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Mona Hanna

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Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha
Mona Hanna-Attisha
Born
Mona Hanna

(1976-11-24) November 24, 1976 (age 47)
Sheffield, England
Alma materUniversity of Michigan (B.S., M.P.H)
Michigan State University (M.D.)
Occupation(s)Pediatrician and professor
Employer(s)Hurley Medical Center (pediatrician)
Michigan State University (professor)
Known forUncovering the Flint water crisis
Awards

Mona Hanna-Attisha is a pediatrician, professor, and public health advocate whose research exposed the Flint water crisis. Her research revealed children were exposed to dangerous levels of lead in Flint, Michigan. She is now the director of an initiative to mitigate the impact of the crisis. She is commonly referred to as "Dr. Mona".[1] She is the author of the 2018 book What the Eyes Don't See, which The New York Times named as one of the 100 most notable books of the year.[2]

Biography

Born Mona Hanna in Sheffield, England, her parents are Iraqi scientists and dissidents who fled during Saddam Hussein's regime.[3][4] She grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan and graduated from Royal Oak's Kimball High School.[5] In 2017, she penned a New York Times opinion about her immigrant story and the impact of President Donald Trump's immigration restrictions titled Corroding the American Dream.[3]

Mona Hanna received her Bachelor of Science from University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability, her Master of Public Health degree in Health Management and Policy from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her medical degree from Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. She completed her residency and chief residency at Wayne State University/Children's Hospital of Michigan.[6] She is an associate professor at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. Her husband, Elliott Attisha, is a pediatrician in Detroit, Michigan. They have two daughters.

Flint water crisis

Role in exposing lead levels

On 24 September 2015, in a press conference at Flint's Hurley Medical Center, Dr. Hanna-Attisha revealed that Flint children's blood lead levels doubled after the water was switched from the Detroit River to the Flint River in April 2014. It was later determined that the mean blood level of Flint children increased from 1.19 to 1.30 micrograms per deciliter in the calendar years before and during the switch to the Flint River for city water supply.[7]

Dr. Hanna-Attisha conducted her research after talking to a high-school friend, Elin Warn Betanzo, a former Environmental Protection Agency Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water employee and water engineer. Betanzo told Hanna-Attisha that Marc Edwards, a water engineer and professor from Virginia Tech and his team of Flint Water Study researchers, found high levels of lead in Flint residents' homes.[8][9] Even though Hanna-Attisha was not provided the data she sought from the State of Michigan, she used hospital electronic medical records as data for her study.[10][11]

At a risk to her career, Hanna-Attisha revealed her findings at the 24 September 2015 press conference before her research was scientifically peer reviewed, because of the public health implications.[12] Hanna-Attisha's findings were later published in the American Journal of Public Health.[13] Hanna Attisha's findings were confirmed in a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in July 2016, and is recognized as an underestimate of exposure.[14]

At Dr. Hanna-Attisha's 24 September 2015 press conference she urged residents, particularly children, to stop drinking the water, to end Flint River as a water source as soon as possible and urged the City of Flint to issue a health advisory.[15] A day after Dr. Hanna-Attisha released her study, Flint issued a health advisory advising residents, particularly children, to minimize exposure to Flint tap water.[16] The water source was switched back to the Detroit River on 16 October 2015.[17] Later, the City of Flint, the State of Michigan and the United States made emergency declarations.[18]

Dr. Hanna-Attisha's research was initially ridiculed by the State of Michigan, when a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality spokesperson accused her of being an "unfortunate researcher" "splicing and dicing numbers" who was causing "near hysteria."[19] About ten days later, after The Detroit Free Press published its own findings consistent with Dr. Hanna-Attisha's findings and after Hanna-Attisha engaged in one-on-one conversations with Michigan's chief medical officer, the State of Michigan backed down and concurred with her findings.[20][21] Later, at the press conference in which the State of Michigan acknowledged the lead in water crisis, Department of Environmental Quality officials apologized to Hanna-Attisha.[22] In his 19 January 2016 State of the State address, Governor Snyder publicly thanked Hanna-Attisha and Edwards for sounding the alarm about the Flint water crisis.[23][24] Dr. Hanna-Attisha's work was subsequently heavily criticized in prestigious medical Journals (Clin Toxycol 2019; 57: 790–797. Obstet Gynecol 2019; 134: 628–635. J Pediatr 2018; 197: 15–16.) reporting that the paper on the Flint water accident, although accurate as presented, was plagued by wrong conclusions,being impossible to differentiate the variation in blood lead levels in the time considered from other random variations over time. Moreover, such variation during the accident time was a mere 0,11 µg/dl increase in the mean geometrical blood lead level still within both a low range and a decreasing trend, which sounds differently from the reported "doubling" of a small number of children with levels over a certain threshold.

