The National Public Lecture Tour is a half-day event, consisting of a keynote address, followed by a panel discussion with three state-based experts, and concluded by a roundtable discussion in which all attendees can participate.

Each year, Dr. Sidney Katz’s memory and seminal work are honored with a lecture by an expert in their field, sponsored by the Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research.

Richard Besdine, MD, Director, Center for Gerontology, looks back on a career dedicated to improving elder care. He established the first academic geriatrics fellowship in the country at Harvard.  He was the founding director of the UConn Center on Aging and the first Travelers Professor of Geriatrics and Gerontology. He was also the first chief medical officer for the Health Care Financing Administration's Health Standards and Quality Bureau.  In 2000, he became the inaugural David S. Greer, MD, Professor of Geriatric Medicine at Brown.

This year's keynote speaker is Vincent Mor, PhD, Florence Pirce Grant University Professor, Professor of Health Services, Policy and Practice here at Brown University.

The Rhode Island Community-Academic Partnership for Behavioral Health (RICAP) will launch in February 2019 with funding from the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute. The Partnership is a collaboration between the Substance Use and Mental Health Leadership Council of Rhode Island (SUMHLC), and Brown University School of Public Health.