Florida Surgeon General to Speak at NSU Commencement

Celeste Philip, M.D., M.P.H., to Receive Honorary Degree at Aug. 19 Ceremonies

Celeste Philip, M.D., M.P.H.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FORT LAUDERDALE/DAVIE, Fla. – Florida’s State Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Celeste Philip, M.D., M.P.H., will address degree candidates from Nova Southeastern University’s (NSU) Health Professions Division (HPD) at its Commencement on Friday, August 19 at 2 p.m. in the Arena at the Don Taft University Center (3301 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale).

Dr. Philip will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree as part of the ceremonies, which include candidates from NSU’s College of Nursing and College of Health Care Sciences.

“Dr. Philip has dedicated her career to improving people’s access to health care throughout the state of Florida and beyond,” said Fred Lippman, R.Ph., Ed.D., HPD chancellor. “She is a great role model for our future practitioners because her focus on prevention and public health mirrors two important tenants of health care that we emphasize in our curriculum and training.”

Dr. Philip was appointed to this position by Gov. Rick Scott in 2016. She is board certified in family medicine, preventive medicine and public health.

Dr. Philip has previously served as the interim state surgeon general, deputy secretary for health, deputy state health officer for Children’s Medical Services, as interim director for three county health departments, and as interim chief for the health department’s Bureau of Communicable Diseases. As the medical director for the Health Department in Polk County, Dr. Philip chaired the Polk Health Care Alliance Infrastructure Committee and served on the board of the Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine, through which she provided primary care to uninsured patients. She is a board member of the Florida Healthy Kids Corporation and on the Health Initiatives Committee Advisory Group to the Florida Board of Governors.

Dr. Philip’s contributions to public health extend beyond state lines. She is president of the American Heart Association’s six-state Greater Southeast Affiliate, and she served as an epidemic intelligence service officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Philip graduated magna cum laude from Howard University in Washington, D.C., with bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish. She earned a Master of Public Health degree in Maternal and Child Health and a Doctor of Medicine from Loma Linda University in California. She completed her residency at Florida Hospital in Orlando and has remained committed to improving health in Florida throughout her career.

More information on NSU’s Commencement exercises can be found online at www.nova.edu/commencement.

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 About Nova Southeastern University (NSU): Located in beautiful Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Nova Southeastern University (NSU) is a dynamic research institution dedicated to providing high-quality educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate, and first-professional degree levels. For more than 50 years, NSU has been awarding degrees in a wide range of fields, while fostering groundbreaking research and an impactful commitment to community. Classified as a research university with “high research activity” by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, NSU is 1 of only 50 universities nationwide to also be awarded Carnegie’s Community Engagement Classification, and is also the largest private, not-for-profit institution in the United States that meets the U.S. Department of Education’s criteria as a Hispanic-serving Institution. Please visit www.nova.edu for more information about NSU and realizingpotential.nova.edu for more information on the largest fundraising campaign in NSU history.

August 9, 2016

Jeremy Katzman, M.B.A., APR | Office of Public Relations
954-262-1535 (office) | 954-661-7000 (cell)
j.katzman@nova.edu

Marla Oxenhandler | Office of Public Relations
954-262-5315 (office) | 954-770-9204 (cell)
marla.oxenhandler@nova.edu