of art and music, and teaching himself how to paint and play the guitar and piano. He was also known for his love of books and had a soft spot for Charles Shultz’s Charlie Brown.
After graduating from Medford High, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in communications at Goddard College and a Master of Public Health Administration from the UNC School of Public Health. During his time at UNC, he was executive director of the New Roles Project and later became a lecturer in the then-Department of Health Education.
Walter served as a health care executive in many organizations, including Henry J. Austin Health Center, Schenectady Family Health Services, Memphis Health Center, Roxbury Dental and Medical Clinic and the Council’s Center for Problems of Living. He served on numerous community, health and finance boards of directors.
According to Professor Emeritus Victor Schoenbach, PhD, Isaacs lived next door to John and Fledra Hatch during his time in Chapel Hill. In 1971, he participated in the gatherings and picnics that led to the formation of the Black Student Caucus (now known as the Minority Student Caucus). Isaacs became the group’s first secretary, serving during the summer and fall of 1971. He also served as a faculty member on several School committees in the early 1970s: the Minority Relations Committee chaired by Rolf Lynton and the Minority Curriculum Committee chaired by John Anderson. Isaacs also worked on other projects with Rolf Lynton and served as a consultant to other organizations.
Read Isaacs’ obituary and view Dr. Schoenbach’s archive for Isaacs.
Mills wins presentation awards at UNC Lineberger Post-Doc Faculty Research Day
Congratulations to Jiona Mills for winning awards for Best Oral Presentation by a Graduate Student and Best Poster Presentation by a Graduate Student at the recent Post-Doc Faculty Research Day at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Mills is a 2021 Bachelor of Science in Public Health alumna in health policy and management and a current Master of Public Health student in the health behavior concentration.
The Lancet publishes new report on health and climate change
Gillings School expertise in environmental sciences and engineering has contributed to the latest report from The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change. This report is an international, multidisciplinary collaboration dedicated to monitoring the evolving health profile of climate change and providing an independent assessment of the delivery of commitments made by governments worldwide under the Paris Agreement.
New findings presented in the seventh annual global report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change reveal that governments and companies continue to follow strategies that increasingly threaten the health and survival of all people alive today and of future generations.
