The Office of the Provost's Carolina Leadership Initiative will host the third annual Leadership Week January 28-February 1 and invites participation in the week-long celebration highlighting leadership for all USC students, faculty and staff. Colleges, schools, the University Libraries, the Living/Learning Communities (Capstone, Maxcy, Green Quad and Preston), Leadership and Service Center, University Advising, On Your Time, Continuing Education and Conferences and the Office of Undergraduate Research have all joined together to promote leadership for the student body. Activities include seminars, panel discussions, and live performances. All presentations, workshops and panels counted towards Graduation with Leadership Distinction as enhancement activities for undergraduate students.

Join the Arnold School of Public Health for the 3rd Annual Arnold School of Public Health Voices in Leadership Panel Discussion on Wednesday, January 30 from 4-5 p.m. in the Public Health Research Center Auditorium (#114). This year's discussion will focus on  “Innovative State and Local Public Health Strategies." Refreshments will be served after the program. 

 

Panelist Biographies

E.A. “Beth” De Santis, MSN
Chief Executive Officer,
South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Ms. De Santis joined the SC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy as Chief Executive Officer in October 2016 after working at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC) for 16 years. Ms. De Santis began working at SC DHEC in 2000 as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner providing clinical reproductive health care. After four years of clinical care, she went into Program and Operations Management for the counties of Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg. In 2010, she became the Director of DHEC’s statewide Family Planning Program and then in 2013 became Director of the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.

Her background includes a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of South Carolina, Certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Virginia. Over the course of her career, Ms. De Santis has focused on decreasing unintended pregnancy in an effort to empower young women to develop to their full potential. She currently serves on the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association’s Board of Directors.

Monty Robertson, MHA
Program Manager, Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina, South Carolina Hospital Association

Passionate about improving the health of his home state, Mr. Robertson has served as the backbone in multiple population health initiatives in South Carolina. Currently, he works at the South Carolina Hospital Association as the program manager for the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina, a cross-sector coalition of more than 60 public and private organizations working together to achieve healthier bodies, minds and communities in the Palmetto State. Handling the operations of the coalition, Mr. Robertson is charged with creating and expanding strong relationships with industry partners to ensure the success and future growth of the Alliance.

Previously, Mr. Robertson served as Senior Consultant at the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services where he worked with the South Carolina Birth Outcomes Initiative, a statewide collaborative to improve maternal and child health. This nationally-recognized program model using a combination of state agencies, health plans, non-profit organizations and hospital teams uses best practices, policy change and innovative initiatives to create a positive impact in the lives of moms and babies in our state.

Mr. Robertson received his B.S. degree in Biology from Furman University and his Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Dr. Geoff Scott, PhD
Clinical Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina

Dr. Geoff Scott received his BS in Biology from Wofford College and his MS and PhD in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina. He was the Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Center for Coastal and Environmental Health and Biomolecular Research from 2001-2014. Dr. Scott is currently a Clinical Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He is also the Director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Center for Oceans and Human Health and Climate Change Interactions, which is housed in the Arnold School of Public Health, with five collaborating universities.

Dr. Scott has served on over 100 graduate student research committees and has directed the research of more than 50 Master’s and PhD students at various institutions. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed scientific publications and has authored/co-authored more than 23 national reports.

He has served on numerous national and international advisory panels to government and industry groups (e.g., Food Quality and Protection Act, Climate Change and Genetically Modified Crops; Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference; SC Governor’s Primary Health Care Task Force; Environmental Protection Agency-Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act).