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Decades of Dedication: Dr. Alfred Munzer’s Career in Public Health
New Video Commemorates Dr. Munzer’s Extensive Impact on Lung Health
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 25, 2022 – After years of dedicated service as the Chair of the ASH Board of Trustees, Dr. Alfred Munzer is transitioning to serve as a general Trustee. To commemorate his extensive leadership and career, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) released a new video in advance of Lung Health Day tomorrow, to highlight the impact Dr. Munzer has had in the field of public health.
Dr. Munzer was driven to become a lung specialist after having a patient die in his arms from severe asthma and emphysema. That patient’s treatment options were sadly exhausted, but the experience led Dr. Munzer to commit himself to fixing the lung treatment landscape for future patients.
“As a pulmonary physician, Dr. Munzer is so keenly aware of the harms tobacco products cause to the human body,” said Laurent Huber, Executive Director of ASH. “That understanding informs his very strong vision about what can be done to reverse and prevent the extensive toll from tobacco products.”
Dr. Munzer clarified, “I decided that whatever I did in my practice, I also wanted to contribute to changing the terrible statistics, the terrible toll that tobacco was taking on our citizens.”
And create a change he did.
“He was a critical, credible voice with skeptics at a time when the tobacco industry still denied that it’s products caused disease and even more vigorously refused to admit that secondhand smoke kills,” said Matthew Myers, President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. “Al is one of the reasons that more Members of Congress decided they had to act than almost any other single individual.”
In the video, Decades of Dedication: Dr. Alfred Munzer’s Career in Public Health, esteemed former colleagues from the American Lung Association, Catholic Relief Services, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control reflect on his contributions toward our shared goal of ending the tobacco epidemic. They describe him as a model citizen advocate, leading physician, amazing diplomat, and a humble leader.
“Few advocates can match Dr. Munzer’s longevity as a volunteer servant leader,” reflects Paul Billings, National Senior Vice President of Public Policy for the American Lung Association.
Dr. Munzer’s visionary leadership was ahead of his time and continues to bear fruit for the entire public health landscape. ASH looks forward to his continued wisdom and guidance on our Board of Trustees.
Click here to send Dr. Munzer a personal thank you message for his years of service and dedication to public health>
ACTION ON SMOKING AND HEALTH
Founded in 1967, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) is America’s oldest anti-tobacco organization, dedicated to a world with ZERO tobacco deaths. Because tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, ASH supports bold solutions proportionate to the magnitude of the problem. ash.org