D’Youville University Hosts Public Health Panel Featuring Best-Selling Author Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha

D’Youville University proudly hosted a compelling panel discussion on Thursday, April 24, 2025, at its Montante Family Library, featuring nationally recognized pediatrician and best-selling author Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha. The event drew students, faculty, and community members for a critical conversation about environmental justice and children's health.

Image

Dr. Hanna-Attisha, renowned for her role in uncovering the Flint water crisis and author of What the Eyes Don’t See, was joined by Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein and University at Buffalo Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health Dr. Katarzyna Kordas. Together, the distinguished panelists explored how environmental exposures affect children's development, the role of advocacy in public health, and the importance of science-based leadership in addressing health disparities.

“This event reflects D’Youville’s commitment to community health and environmental justice,” said Dr. Lorrie Clemo, President of D’Youville University. “We are honored to welcome such powerful voices in public health to our campus.”

The panel concluded with a Q&A session that engaged the audience in discussions ranging from local environmental concerns to the broader implications of policy and public engagement in healthcare.

Image

What the Eyes Don’t See was a common read book for D’Youville students during the 2024-25 academic year. A different book is selected each year as a common read. Books that focus on the health sciences, relate to the D’Youville’s Buffalo community, as well as content that enhances the hard and soft skills of D’Youville students are desired.

Dr. Fehmi Damkaci, Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, commented on the common read program, “We expect that this program makes students read a book they may not read otherwise and might be out of their comfort zone. We hope the selected titles get students thinking about major issues which they may face in their life, jobs, or community and prepare them with knowledge and skills to deal with challenges that are inevitable in life.”

What the Eyes Don’t See is the story of how Dr. Hanna-Attisha, alongside a team of researchers, parents, friends, and community leaders, discovered that the children of Flint, Michigan, were being exposed to lead in their tap water. The book reveals how misguided austerity policies, broken democracy, and callous bureaucratic indifference placed an entire city at risk. And at the center of the story is Dr. Mona herself—an immigrant, doctor, scientist, and mother whose family’s activist roots inspired her pursuit of justice.

Damkaci concluded, “The common read program is collective effort to select a topic and book around it to read, think, and get engaged collaboratively throughout most of the year. This has powerful impact on campus and our community for years to come. We were grateful host Dr. Hanna-Attisha, Dr. Burstein, and Dr. Kordas for a wonderful program to benefit D’Youville students.”