Industry Panel on the Business Case for Effective Tobacco Control Strategies featuring discussants LaVaughn Palma-Davis, Eduardo Sanchez, and Fred Williams.
The keynote session will focus on the importance of support from the C-suite/senior leadership in the development and implementation of wellness and prevention programs, highlighting in particular how to make the case for offering employees comprehensive smoking cessation benefits- Partnership for Prevention
This program is supported by Pfizer Inc.
Bio
LaVaughn Palma-Davis
LaVaughn Palma-Davis is the Senior Director for University Health and Well Being Initiatives. In this role she provides leadership for the implementation of Michigan Healthy Community, an ambitious, collaborative effort to leverage the University’s resources to promote the health and well-being of its faculty, staff, dependents, retirees and students. LaVaughn also serves as the Administrator for the University of Michigan Health System’s Occupational Health and Health Promotion Services. These include the MWorks Occupational Health Clinic, Employee Health Services, MWorks Disability Management Services, the UMHS Employee Assistance Program, and the MFit Health Promotion Division. She is responsible for approximately 85 employees who provide services to the University of Michigan, to its patients and area communities and to approximately 300 other employers in Southeastern Michigan.
LaVaughn received her B.S. in health education from the University of Dayton and her M.A. in public health education from Central Michigan University.
Eduardo J. Sanchez
Eduardo J. Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H is the Director of the Institute for Health Policy at The University of Texas School of Public Health. Dr. Sanchez served as Commissioner of the Texas Department Health from November 2001 through August 2004, overseeing an array of programs from disease prevention, communicable disease control, and preparedness to environmental and consumer safety as well as regulatory services.
On September 1, 2004, he became Commissioner of the newly formed Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), which combined public health, mental health and substance abuse. He served as Commissioner of DSHS until October 2006.
Sanchez was in active family medicine practice in Austin, Texas from 1992 to 2001. In addition, he served as health authority and chief medical officer for the Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services Department from 1994 to 1998. He played a critical role in helping to create the Texas Association of Local Health Officials in 1997.
He received his medical degree in 1988 from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and holds master's degrees in public health from the UT School of Public Health and in biomedical engineering from Duke University. He also has bachelor's degrees from Boston University in biomedical engineering and chemistry.
The American Academy of Family Physicians presented Dr. Sanchez with the 2005 Public Health Award for his contributions to public health in Texas and beyond. He also received the Louis B. Russell Memorial Award, in 2004, from the American Heart Association for outstanding service to minority populations.
Fred Williams
Fred Williams is the Director of Benefits and Strategic Alliances for Quest Diagnostics, Inc.