Rural Health Leader Selected for Distinguished Lectureship

Billy U. Philips, Ph.D., MPH, Texas Tech University Health Science Center (TTUHSC) executive vice president for rural and community health and director of the F. Marie Hall Institute for Rural and Community Health, was selected for the Harold P. Freeman, MD Lectureship Award by the Intercultural Cancer Council.

As part of this distinguished honor, Philips will present the Freeman Lecture at the 12^th Biennial Symposium on Minorities, the Medically Underserved and Health Equity, which is jointly sponsored by the Intercultural Cancer Center, in Houston this month.

“Dr. Philips is an outstanding health care professional who is deserving of this honor,” said TTUHSC President Tedd L. Mitchell, M.D. “We are extremely proud of his accomplishment.”

The award, named after Harold P. Freeman, M.D., former president of the American Cancer Society and founder of the first patient navigation program in Harlem, N.Y., is presented to an individual or group who demonstrate excellence in eliminating health disparities for the poor and uninsured. Past recipients of the award include former U.S. Surgeon General and Assistant Secretary for Health David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.

Philips joined TTUHSC in April 2009 after serving in various positions for 35 years at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. He currently oversees four different rural health programs including a telemedicine program, Area Health Education Centers program, Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center and a rural research program.

An established National Institutes of Health investigator and author of numerous books, peer-reviewed articles and other scholarly works in community based research and chronic diseases, Philips is recognized nationally for his expertise in cancer control education.

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