THE FETTUCCINE FORUM
Public Health and the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic in Boise and Beyond
Please join us for the March 8, 2018 Fettuccine Forum presentation led by Dr. Bob H. Reinhardt, Assistant Professor of History at Boise State University, with Dr. Ginger Floerchinger-Franks, DrPH, about the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1920.
The year 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the Spanish Flu pandemic, which killed between 50-100 million people worldwide. More than 2,000 Idahoans died, the victims of a virulent disease, an inadequate public health system, and unprepared communities. Here—as elsewhere—initial responses to the pandemic quickly gave way to anxiety, fear and sometimes panic. This talk will focus on the evolving response to the Spanish flu. What can we yet learn from the pandemic about diseases, public health, our communities and ourselves?
Bob H. Reinhardt, PhD, researches and teaches in the fields of history related to public health, the environment, the American West and public history. His publications include The End of a Global Pox: America and the Eradication of Smallpox in the Cold War Era, published by University of North Carolina Press and available in paperback this spring. Prior to joining the faculty at Boise State, Dr. Reinhardt served as executive director of the Willamette Heritage Center, a five-acre historical site and museum in Salem, Oregon. He has taught at Western Oregon University, Carnegie Mellon University and Willamette University. Dr. Reinhardt earned his PhD in history from University of California, Davis; an MA in history from University of Oregon; and a BA in history from Willamette University.
Ginger Floerchinger-Franks, DrPH, recently retired from a twenty-plus year career in public health followed by nine years with the Idaho Hospital Association. She began her career as a public health microbiologist and eventually focused on virology. Her experience includes managing the Department of Health and Welfare’s injury prevention programs, the Idaho Hospital Association’s Trauma Network (a database of severe injuries and deaths) and programs to prevent hospital acquired conditions. She is currently writing a book on the evolution of public health in Idaho. Dr. Floerchinger-Franks earned both BS and MS degrees in Microbiology from California State University, Long Beach and a DrPH from Loma Linda University.
WHEN & WHERE
Thursday, March 8, 2018
Doors open at 5:30 PM
Presentation begins at 6:00 PM
City Council Chambers, Boise City Hall
The Fettuccine Forum is produced by the Boise City Department of Arts & History. Support from the Office of the Mayor and Boise State Public Radio all make the Forum possible. Lively and informal, the series invites the public to interact with politicians, artists, historians, activists, advocates and professionals in an effort to promote good citizenship and responsible growth through education.