Outbreak Behind Bars: Spider Bites, Human Rights & the Unseen Danger to Public Health | Homer Venters Moderated by: Dean Thomas LaVeist 

Physician and public health expert Homer Venters examines what happens when disease spreads inside correctional facilities and why it matters far beyond prison walls. In conversation with Dean Thomas LaVeist, Venters explores the links between incarceration, human rights, and community health, showing how neglect, overcrowding, and inadequate care create conditions for outbreaks that affect entire cities. This session considers what jail health reveals about public health itself and what reforms could better protect both incarcerated people and the public. The New Orleans Book Festival brings the world’s leading authors to Tulane University for a multi-day celebration of their works. The Festival features both fiction and non-fiction and convenes readings, panel discussions, symposia and keynote speeches. It provides an opportunity for outlets, authors and readers to interact with each other in one of the most vibrant and culturally diverse cities in the world.