“We have adopted some of the habits that lead to disease, and we need to get out of those habits,” said Dr. John E. Maupin Jr., president of Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
Maupin will be the keynote speaker for the St. Louis American Foundation’s eighth annual Salute to Excellence in Health Care. The awards luncheon will be held Saturday, May 3 at Hyatt Regency St. Louis Riverport Hotel (formerly the Adam’s Mark Hotel).
At the luncheon, Maupin will discuss the role of leadership in improving the health of the community. Maupin said leadership has played a central role in health disparities remaining in effect.
“When you look back over time, the findings (about health disparities) continue to be the same,” Maupin said.
“What I think it is really about is leadership – leadership within our governmental agencies, leadership within our schools, leadership in our churches, and leadership in our communities.”
He said leaders need “to really take on the responsibility of changing our culture to a culture of wellness and health.”
At the Salute luncheon, Maupin will provide examples of people who are showing leadership in transforming the health culture in African-American communities.
Maupin himself is such an example. He has served in many national, state and local leadership roles during more than 30 years of experience in health-care administration, public health and academic medicine.
As a healthcare leader, public policy expert and dental practitioner, Maupin has created a legacy rooted in his passion for improving the health and well-being of underserved individuals and communities.
Recently, Maupin helped push for a new governance structure at Grady Memorial, the local teaching hospital for the underserved in Atlanta, amid concerns about the quality of education for medical residents, patient care and financial issues.
The Los Angeles native received undergraduate training at San Jose State College and earned a D.D.S. degree in 1972 from the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry and an M.B.A. in 1979 from Loyola College in Baltimore.
He entered the U.S. Army Dental Corps in 1974. Following two years of active duty, he served in the Active Reserves, including eight more months of active duty during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. Maupin retired from the military in 1997, with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Throughout his years in Baltimore, he maintained a part-time dental practice. He also has remained an active member of organized dentistry, holding leadership positions at the local, state and national levels. In 1984, he was elected president of the National Dental Association. In 2006, Maupin received the association’s highest honor, its inaugural Trailblazer Award.
Previously, Maupin served 12 years as president and chief executive officer at his alma mater, Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
This is Maupin’s second leadership position at Morehouse School of Medicine. He was executive vice president and chief operating officer from 1989 to 1994 while also serving as executive director of the school’s faculty practice plan.
Other previous senior administrative positions include chief executive officer of Southside Healthcare Inc. in Atlanta, Ga., one of the largest federally-qualified community health centers in the Southeast, and deputy commissioner with the Baltimore City Health Department.
He also has a distinguished record as a health-care expert, currently serving on the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education Accreditation of the U.S. Department of Education and the Governor’s Commission on Men’s Health (GA). Maupin has served on numerous scientific advisory panels, most notably, for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
Among all of his accomplishments and accolades, Maupin is most proud of being a husband, father and grandfather.
Tickets for the May 3 luncheon are $75 each for VIP tickets, $50 for individual tickets and $40 for general seating. Tables of 10 are available in each category. For tickets and information, call 314-533-8000, ext 305.