Advocacy and program involvement

Dr. Hanna-Attisha testified twice before Congress about the Flint Water Crisis and penned an op/ed advocating for federal assistance for Flint children exposed as a result of the crisis published in the New York Times.[25] Eventually, in part due to Dr. Hanna-Attisha's advocacy, $100 million in federal dollars was allocated to Flint in addition to approximately $250 million in state dollars to address the crisis.[26]

She is the founder the director of the Pediatric Public Health Initiative, a partnership between Hurley Medical Center and Michigan State University, to optimize the outcomes of Flint children.[27] Through community and clinical programs, childhood health policy and advocacy, and robust evaluation, the Pediatric Public Health Initiative works with many partners, including Flint's heroic parents and kids, as a center of excellence, with the primary goal of mitigating the impact of the Flint Water Crisis and serving as a national resource for best practices.[28]

Also in response to the crisis, Hanna-Attisha worked to establish, was a founding donor, raises money for and is on the advisory board of the Flint Child Health and Development Fund.[29] In one year, the Flintkids.org Fund raised over $17 million and awarded over $2 million in grants directly supporting Flint kids' health and development.[30]

Hanna-Attisha was appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to three public health commissions formed in response to the Flint Water Crisis, the Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee,[31] the Michigan Child Lead Poisoning Elimination Board,[32] and the Michigan Public Health Commission.[33]

"What the Eyes Don't See"

Hanna-Attisha wrote what has been described as a dramatic first-hand account of the Flint Water Crisis with the "gripping intrigue of a Grisham thriller."[34][35] The book was published by Random House imprint One World by editor-in-chief Chris Jackson. The release date for Hanna-Attisha's book, What the Eyes Don't See was 19 June 2018.[36] In addition to positive reviews in the New York Times, the New York Times Book Review, and the Washington Post, What the Eyes Don't See was named a New York Times 100 Notable Book of 2018.[37][38][39] The book was also listed as a Best Science Book of 2018 by NPR's Science Friday and a Michigan Notable Book of 2019.[40][41]

Anonymous Content optioned the book rights to make a movie, to be produced by Michael Sugar and Rosalie Swedlin, and written/directed by Cherien Dabis.[42]

News and television appearances

Hanna-Attisha's role exposing the Flint Water Crisis was profiled by CBS Sunday Morning, "The Flint water crisis: A loss of trust"., CNN[43] Michigan Public Radio,[44] the PBS News Hour,[45][46] the Washington Post,[47] New York Times,[48][49] the Detroit News,[50] the Detroit Free Press,[51] and the Rachel Maddow Show[52] among others.

Hanna-Attisha gave a TEDMED talk entitled "Flint's Fight for America's Children" on 1 November 2016.[53]

Hanna-Attisha was also profiled on ABC's 2016 end-of-year TV special "Game Changers with Robin Roberts" on 21 December 2016.[54] Hanna-Attisha was a guest on Larry Wilmore's The Nightly Show where she received a coveted "Keep it 100" award.[55] Hanna-Attisha also appeared on a special "Who Wants to be A Millionaire" in "Hometown Heroes Week" on 27 October 2016. She pledged to give her winnings to the Flint Child Health and Development Fund.[56]

Awards and honors

Hanna-Attisha, for her role in exposing the Flint Water Crisis and her public health advocacy in response to the crisis, was named one of Time Magazine's Most Influential People in 2016 and she was also named to the Politico 50. She was also the recipient of the 2016 Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling and the PEN American Center James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Award and one of the Ten Outstanding Young Americans of 2016.[57] Hanna-Attisha was also named Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News.[58]

She was awarded the Rose Nader Award for Arab American activism by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)[59] and named the Champion of Justice by ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services).[60] In 2016 Hanna-Attisha was the commencement speaker at Michigan State University, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Virginia Tech as well as two other universities.[61][62] In 2017 she was the commencement speaker at the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources.[citation needed]

Hanna-Attisha has also been recognized by environmental organizations, including the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, the Michigan Environmental Council, the Ecology Center and Children's Environmental Health Network.[63][64][65][66] She was also named a Union of Concerned Scientists 2016 Got Science? Champion.[67]

