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DR. JOYCELYN ELDERS TO SPEAK AT UAM

Wednesday, February 11, 2009 10:06 AM CST

SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL

MONTICELLO — Dr. Joycelyn Elders, former surgeon general of the United States, will speak at the University of Arkansas at Monticello in observance of Black History Month.

On Feb. 18, Elders will speak at 7 p.m. at the John F. Gibson University Center following a dinner in her honor at 5:30 p.m. Both the dinner and speech are open to the public. Persons wishing to attend should contact the Office of Student Activities at (870) 460-1396 or 1053, or e-mail Mindy Holcomb at holcomb@uamont.edu no later than Friday.

In 1993, Elders was appointed surgeon general. Since leaving that post, Elders has returned to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences as professor of pediatrics.

A native of Schaal, Elders rose from poverty to become a doctor, earning an M.D. from UAMS in 1960. In 1987, then-Gov. Bill Clinton appointed Elders as director of the Arkansas Department of Health. Her accomplishments in this position included a tenfold increase in the number of early childhood screenings annually and almost a doubling of the immunization rate for two-year-olds in Arkansas.

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