Guest Speakers

Introduction of the Keynote Speaker

Brian Noland - President, East Tennessee State University

Dr. Brian Noland became the ninth President of East Tennessee State University on January 15, 2012. Prior to coming to ETSU, Dr. Noland spent five years as Chancellor of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, a 10-person board that oversees the state’s post-secondary education system. From 1998-2006, he worked for the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and was promoted through the ranks to become Associate Executive Director. Among his responsibilities while at THEC was implementing the Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship program. He also was a faculty member in the Peabody College of Education at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Noland received his B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Public Policy Studies from West Virginia University and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. Dr. Noland is married to the former Donna Fox of Greeneville, Tennessee, and the Nolands have one son, Jackson.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Christopher White, MD, MACC, MSCAI, FAHA, FESC, FACP

Dr. White graduated AOA from Case Western Reserve Medical School in Cleveland, Ohio in 1978, and completed his training in Medicine and Cardiology at Letterman Army Medical Center (LAMC) in San Francisco (1978-1983). After completing his active duty military service in 1988, he joined Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, LA, and in 1994, Dr. White moved to Glasgow, Scotland for HealthCare International (HCI), and in 1997, returned to Ochsner as Chairman of the Department of Cardiology.

Dr. White is Past-President (2011-12) of SCAI and was Steering Committee Chairman (2006-2014) for the NCDR’s carotid and peripheral revascularization database. Dr. White served as Editor-in-Chief of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (2000-2010), is currently an Associate Editor for JACC Interventions, and has published ≥ 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts in interventional cardiology and vascular diseases. He has received Teacher of the Year awards at LAMC (1985) and at Ochsner (2000) and was voted Mentor of the Year by the Ochsner Cardiology Fellows in 2007. Dr. White was honored as a Master Interventionalist (MSCAI) (2014) and awarded the Mason Sones National Service Award (2104). In 2015, he was named as the Physician Executive Leader of the Year. In 2019 Dr. White was recognized as a Master of the College by the American College of Cardiology.

Currently Dr. White is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Cardiology for the Ochsner Clinical School and holds the positions of Medical Director for Value-Based Care, and System Chairman of Cardiovascular Diseases for the 14 hospital Ochsner Health System.

Plenary Session Panel of Experts

J B Hunt

J B Hunt is Executive Director of the Louisiana-based health nonprofit, AAAneurysm Outreach. Leading the organization since 2015, Mrs. Hunt has developed innovations in outreach events, such as collaborating with Veterans of Foreign Wars to provide free health screenings for older veterans from rural and urban areas across the United States. By expanding AAAneurysm Outreach’s programs to include 4 vascular health conditions, she has involved new partners and provided additional services to senior adults who have no ongoing health care. This has saved lives, by discovering abdominal aortic aneurysms before they rupture. These deadly AAAs have no symptoms.

Through collaborations with hospitals and other health organizations, she has led AAAneurysm Outreach to provide free ultrasound screenings to increased numbers of people from all 50 states. Her work with the New Orleans Health Advisory Board and Healthy Communities Coalition gives the organization a foundation to address social determinants of health by partnering with smoking cessation groups, American Heart Association and nutrition and healthy lifestyle groups, helping program recipients to build their own resources for these areas of health. AAAneurysm Outreach is an example of an organization creating new ways to work with health care entities and other community organizations. Demonstrable improvements in quality of care as well as sustainable individual health care result in better quality of life and lower cost of care. Her team exhibited at the 2018 CVD Appalachia, and presented a research abstract, which was awarded best abstract for the symposium.

Mrs. Hunt formerly worked in management, fundraising, disaster response and board development with American Red Cross. During her 18 years there, she recruited and developed volunteer teams in four states. Mrs. Hunt is an experienced speaker who has presented at the (Florida) Governors Hurricane Conference, Society for Vascular Nursing and with children’s advocacy associations, as well as Louisiana health conferences. She has a long-time connection with rural West Virginia, with family members throughout the area.

Anthony J. (Tony) DeLucia, Ph.D.

Dr. DeLucia is a scientist by training (comparative pathology, environmental physiology, UC Davis 1970-76) who has a major interest in wellness, wellbeing, and health from his teaching, service and advocacy in chronic disease, aging, environmental, applied nutrition, and sports medicine issues. He is on the medical school faculty of the James H. Quillen College of Medicine, East Tennessee State University. He has been the principal investigator of numerous grants using bench or animal model methodologies, human exercise strategies, and more recently has collaborated on climate change-air quality modeling research. He is primarily involved in research in collaboration with and service to the community at this time, primarily through organizations such as American Lung Association, which he chaired from 2002-2003, and the American Public Health Association, the American Planning Association and Grow Carter County (TN). DeLucia is interested in smart growth (and built environment) issues as they relate to the economy, equity, and public health. He served ten years on the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee of the EPA and is a charter member of the NIEHS Partners group. He also contributes to action on children in nature and food systems topics in Tennessee and Southern Appalachia, as well as throughout the broader region, and on emergent issues and opportunities for food system reform. DeLucia is an avid weekend road cyclist and work week bike commuter.

Keep Your Move in the Tube, ™

Eric Diaz

Risk Factors/Social Determinants
Policies and Programs
CVD and Culture