On 30 March 2017, Hanna-Attisha was named an honorary co-chair of the March for Science. On 21 July 2017, Hanna-Attisha and Edwards were jointly awarded the first Disobedience Award by the MIT Media Lab for "defying conventions of peer review as they sought to bring attention to Flint's water crisis before more people were affected."[68] Hanna-Attisha and Edwards donated the $250,000 award to victims of the crisis.[69]

Hanna-Attisha was awarded the 22nd Heinz Award for Public Policy in September 2017 for exposing the Flint Water Crisis and her subsequent work.[70][71]

On 18 October 2018, Hanna-Attisha was inducted to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame by the Michigan Women's Historical Center.[72]

On 7 November 2018, Hanna-Attisha was asked to serve as Honorary Co-Chair of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Transition Team.[73]

Hanna-Attisha was awarded the inaugural Vilcek-Gold Award for Humanism in Healthcare in 2019.[74] The award is a joint award presented in partnership between the Vilcek Foundation and the Arnold P. Gold Foundation. The award is bestowed to a foreign-born individual in the United States who has demonstrated an extraordinary impact on humanism in healthcare through their professional achievements.

References

  1. ^ Riley, Rochelle (6 February 2016). "Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha goes from doctor to global hero". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  2. ^ "100 Notable Books of 2018". The New York Times. 19 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Corroding the American Dream."
  4. ^ Sumaia, Masoom (30 January 2016). "Meet the Whistleblower of the Flint Water Scandal". Muslim Girl. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Flint doctor who exposed lead in water started activism as Royal Oak student".
  6. ^ Anglebrandy, Gary (26 September 2016). "100 Most Influential Women". Crain's. Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  7. ^ "Blood Lead Levels of Children in Flint, Michigan: 2006-2016" https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29599069/
  8. ^ "High school friend sounded first alert to Flint's Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha".
  9. ^ "A long friendship put spotlight on Flint water crisis".
  10. ^ "Flint doctor used Epic Systems records to expose lead crisis".
  11. ^ "Flint doctor makes state see light about lead in water".
  12. ^ Feed, Ben. "Flint pediatrician at center of water crisis: 'You have to use your voice'". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  13. ^ Hanna-Attisha, Mona; LaChance, Jenny; Sadler, Richard Casey; Champney Schnepp, Allison (February 2016). "Elevated Blood Lead Levels in Children Associated With the Flint Drinking Water Crisis: A Spatial Analysis of Risk and Public Health Response". American Journal of Public Health. 106 (2): 283–90. doi:10.2105/ajph.2015.303003. PMC 4985856. PMID 26691115. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  14. ^ Kennedy, Chinaro; Yard, Ellen; Dignam, Timothy; Buchanan, Sharunda; Condon, Suzanne; Brown, Mary Jean; Raymond, Jaime; Rogers, Helen Schurz; Sarisky, John; Castro, Rey de; Arias, Ileana; Breysse, Patrick (1 January 2016). "Blood Lead Levels Among Children Aged <6 Years — Flint, Michigan, 2013–2016". MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 65 (25): 650–654. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6525e1. PMID 27359350. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  15. ^ Fonger, Ron. "Elevated lead found in more Flint kids after water switch, study finds". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  16. ^ Fonger, Ron (24 September 2015). "Flint to issue lead in water warning after push from doctors, health officials". MLive.
  17. ^ Daniel, Bethencourt. "Flint taps Detroit water; it'll take 3 weeks for safe use". Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  18. ^ Egan, Paul. "President Obama declares emergency in Flint". Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  19. ^ Erb, Robin. "Flint doctor makes state see light about lead in water". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  20. ^ Tanner, Kristi. "State data confirms higher blood-lead levels in Flint kids". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  21. ^ "State's top doctor admits 'missed opportunity' for earlier Flint response".
  22. ^ Rodrick, Stephen. "Who Poisoned Flint, Michigan?". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  23. ^ Egan, Paul. "Snyder apologizes for Flint crisis, to release e-mails". Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  24. ^ "2016 Michigan State of the State Transcript" (PDF). Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  25. ^ Hanna-Attisha, Mona (26 March 2016). "The Future for Flint's Children". New York Times. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  26. ^ "EPA Awards $100 Million to Michigan for Flint Water Infrastructure Upgrades". United States Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  27. ^ White, Russ (23 February 2016). "Mona Hanna-Attisha: "Flipping the story" in Flint". Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  28. ^ "Pediatric Public Health Initiative". Michigan State University. 14 April 2017. Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  29. ^ "Flint Water Crisis Response – Foundation for Flint".
