Tennessee commissioner wants to ‘depoliticize’ public health policy

By , Daily Memphian Updated: March 28, 2025 7:59 PM CT | Published: March 28, 2025 7:58 PM CT

Dr. Ralph Alvarado, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Health, touched on everything from vaccines to fluoride to health disparities during a presentation at the University of Memphis on Friday, March 28.

Topics

Ralph Alvarado University of Memphis School of Public Health Dr. Ashish Joshi measles vaccines
Aisling Mäki

Aisling Mäki

Aisling Mäki covers health care, banking and finance, technology and professions. After launching her career in news two decades ago, she worked in public relations for almost a decade before returning to journalism in 2022.

As a health care reporter, she’s collaborated with The Carter Center, earned awards from the Associated Press and Society of Professional Journalists and won a 2024 Tennessee Press Association first-place prize for her series on discrepancies in Shelby County life expectancy by ZIP code.


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