Behrend Speaker Series to feature doctor who exposed Flint water crisis

The doctor who exposed the deadly water contamination crisis in Flint, Michigan, will discuss her work Tuesday during the annual Speaker Series at Penn State Behrend. 

Mona Hanna-Attisha, M.D., a pediatrician whose work put a spotlight on Flint's water quality in 2014 and later sparked a federal emergency declaration, will join this year's virtual series via Zoom at 7 p.m. The presentation is open to the public. A link and more details are available at http://bit.ly/Behrend_Mona

Award:Professor's Research Prompts Global Change

Robb Frederick, assistant director of news and information for Penn State Behrend, said the program could help Erie residents learn the importance and long-term quality of the Great Lakes and how best to avoid the pitfalls of other communities like Flint. 

"A lot of what matters in Flint matters here in Erie as well," he said.  

Hanna-Attisha, who Time Magazine named one of its "100 Most Influential People in the World," is the founder and director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative at Michigan State University and Hurley Medical Center Children’s Hospital, according to a news release from Penn State Behrend. 

Taking action:Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha put her reputation on the line to expose crisis

In 2014, when Flint began to draw its drinking water from the Flint River, she learned the decision had introduced high levels of lead into the community’s water supply. By speaking out publicly and quickly, she helped spark a disaster declaration and a change in the city's water supply to the Great Lakes.

A Closer Look:National Resource Defense Council looks at Flint water crisis

Sherri "Sam" Mason, Penn State Behrend's sustainability coordinator, will moderate the discussion, along with a question and answer session with the public.

Mason was the recipient of the Heinz Award in Public Policy in 2018 for her research on microplastics contamination in the Great Lakes.

The Speaker Series at Penn State Behrend is designed to foster open discussions about topical cultural issues. The series is made possible by the college's Student Activity Fee, the Division of Student Affairs and the Harriet Behrend Ninow Memorial Lecture Series Fund. For more information, visit behrend.psu.edu/speakerseries.

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNRao.