Admiral Levine to Speak at Kutztown University’s 19th Annual Social Work Community Forum March 3

KUTZTOWN, Pa. – The Kutztown University Department of Social Work will host the 19th annual Community Forum Friday, March 3, including keynote speaker Admiral Rachel L. Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This in-person event brings together social work professionals, university community members and community leaders to raise awareness and develop solutions to community needs, particularly as they pertain to families.

The Community Forum is scheduled 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Schaeffer Auditorium. Levine is scheduled to speak at 9:20 a.m., followed by a Q&A session. Registration for the event is open to the public and admission is free. To register, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CForum2023. Media interested in attending should contact Bryan Salvadore, director of communications, at salvadore@kutztown.edu.

This year’s Community Forum is centered on the topic of the opioid crisis. Admiral Levine uses her leadership to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. Also head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Admiral Levine has worked to help our nation overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger foundation for a healthier future, one in which every American can attain their full health potential.

After graduating from Harvard College and Tulane University School of Medicine, Admiral Levine studied Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Mt. Sinal Medical Center in New York City. She focused on the intersection between mental and physical health as a physician and was also a Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at Penn State College of Medicine. She held several posts including vice chair of Clinical Affairs for the Department of Pediatrics and Chief of the Division of Adolescent Medicine and Eating Disorders.

In 2015, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf nominated Admiral Levine to be Pennsylvania's Physician General and she was subsequently unanimously confirmed by Pennsylvania's state Senate. In March of 2018, Admiral Levine was named Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health. During her time in state government, she worked to address Pennsylvania's opioid crisis, focus attention on maternal health and improve immunization rates among children. Her decision to issue a standing order for the anti-overdose drug, Naloxone, saved thousands of lives by allowing law enforcement to carry the drug and Pennsylvanians to purchase it without a prescription from their doctor. Admiral Levine is an accomplished speaker and author of numerous publications on the opioid crisis, adolescent medicine, eating disorders and LGBTQ medicine.

Up to six continuing education credits (including three ethics credits) will be available for licensed social workers, marriage and family therapists and professional counselors. KU's Department of Social Work (BSW, MSW, DSW) aspires to provide high quality, nationally accredited curricula and program activities that respond to the diverse and ever-changing social needs of our rural, suburban and urban communities, students, employers and the profession of social work.

For more information, please contact Dr. Sharon Lyter, forum chair, at lyter@kutztown.edu.