Media Contact
Sam Fahmy
Director of Communications
School of Public Health
[email protected]
ATLANTA—Georgia State University School of Public Health faculty, staff, students and community members will gather on March 31 for a research symposium named in honor of two of the school’s most dedicated supporters, Marshall Kreuter and Martha Katz.
The 2026 Kreuter Katz Lecture and Public Health Research Symposium will feature a keynote address titled “Homelessness: Causes, Consequences and Solutions” that will be delivered by Dr. Margot Kushel, Professor of Medicine and Director of the University of California San Francisco Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative.
Kushel’s lecture will be followed by a panel discussion that will include Joy Monroe, Founder and CEO of the Single Parent Alliance and Resource Center, and Sue Sullivan, an advocate for families who are living in extended-stay hotels. Monroe and Sullivan recently worked with the School of Public Health’s Center on Health and Homelessness to develop a report that found that extended-stay hotels are serving as a shelter of last resort for more than 4,600 people in DeKalb County alone.
“Since its establishment in 2024, the School of Public Health’s Center on Health and Homelessness has brought faculty, staff, students and community partners together to address the intersection of health and homelessness,” said Dean Rodney Lyn. “This year’s Kreuter Katz lecture and symposium builds on this momentum by creating a space for dialogue and connection.”
In addition to the lecture and panel discussion, the event will feature lightning talks presented by faculty and students, roundtable presentations featuring alumni speakers, and a student poster session and lunch.
“Last year’s Kreuter Katz lecture and symposium drew nearly 200 people to campus, and we’re looking forward to another great turnout this year,” said Daniel Whitaker, Distinguished University Professor, Associate Dean for Research and Chair of the Kreuter Katz lecture and symposium planning committee. “People from across campus and beyond are invited to join us for a day that encourages meaningful dialogue among researchers, students and community partners.”
The Kreuter Katz Lecture and Public Health Research Symposium will be held from 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 31 in the State Ballroom of Student Center East. The event is free and open to students, faculty, staff and community members. Participants can choose to register for a portion of the day’s events or the entire day.
About Marshall Kreuter and Martha Katz
Kreuter was one of the earliest faculty members in what was then known as the Institute of Public Health at Georgia State. During his career at GSU, he led several community-based participatory research projects. Prior to joining Georgia State, he was a Distinguished Scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. His leadership roles at CDC included Director of the Division of Health Education, inaugural Director of the Division of Chronic Disease Control and Community Intervention, and Director of the Prevention Research Centers program.
Katz also had a distinguished career at the CDC, where she served for 22 years as Deputy Director for Policy and Legislation. In this role, she advised the CDC Director on policy issues and provided leadership for the agency’s legislative initiatives, health communications programs, and relationships with external partners. She previously served as Director of Health Policy for Healthcare Georgia Foundation and was instrumental in the establishment of the CDC Foundation.