  30. ^ "Flint Water Crisis Response - Foundation for Flint". Community Foundation of Grater Flint. Retrieved 8 May 2017.[dead link]
  31. ^ Flint Water Interagency Coordinating Committee
  32. ^ Michigan Child Lead Poisoning Elimination Board
  33. ^ Michigan Public Health Commission
  34. ^ Hart, Michelle. "O's Top Books of Summer". Oprah.com. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  35. ^ Wilson, Kristian (20 May 2016). "Who Is Mona Hanna-Attisha? The Flint Activist Just Signed A Book Deal". Bustle. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  36. ^ Hanna-Attisha, Mona. What the Eyes Don't See. ISBN 0399590838.
  37. ^ Sharma, Meara (9 August 2018). "How a web of racism and lies poisoned Flint". The Washington Post.
  38. ^ Goodell, Jeff (31 July 2018). "Two Views of Flint's Water Troubles: One a Close-Up and One With a Wide-Angle Lens". The New York Times Book Review.
  39. ^ Sehgal, Parul (3 July 2018). "Toxic History, Poisoned Water: The Story of Flint". The New York Times.
  40. ^ "The Best Science Books of 2018". Science Friday.
  41. ^ "Announcing the 2019 Michigan Notable Books". Library of Michigan.
  42. ^ Fleming, Jr., Mike (28 April 2017). "Movie on Pediatrician Dr. Mona, Who Sounded Alarm on Lead Poisoning of Flint, Michigan Kids". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
  43. ^ "Flint doctor's fight to expose lead poisoning".
  44. ^ "Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha is a hero for our time".
  45. ^ "After Flint's lead crisis, the 'most important medication' for kids is education". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  46. ^ Baldwin, Laura. "In Flint, public trust poisoned by toxic drinking water crisis". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  47. ^ "This pediatrician is working to save 9,000 young lives in Flint, Mich".
  48. ^ "Flint Weighs Scope of Harm to Children Caused by Lead in Water".
  49. ^ "When the Water Turned Brown".
  50. ^ "469 4 A year of sacrifice for doctor, family over Flint".
  51. ^ "Free Press. Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha goes from doctor to global hero".
  52. ^ "Michigan's Snyder pressed for action on Flint". Retrieved 20 January 2017.
  53. ^ "Mona Hanna-Attisha Flint's Fight for America's Children". TEDMED. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  54. ^ Hawkins, Kayla. "Lin-Manuel Miranda Tells Robin Roberts His Next Musical Won't Be Historical In ABC Special". Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  55. ^ "Mona Hanna-Attisha Sheds Light on the Michigan Water Crisis". Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  56. ^ Steinberg, Stephanie. "Flint doctor to be 'Millionaire' contestant". Retrieved 24 January 2017.
  57. ^ "2016 Ten Outstanding Young Americans". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  58. ^ [1]
  59. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  60. ^ Champion of Justice
  61. ^ Anglebrandt, Gary. "Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD". Archived from the original on 17 January 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  62. ^ "Hanna-Attisha tells MSU grads to stand up, speak out".
  63. ^ "Children's Environmental Health Network". Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  64. ^ "Fourth Annual Innovation in Conservation Gala".
  65. ^ "Mona Hanna-Attisha: Unwavering voice for Flint's children".
  66. ^ "Ecology Center's Annual Dinner".
  67. ^ "Announcing the 2016 Got Science? Champions". Union of Concerned Scientists. December 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  68. ^ Ito, Joi (20 July 2017). "Announcing the winners of the Media Lab Disobedience Award".
  69. ^ Goodin-Smith, Oona (21 July 2017). "Two Flint water crisis whistle-blowers win MIT Media Lab Disobedience Award". MLIVE. Retrieved 26 July 2017.
  70. ^ Mandak, Joe (14 September 2017). "Doctor who sounded alarm for Flint water crisis honored by Heinz Family Foundation". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  71. ^ "Heinz Awards - Mona Hanna-Attisha".
  72. ^ "5 to be inducted in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame". Detroit News. Associated Press. 8 October 2018.
  73. ^ Oostang, Jonathan (7 November 2018). "Whitmer sits with Snyder, names transition team". Detroit News.
  74. ^ "The Vilcek Foundation - Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Flint Whistleblower, Receives Inaugural Award for Immigrant Healthcare Leaders". www.vilcek.org. Retrieved 19 September 2019.

Further reading

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