MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — To kick off National Public Health Week on campus, Middle Tennessee State University will host award-winning journalist Sam Quinones for an evening public talk on April 7 where he will speak on “From Crisis to Community: Stories of Hope in the Shadow of Fentanyl.”  

Sponsored by the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery and the Public Health Program, the Spring 2025 Distinguished Lecture event featuring the bestselling author will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, April 7, in Room 104 of the Academic Classroom Building, 1751 MTSU Blvd.

Quinones’ presentation culminates a semester-long focus on his 2021 release, “The Least of Us: True Tales of America and Hope in the Time of Fentanyl and Meth,” winner of the 2022 National Book Critics Circle Award.

“Throughout this semester, students and faculty from throughout the College of Behavioral and Health Sciences have been partaking in a virtual book club to read the author’s most recent book about the addiction crisis,” said Chipper Smith, Public Health faculty member in the in the Department of Health and Human Performance.

In his latest book, Quinones chronicles the rise of a drug-trafficking world producing cheaper and deadlier drugs, targeting those addicted by the previously created opioid epidemic. Amidst this backdrop, Americans quietly attempt to rebuild their communities through acts of helping the vulnerable.

“The Least of Us” follows his landmark 2015 release, “Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic,” chronicling the deadliest drug scourge in U.S. history that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Over the past decade, Quinones has used his award-winning book as a springboard. He has testified in front of the U.S. Senate’s Health Committee, numerous professional conferences of judges, doctors, librarians and hospital administrators and at more than two dozen town hall meetings in small towns across the country.

For off-campus visitors attending the lecture, a campus parking map is available at https://bit.ly/MTSUParking

The lecture and book topic falls in line with this year’s APHA National Public Health Week theme, “It Starts Here,” highlighting the need for cohesive community engagement to produce lasting improvements that address public health challenges.

“This event is a continuation of MTSU’s priority to address addiction throughout the Middle Tennessee region,” Smith said.

In 1993, the MTSU Center for Health and Human Services was founded to conduct or facilitate research, communications, education, and training across the spectrum of public health issues of importance to Tennessee. Substance use is one of those issues.

Since 2019, the center has acquired $9.4 million in federal and state opioid abatement grants and another $4.2 million in federal funding to work alongside community partners in expanding recovery and other opportunities for those impacted by addiction, confirmed center Director Cynthia Chafin.

MTSU’s community involvement and engagement provides an avenue for students to learn.

“A large number of our students are interested in pursuing a career in public health, particularly in addressing substance use disorder and addiction,” Smith said.

Public Health Week events

The remainder of the National Public Health Week observance will feature student-led events, including a documentary night in the Student Union. Additionally, outreach efforts will be conducted on campus regarding climate change. An alumni panel will engage with current students to provide insights into career paths. Events include:

• The Public Health Alumni Panel discussion is set for 9:45-11:15 a.m. Tuesday, April 8, in Room 101 of Murphy Center, 2650 Middle Tennessee Blvd.

• Screening of the documentary, “And the Band Played On,” will take place from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, in the Student Union Theater, 1768 MTSU Blvd.

• PARK(ing) Day will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the lot between Corlew Hall and Keathley University Center, 1524 Military Memorial. The lot will be transformed into a “parking space lounge” with educational information about the “heat island effect” and importance of green spaces provided.

Visit https://bit.ly/43rTOYZ to learn more about Public Health Week events.

Following on the theme of “community,” plans are in the works to launch a campus recovery group initiative at MTSU later this year. More information is forthcoming.

“Overall, the goal for this campus event is to help people feel more comfortable talking about recovery,” Smith said.

— Nancy DeGennaro (Nancy.DeGennaro@mtsu.edu)