Ransom Wyse

Ransom, an epidemiologist, serves as the Director of the Office of Population Health Surveillance. He leads a team of more than 20 staff and researchers who systematically collect, analyze, and disseminate health data for statewide surveillance systems and one registry. He is also the Principal Investigator for two of the surveillance systems housed in this office: the Tennessee Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the Tennessee Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. Ransom works with engaged stakeholders across the state and at the CDC to ensure superlative data quality for each of these programs. He is determined to apply innovative surveillance strategies to accurately capture the characteristics of Tennesseans afflicted by acute and chronic conditions, including those related to pervasive tobacco use and the opioid epidemic.

The Tennessee Department of Health's mission to "protect, promote, and improve the health and prosperity of the people of Tennessee" encompasses a robust and deliberate response to addiction and overdose. Population health surveillance will be central to this effort, providing the data for evidence-based programs and policies to address these crises.