Distinguished Public Health Leader to Appear At Jewish Women's Theatre Zoom Event

As the American public yearns for trustworthy, truthful medical information, Rear Admiral Susan Blumenthal, M.D., MPA (ret) will provide it at a special Jewish Women's Theatre (JWT) Sunday Morning at The Braid Zoom event on Sunday, June 14, at 11 a.m. PDT.

Rear Admiral Blumenthal provided distinguished public service for more than two decades as a leading U.S. government health expert and spokesperson in the Administrations of four U.S. presidents. Breaking several glass ceilings, she was the country's first Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health, U.S Assistant Surgeon General, and Senior Global Health Advisor in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"At a time when so many of us yearn for factual, trustworthy information, JWT is fortunate to have Rear Admiral Blumenthal with us to share her vast accumulation of knowledge with an audience that will appreciate some straight talk," says Ronda Spinak, JWT's artistic director. "And the fact that she is a female Jewish doctor with expertise in women's health, COVID-19, and other epidemic threats is a true gift to those who join this event."

This event, and all Sunday Morning at The Braid events, are available on Zoom and registration can be located at www.jewishwomenstheatre.org/zoom. Registrants will be provided instructions for joining the program. Event attendance is free, but purchasing a virtual ticket is encouraged to help sustain JWT during these challenging times.

Throughout her career, Rear Admiral Blumenthal has been a major force in responding to emerging disease threats, including HIV/AIDS, the chronic disease pandemic, and COVID-19. In collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, she co-founded the Beat the Virus campaign to educate about proven public health practices that decrease viral transmission.

Rear Admiral Blumenthal will be interviewed by award-winning screenwriter Arlene Sarner during the Sunday Morning at The Braid event. "This promises to be a timely, educational, and inspiring event," says Sarner. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce Rear Admiral Blumenthal to our audience and to save time on the program to give her an opportunity to answer questions from our Zoom audience across the country."

Blumenthal's credentials demonstrate the breadth of her knowledge and achievements. She has been a White House health advisor and the Chief of the Behavioral Medicine and Basic Prevention Research Branch Chief at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She is also an internationally recognized medical leader who has been a major force in bringing important public health issues- including women's health, mental health, and global health-to increased scientific and public attention. As the first-ever Deputy Assistant Secretary for Women's Health, she developed innovative national initiatives and coordinated a multi-billion-dollar budget of research, services, education programs, and activities across HHS. Her accomplishments include exposing the inequities in women's health and then developing a comprehensive national strategy on sex differences in health and disease that dramatically increased public and scientific attention to these issues.

In addition, she is a pioneer in applying technology to health, creating the first government website and the "Missiles to Mammograms" initiative which advances breast cancer detection. Dr. Blumenthal has also been at the forefront of national efforts to achieve effectiveness, efficiency, and equity in the U.S. health care system, to emphasize the power of disease, suicide, and violence prevention, to reduce health disparities, and to advance multi-sector "health in all policies" solutions. She has also directed a Middle East health initiative.

Currently, Dr. Blumenthal currently serves as a clinical professor at Tufts and Georgetown University Schools of Medicine, as a member of the visiting committee of the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, and as Director of the Health Innovations Lab at New America. She is the recipient of many awards, medals, and honorary doctorates including from the Hebrew Union College and Ben Gurion University, among others. She was named the Health Leader of the Year by the Commissioned Officers Association, as a Rock Star of Science by the Geoffrey Beene Foundation, by Hadassah as a Woman of Valor, as the Rosalind Franklin Centennial Life in Discovery honoree, and decorated with the Distinguished Service Medal of the U.S. Public Health Service, its highest honor, "for distinguished and pioneering leadership, groundbreaking contributions, and dedicated public service that has improved the health of women."

Rear Admiral Blumenthal is the latest in a series of noteworthy and significant speakers who have shared their knowledge with JWT audiences. Previous guests include Rabbis Naomi Levy, Toba August, and Laura Geller; LA Superior Court judges Renee Korn and Angela J. Davis; writers Rob Eshman, Angella Nazarian, Judy Zeidler, Amelia Saltsman, Maggie Anton, and Gina Nahai; politicians Jackie Goldberg, Joy Picus, Alicia Weintraub, and Laura Friedman, as well as numerous artists, attorneys, composers, musicians, philanthropists, and entertainment executives.

Jewish Women's Theatre, voted one of the "Best Live Theatres on the Westside" three years in a row by The Argonaut, presents American Jewish stories, art, and other programming that highlights Jewish contributions to contemporary life. Now in its 12th season, JWT's salon theatre of original dramatic shows, each written to a specific theme, displays the diverse and eclectic community of writers, artists, and creators who celebrate Jewish life, one story at a time. Learn more about JWT at: www.jewishwomenstheatre.org.

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