The 海角论坛 School of Medicine marked a milestone and a full-circle moment last week when it welcomed former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, M.D., for the 20th annual Dr. Reaner and Mr. Henry Shannon Endowed Lectureship in Minority Health.
Adams, who served at U.S. surgeon general from 2017 to 2021 and is now on the faculty at Purdue University, spoke about mental health in America. The lectureship’s inaugural speaker in 2006 was Joycelyn Elders, M.D., the first African American surgeon general of the United States.
“This is truly a full circle moment,” said Tyler Smith, M.D., the School of Medicine’s associate dean of inclusive excellence. “The lectureship continues a tradition of hosting dynamic speakers who are leaders in medicine, including 海角论坛 School of Medicine graduates and faculty members, as well as leaders in government health agencies and professional medical organizations.”
The lectureship — started in 2006 by Reaner Shannon the first associate dean of what was then the Office of Minority Affairs, and her husband, Henry Shannon, — “was created to promote continued learning and education, as well as to bring awareness about medical issues and health disparities impacting people and communities of color,” Smith said.
Adams exemplifies that tradition. As former U.S. surgeon general, Adams championed mental health, health equity, opioid overdose prevention, maternal health and access for underserved communities. During his time serving the role, he also led the nation through the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, something he reflected upon in his 2023 published book, “Crisis and Chaos.”
Currently, Adams serves as a professor, presidential fellow and executive director of health equity initiatives at Purdue, allowing him to stay connected with the issues that matter most to him – mental health and health equity.
“How are we doing in terms of mental health in America? The truth is, not well,” Adams said during his lecture. “Think about your day. One in five people who you're encountering has clinically diagnosed depression. And it's not just our adults. Our youth mental health is in crisis. One in three high schoolers report their health was not good for most or all of the past 30 days.”
In his lecture titled “The Current State of Mental Health in America,” Adams explored the issues contributing to the rise of mental health issues throughout the nation and argued that mental health must be treated like physical health.
“No one would say, ‘why don't you just fix your broken ankle?’ But gosh, when we say their heart is broken or their mind is broken, people think completely differently,” Adams said. “I often say you wouldn't go to a provider who refused to treat high blood pressure or diabetes, but we're perfectly fine with our doctors refusing to treat mental health. We have to change that mindset. We have to really own this and say that mental health is part of primary care.”
Adams not only urged doctors and individuals to fight the mental health stigma, but to also recognize other barriers in place preventing treatment.
He pointed out the disparities existing in our country among racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ communities and incarcerated populations — groups that often experience more persistent or severe symptoms yet have less access to care.
“What's driving these disparities? Structural barriers, limited access to affordable and culturally competent care and provider shortages,” Adams said. “There are geographic and transportation barriers, discrimination and minority stress, criminal justice system factors and broader social determinants. Poverty, economic stability and community violence drives mental health disparities. And insurance often doesn't pay for mental health.”
One data point Adams kept a close eye on while surgeon general was the rise in suicide, which led to him putting out a during his term. Adams continues to track this data and shared some alarming statistics affecting children of color.
“For Black children aged five to 12, rates are two times that of white children,” Adams said. “That tells you a lot about our society right now and the stresses that our young people are facing, and particularly young people of color.”
One of the societal issues impacting mental health, Adams said, is social media use, which he pointed out has been shown in studies to be as addictive as heroin.
“It's linked to higher risk of anxiety, depression and suicidal behavior amongst adolescents,” Adams said. “And surveys show 86% of the public feels social media platforms contribute to addiction and mental health harm.”
Adams talked about the risks and rise of gambling addictions, an issue he said we are not talking enough about as online platforms are making it more accessible than ever.
“The shocking statistic is gambling is the addiction that is most likely to lead to suicide,” Adams said. “Two to 4 million Americans may experience gambling disorder in their lifetime with links to additional mental health harms.”
Another societal issue Adams highlighted was substance misuse. Access to addictive substances has become much more prevalent for young people, he said. E-cigarettes, Zyn and other nicotine delivery options have drastically risen in popularity in recent years, reversing hard-won gains in reducing tobacco use in previous decades.
When it comes to substance misuse, Adams has a deeply personal connection to this issue.
“While I was in the White House, my brother was in a prison cell about 50 miles away,” Adams said. “My brother has substance use disorder, and I share his story with his permission, because stigma kills, and stigma is when we separate ourselves into us and them. That happens to them, that doesn't happen to us. Well, substance use disorder impacts everybody.”
So as surgeon general Adams focused on the opioid epidemic, because he not only saw how it was affecting the nation, but because he was also experiencing its impact firsthand.
Adams said the two things he was most proud of in his time in public health was working on the bipartisan efforts to increase syringe service program legislation .
“When I put up my Naloxone advisory, we saw Naloxone dispensing increased nationwide by about 400%,” Adams said. “I'm a trauma anesthesiologist, and when I was working full time, I probably saved 10 to 15 lives a year. But by using my voice and increasing naloxone dispensing nationwide by 400%, that's tens of thousands of lives potentially saved. And I don't say that to brag. I say that so that everyone here understands the power of policy making, the power of systemic change, the power of getting upstream.”
Delivering that inspiration was exactly the goal of the lecture. For Smith, Adams’ visit reflected the purpose of the Shannon Lectureship itself — to expose future physicians to the broader social forces shaping health care.
“It's a big deal, especially for our medical students, residents, fellows and other trainees, to be able to see someone who was sitting in a seat like theirs is now doing these things on the national and global level,” Smith said.