VILLANOVA, Pa. – Each fall, Villanova University begins the academic year with a celebration honoring its patron saint, St. Thomas of Villanova, the 16th-century Augustinian bishop of Valencia, Spain, known for his great charity to the poor and marginalized. This annual celebration, which features a series of events including a Day of Service, kicks off with an academic symposium examining an important issue in today’s society through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching. The 2012 St. Thomas of Villanova Lecture will be given by Susan Dentzer, Editor-In-Chief of Health Affairs, the nation’s leading journal of health policy, and an on-air health analyst with “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
The 2012 St. Thomas of Villanova Lecture, “The Neediest Among Us: U.S. Health Care, The Poor and the Uninsured,” will be held Thursday, Sept. 20 at 7:00 p.m. in the Villanova Room in the Connelly Center, located on Villanova’s main campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Prior to joining “The NewsHour” in 1998, Dentzer was chief economics correspondent and economics columnist for U.S. News & World Report, where she reported extensively on the debate over reforming and partially "privatizing" Social Security and over such health policy issues as regulation of managed care. She previously worked as a writer for Newsweek as well as a commentator for CNN and The McLaughlin Group. Her work at “The NewsHour” has earned Dentzer several awards and honors, as well as fellowships at Harvard University and with the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program.
Dentzer is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations and holds a position on the Board of Directors of the International Rescue Committee, the nonprofit organization that works in relief, rehabilitation, protection, post-conflict development and resettlement services for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression worldwide.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's five colleges – the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the College of Nursing and the Villanova University School of Law. As students grow intellectually, Villanova prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them.
