Dr. Subi Gandhi will highlight how individuals and communities strengthen one another through shared purpose and collective action during her talk \u201cRising Together: A Framework for Resilience Through Empathy and Shared Purpose,\u201d part of Tarleton State University\u2019s Last Lecture Series, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 21, in the Clyde H. Wells Fine Arts Center on the Stephenville campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The public is invited, and a livestream is available on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a Professor of Public Health and Co-director of the Center for Rural Resilience at Tarleton State, Dr. Gandhi has dedicated her career to advancing health and well-being in underserved and rural communities. Her expertise spans epidemiology, behavioral and mental health, student health, aging and disaster epidemiology, with a strong commitment to community-engaged research and strengthening rural health systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy professional experiences have underscored that a sense of belonging originates internally but finds its most profound expression when we foster environments rooted in trust, collaboration and mutual respect,\u201d Dr. Gandhi explained. \u201cIn my capacity as a bridge between Tarleton State University and rural communities, I have observed firsthand how empowering others not only furthers institutional objectives but also enhances personal and professional growth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drawing on stories from students, rural leaders, and cross-sector partners, this lecture seeks to highlight what becomes possible when leadership is carried out with empathy, intentional listening and commitment. \u201cAt its essence, this presentation reflects on co-creating solutions, elevating varied perspectives and fortifying resilience, because when our communities rise, we ascend alongside them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dr. Gandhi has led and secured numerous grant-funded initiatives supported by state, federal, and foundation partners, advancing innovative approaches to population health research and practice. She serves in leadership capacities on several statewide advisory bodies, including the Healthier Texas Summit Board and the Texas Public Health Association (TPHA) Governing Council and Executive Board. Dr. Gandhi has been recognized as a Fellow of the TPHA and is the recipient of the James E. Peavy Memorial Award, one of the association\u2019s highest distinctions for outstanding contributions to public health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to these engagements and honors, she has received numerous college, institutional, and regional awards recognizing her impact on public health research and practice, particularly in advancing health outcomes among underserved and rural populations. Dr. Gandhi also actively publishes in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to the scientific evidence base in population health and epidemiology. She regularly presents at local, regional and national conferences, extending the reach of Tarleton State\u2019s public health initiatives while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange. A committed mentor and educator, she intentionally integrates students into research and community-engaged practice, providing hands-on opportunities to contribute to real-world public health solutions while helping cultivate the next generation of public health leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like many other colleges and universities, Tarleton State hosts an annual Last Lecture event modeled after the well-known Last Lecture talk by Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch. Last Lecture topics often address professional, personal and cultural experiences that have impacted an individual\u2019s life and career trajectory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone, including community members and Tarleton State employees and students, may nominate a Tarleton State affiliate they believe would give an inspiring, motivating, or thought-provoking lecture. For more information, visit tarleton.edu\/cee\/the-last-lecture-series\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dr. Subi Gandhi will highlight how individuals and communities strengthen one another through shared purpose and collective action during her talk \u201cRising Together: A Framework for Resilience Through Empathy and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":473,"featured_media":54939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":423,"footnotes":""},"categories":[422,423,424,425,427],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-morestories","category-academics-research","category-arts-events","category-campus-community","category-science-health"],"acf":{"image":false},"author_meta":{"display_name":"ehellmund@tarleton.edu","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/author\/ehellmundtarleton-edu\/"},"featured_img":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2026\/03\/Last-Lecture-speaker-300x200.jpg","coauthors":[],"tax_additional":{"categories":{"linked":["_morestories<\/a>","Academics & Research<\/a>","Arts & Events<\/a>","Campus & Community<\/a>","Science & Health<\/a>"],"unlinked":["_morestories<\/span>","Academics & Research<\/span>","Arts & Events<\/span>","Campus & Community<\/span>","Science & Health<\/span>"]}},"comment_count":0,"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 3 weeks ago","modified":"Updated 5 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on March 24, 2026","modified":"Updated on April 9, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on March 24, 2026 2:00 pm","modified":"Updated on April 9, 2026 2:11 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/473"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54938"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55037,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54938\/revisions\/55037"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}