TEDxPSU Speakers - Chris Calkins
- September 1, 2010
Chris Calkins is the Director of Outreach Health Initiatives at Penn State. In this role, Calkins works to expand health initiatives already underway in Penn State Outreach and identify opportunities to increase Outreach participation in teaching, research and outreach efforts related to health across the University.
Calkins joined Outreach after three years as Clinical Liaison Officer for the Penn State Hershey Medical Center (PSHMC) where he led the development of collaborative programs between PSHMC and other health care providers across the state. Immediately prior to taking the role at PSHMC, Calkins was Director of Special Projects in the College of Health and Human Development. There, he focused on student initiatives, diversity and strategic plan development and community engagement.
Calkins works everyday with partners across the University and the Commonwealth who are involved in an extraordinary number and variety of health-related efforts. Penn State is creating and applying new knowledge every day that impacts human health at every level; from the functioning of the cell to the functioning of health systems and across the life-span from development in early childhood to successful aging. In addition, the Penn State Outreach plays an important role in raising awareness and convening stakeholders around critical health issues, from domestic violence to the shortage of nurses and primary care providers,, autism to diabetes, access to care in rural areas to end of life issues.
Calkins in his role as Director of Outreach Health Initiatives sits at the intersection of understanding how these large scale factors influence health care delivery, education, policy and business. Calkins received his undergraduate and doctoral degrees in Health Policy and Administration from Penn State University and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from California State University, East Bay.
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