Public Health Mole Award: Herbert Dan Adams, MD, MBA,

Herbert Dan Adams, MD, MBA, & at-large Evansville City Council member has been chosen as a MOLE AWARD winner by the City County Observer for his diligent efforts as a councilman that paved the way for the enhanced smoking restrictions adopted by the Evansville City Council in 2012.

Dr. Adams a1982 transplant who has adopted Evansville as his home eloquently states his current goal in life is “to be the BEST At Large Member of the Evansville City Council I can”. In addition to his duties as a Councilman, Dr. Adams has a full life serving the community on the Evansville Airport Board, Port Authority, as a substitute high school teacher EVSC; a Lecturer at Signature School, the University of Evansville, the USI School of Nursing, and the IU Medical School – Evansville.

Prior to giving in to the internal compass that pointed to public service, Dr. Adams spent his life as a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon in the Evansville area for 26 years after 7 years in the same capacity in Montana. Prior to entering the world of private medicine Dr. Adams served the United States of America as a ship’s surgeon on the USS John F. Kennedy and as a Commander in the United States Naval Reserve. During his service Dr. Adams was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for Professional Excellence.

Dr. Adams was graduated from Yale University in American Studies and Pre-Med before having his MD conveyed onto him by the Harvard Medical School. Following medical school he served as an intern at the Brigham Hospital in Boston, and completed residencies at the University of Pennsylvania. After his time as an active member of the military Dr. Adams completed fellowships at the Texas Heart Institute and the Baylor University Medical Center. Recognizing the benefit of a business education to complement his medical practice Dan completed an Executive MBA in Health Care Management at the Olin School of Business, St. Louis, MO

Civic duty has long been a good habit of Dr. Adams who has served in the promotion of both soccer and hockey in Evansville and Missoula, Montana. He takes pride in his membership in the Evansville Northside Kiwanis Club as a devoted soccer coach at the Boys & Girls Club.

It was his time as a surgeon that inspired the passion for public health and the candid willingness to share the truth about the positive health implications of restricting smoking in public. There are many people who were instrumental in the passing of the Evansville Smoking Ordinance in 2012. Without the efforts on the City Council by Dr. H. Dan Adams this successful accomplishment may have taken much longer than it did and for this he is honored with a Mole Award for his tireless promotion of public health.