In Memoriam: Michael Gemmell, Former Executive Director and Public Health Advocate

November 7, 2024

Michael (Mike) Kent Gemmell (1943-2024), the former Executive Director for 25 years of the then Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) - and now known as the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) - died on November 3, 2024 in Natchez, MS. Services are set for Saturday, November 9, 2024 in Natchez.

Mike arrived at ASPH in September 1978 from the National Association of Counties (NACO), where he was head of health and education programs. He was installed as part of the organization's new establishment of a "full-time, central office and headquarters" for ASPH and was credited for "applying sound association management principles." Mike was essential in transitioning ASPH into a relevant, robust, and effective organization serving the broader academic public health constituency.

One of Mike's many enduring innovations is this Friday Letter, which he launched immediately upon taking office, on September 22, 1978.

Current and former staff, long-serving ASPPH members, and partners fondly remember Mike, recollecting that he:

• Filled the room with his magnanimous, larger-than-life personality, which was generous, gracious, and fun-loving
• Was passionate about his work, knew everyone worth knowing in and outside of Washington, DC, and treated all whom he met with impeccable courtesy and warmth, a true gentleman's gentleman
• Gave enormous credit to his predecessors, ASPH members, and staff, conferring sincere respect and honor for those who offered "assistance, guidance, and counsel" in ASPH efforts
• Felt equally as comfortable on Capitol Hill and with DC car-park attendants, with whom he spoke in his native, fluent Spanish and who called him "El Jefe"
• Helped build the deep culture of collegiality, respect, and inclusivity among the staff and membership that endures to this day
• Expressed great pride and humility in working with and for the ASPH leadership and by joining arms in leading ASPH with many notable deans who: eradicated smallpox (D.A. Henderson), discovered that Vitamin A reduces childhood blindness and death (Al Sommer), and established that hepatitis B virus is a primary cause of liver cancer (Palmer Beasley).

Not long after Mike took over, an article appeared in 1979 in Johns Hopkins' public health newsletter, In Brief, with a headline that summed up the "new" association: "ASPH Changes Direction, Enters Era of Activism." The article outlined the organization's legislative agenda and touched on its efforts to build bridges with other public health associations, particularly those representing the public health practice field.

Mike was most proud of what he calls "our" major ASPH successes, including:

• Establishing the Prevention Research Centers at CDC and mandating that they add to its mission and title: PREVENTION
• Winning the first cooperative agreements from CDC and HRSA to any organization, both of which expanded staff capability to work with faculty and partners on countless impactful programs
• Bridging the "gap between academic public health and practice" by launching "real-world experience" traineeships for over 2,500 students and recent graduates to date
• Amending Medicare to cover the costs of prevention services and adding the provision to provide free physical exams for persons 64 and ready to enroll in Medicare at 65
• Reviving Delta Omega, the honorary society in public health
• Joining with partners Ron Bialek and colleagues to co-launch the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice

Other contributions, among many others, included:

• A proposed "experiment" to form what became ASPPH's many important engagement groups "of faculty sharing similar interests or disciplines," including what became today's abundant Committees, Sections, Forums, and Assemblies
• The inauguration of leadership and Section retreats for members to share their unique experiences, network, and grow professionally together
• The organization's move from Arlington, VA, to downtown DC, where it has remained since
• Sabbatical time spent writing and publishing A History of ASPH, 1941-2001, which offers carefully researched insights into the growth of the organization in its early years

Since his retirement, Mike has lived with his wife, Elaine, in Natchez, MS. He has also taught management at Jackson State University, supported local public health outreach, given tours, and performed in twelve Little Theatre productions. He was deeply devoted to his wife and his two children, Matthew and Kate, and adored his grandchildren.

Friends and former staff of Mike's appreciate his staying in touch over the years and continue to admire the organization ASPPH has become, built on the shoulders of a giant of our field, always to remain in our hearts and minds.

As Mike liked to end his standard notes, we are left with his good cheer to strive "Onward & Upward," and as he used to close articles regarding those who had gone before us, we say to him:

Ave Atque Vale ("Hail and Farewell"), El Jefe.

Acknowledgments and gratitude to former staffer Scott Becker (APHL) for assistance in composing this article.