CDC's Howell Wechsler to speak on campus

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
October 5, 2009

Howell Wechsler of the Centers for Disease Control will speak 9:30 a.m. Oct. 6 at Texas State University-San Marcos.

Wechsler will speak in room 209 of the Jowers Center on campus. The Health Education Division of the Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation is sponsoring Wechsler's appearance. The event is free and open to the public.

Wechsler has served as the director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since April 2004. In this position, he supervises the management of DASH’s three surveillance systems (youth risk behavior surveillance system, school health policies and programs study, and school health profiles); and programmatic activities, including funding of and technical assistance to state and local education agencies and national, non-governmental organizations.

Prior to joining CDC in 1995, Wechsler served for six years as project director of the Washington Heights-Inwood Healthy Heart Program in New York City. This community-based cardiovascular disease prevention program was affiliated with Columbia University, where Wechsler taught courses in health communication. He has also directed a community-based health screening program serving the New York City metropolitan area and has worked as a health educator for the New York City Department of Health. He entered the field of public health during his service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Zaire.

Wechsler earned a doctorate in health education from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master's in public health from Columbia University, and a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

For more information, contact David Wiley at (512) 245-2946 or via email at davidwiley@txstate.edu.