ASU Town Hall on Future of Health Care Delivery to be streamed, tweeted live

The Sept. 25 Arizona State University Town Hall on the Future of Health Care Delivery, featuring former U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, ASU President Michael M. Crow and Wyatt W. Decker, Mayo Clinic vice president and CEO in Arizona, will be streamed live via the Internet and tweeted throughout the event, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

The video stream can be found at asufoundation.org/townhall; the live Twitter feed will appear on twitter.com/asufoundation, using #FutureofHealthCare.

“We believe this discussion on health care delivery and where it is headed is a critically important conversation,” says Crow. “We welcome Dr. Carmona’s lead role in the conversation and look forward to his insight and that of Dr. Decker as we explore the future of health care delivery and the longstanding partnership between ASU and Mayo Clinic; the collaboration is already a transformative one that will lead to further innovation at previously unheard-of levels.”

In 2002, Carmona was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as 17th Surgeon General of the United States based on his extensive experience in public health, clinical sciences, health care management and preparedness. As the nation’s doctor, he focused on prevention, preparedness, health disparities, health literacy and global health. He issued many landmark surgeon general communications, including the definitive Surgeon General's Report about the dangers of second-hand smoke. Today, he is the first Distinguished Professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona and the first Distinguished Professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing, and serves as president of the non-profit Canyon Ranch Institute and vice chairman of Canyon Ranch.

Decker has been with Mayo Clinic for more than 16 years as a consultant and professor of emergency medicine. He has served in numerous leadership roles, including chair of Emergency Medicine, with chair responsibilities for both the emergency departments at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. and Jacksonville, Fla. He currently serves as chair of the Mayo Clinic Personnel Committee in Rochester, and is leading the Rochester Destination Medical Community Initiative.

ASU and Mayo have established a variety of successful programmatic collaborations since 2003, including a joint nursing education program, joint research projects and faculty appointments, and dual degree programs. The success of the ASU-Mayo collaboration led to a broader partnership in 2011 that includes health care, medical research and education. ASU’s new School for the Science of Health Care Delivery is the first of its kind in the country. Students attending the Mayo Medical School when it opens in Scottsdale, Ariz. will earn both a medical degree from Mayo and a Master of Science in the science of health care delivery from ASU, as the program will be embedded in the medical degree curriculum.

“The current health care system in the United States is undergoing massive changes,” says Crow. “ASU and Mayo Clinic are at the forefront of this transformation.

“ASU is deeply committed to new models of success in higher education, and Mayo Clinic – an institution that can change national trajectories – is equally committed to doing things in new ways,” adds Crow. “Our discussion on Wednesday evening will explore in greater depth how we can advance health care delivery in a more affordable, personalized manner. The possibilities of a decade ago are no longer mere possibilities. They are results – lifesaving results – and show that with more work, our best days are ahead of us.”