ADEWALE TROUTMAN

Remembering the Public Health Giant 

and American Public Health Association Past President, Adewale Troutman MD, MA, MPH, CPH

“My public practice is social justice, my passion is health equity.” - Dr. Adewale Troutman

On Tuesday, July 21, 2022, The Troutman family announced the passing of Adewale Troutman, MD, MPH, MA, CPH. Dr. Troutman was a bright star in the universe. He was a brilliant, warm, and loving man whose passion for life and for public health was matched only by devotion to his family, his community, and his friends. 

With humble beginnings in the South Bronx, NY, it was his immense love for Black people that brought him to medicine; however, it was his belief in his own ability to shape the future that brought him to public health and where his legacy came to life. A trailblazer in the field, Dr. Troutman earned a medical degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and a Master in Public Health degree from Columbia University. His work, grounded in his research and writing on social determinants of health, led to groundbreaking innovations that transformed the modern public health landscape across the United States. Dr. Troutman opened and led the development of a first of its kind, center for health equity at the local health department level, was the first to change the name of local health departments in Atlanta and Louisville to Departments of Health and Wellness, was the first to institute a public smoking ban in the state of Kentucky, authored a cornerstone study with former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher on excess death among African Americans, was appointed to Barack Obama’s Committee on Infant Mortality, and starred in the nationally televised PBS/California NewsReel series, “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” These are only a few of Dr. Troutman’s innovative contributions to the field of public health.

In an interview with the University of South Florida Public Health News, Dr. Troutman once said, “I’ve led my life around the principle of ‘How do I make the biggest difference?’” There is no greater evidence of this sentiment than his willingness to step in and lead. His leadership and influence over local health departments in Newark, NJ, Atlanta, GA, and Louisville, KY, as well as in national and international organizations including: The Student National Medical Association, The American Public Health Association, The National Association of City and County Health Organizations, The World Health Organization, and 100 Black Men of America, transformed what is possible for the health and wellness of Black communities and impoverished people around the world. The countless student and public health professionals that he taught and mentored at academic institutions such as Morehouse School of Medicine, University of Louisville, and University of South Florida, and at inumerable conferences, symposiums, and lectures ensure that his influence on the world will be felt for generations to come.

Ade, as he was called by those who knew him best, navigated his life with an incredible sense of awe and wonder. While he was very active in his body as an avid skier, swimmer, tennis player, and basketball star, it was in his mind that he found his freedom. He loved exploring the world through travel, writing, reading, and listening to jazz music, but he found his greatest joy in his curiosity about the sky and the sea. His love of astronomy, science fiction, star gazing, exploring beaches and oceans through SCUBA, and contemplating what lived both beyond and beneath what his eyes could see, expanded his imagination and consistently reminded him of his most powerful and important lesson - that anything is possible.

This lesson of possibility is one that he learned during his time at Bronx Community and Lehman colleges, as an undergrad and a member of Simba, a student organization committed to the liberation of Black communities through culture and community. In Simba he found his voice as a leader, an artist, and a master African drummer. In this community, he learned that through West African ancestral traditions, storytelling, organizing, and learning, a people marred by historic and systemic violence could rediscover their greatness and thrive. It was in this community that he learned that a poor boy from the South Bronx could become a king. 

Of all the things that he accomplished and all that he explored, the thing that Adewale Troutman will be most remembered for is his heart. He knew how to love. The family he cherished, the friends he gave his time to, the collaborators he latched arms with, the communities he served, and the young people he nurtured as a second father, will most remember the way he made them feel - loved.

By all accounts, Adewale Troutman was a great man. He was incredibly accomplished and much beloved. Everyone that encountered him knew they could depend on him for a bright smile, an encouraging word, sound advice, and strong direction. He was a leader, a dreamer, a teacher, a writer, a musician, an athlete, an innovator, a father figure to many, a dad joke effecianado, and most of all, a visionary. He spent his life living up to the intention of his chosen Yoruba name, Adewale, The crown has returned home. 

At the time of his passing, succumbing to Parkinson's disease, Troutman was working on a memoir entitled Heartbeat, Drumbeat. The Heartbeat may have ended but the Drumbeat lives on.

Today, Ade is celebrated by an international community of friends, family, colleagues, and loved ones that love him and will miss him dearly, most of all, his daughters, Dr. Nandi Marshall and Anasa Troutman; their mother and his first wife, Ressie Fuller; his beloved wife, Denise Vazquez-Troutman; his step-children, Laura and Rafeal Vazquez; his son-In-law Randall Marshall; his grandchildren, Nasir, and Kailee Marshall; his brother Kenneth Troutman; a host of nieces, nephews, and cousins; and his closest friends, his “Band of Brothers”: Charlie Saunders, Dr. Mark Johnson, Tom Milne, Dr. Mark Alexander, Ken Sylvester, and Dr. Nat Irvin .

Dr. Troutman’s life will be celebrated in a public memorial service on Saturday, August 6th, 2022 in Tampa, Florida where he lived. There will be an additional service later this fall in Louisville, KY. Those wanting to attend either can RSVP, get updates and receive additional information by texting “ADE” to 901-676-7372. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that well-wishers honor his life and legacy by donating to the Dr. Adewale Troutman Memorial Fund at http://bit.ly/TroutmanMemorial. Memorial funds will be distributed to organizations and initiatives that align with Ade’s vision to achieve health equity, and manifest a culture of wellness and liberation for Black communities.