East Tennessee State University’s 2025-26 Great Lecture Series begins on Friday, Oct. 17, with lectures by Drs. Walid Alali and Kason O’Neil.
This lecture series celebrates and showcases the work of faculty recently promoted to full professor at ETSU. Faculty play an integral role in the mission of ETSU through their teaching, research and service, and this lecture series provides them with an opportunity to share their work with the broader community.
The faculty will deliver their lectures beginning at 2 p.m. in the East Tennessee Room on the second level of the D.P. Culp Student Center. It is free and open to the public.
Dr. Walid Alali
Alali is professor of epidemiology and interim chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology in the ETSU College of Public Health.
His work focuses on infectious disease epidemiology through a One Health lens, with a research program spanning antimicrobial resistance and foodborne and zoonotic diseases.
He has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed publications and delivered over 40 invited talks. Before joining ETSU in 2022 as a tenured associate professor, he held academic and leadership roles at the University of Georgia; Hamad Bin Khalifa University in Qatar, where he coordinated the MPH program; United Arab Emirates University; and Kuwait University, where he served as department chair and a national COVID-19 public health adviser.
He earned his veterinary medicine degree in Jordan, a Master of Science degree at Kansas State University and a Ph.D. at Texas A&M University.
His lecture is titled “Crossing Borders and Disciplines: My Path to Professor in Public Health.”
Dr. Kason O’Neil
O’Neil earned his undergraduate degree in physical education from the State University of New York at Cortland, where he was also a collegiate track and field athlete. He went on to complete a master’s degree in sport management from the United States Sports University and a Ph.D. in kinesiology from the University of Virginia.
Over the course of his career, O’Neil progressed from teaching and coaching in New York to directing outdoor education programs in Maine, and ultimately to serving as a faculty member at ETSU. His expertise lies in physical education pedagogy, coaching education and the promotion of lifelong physical activity. His research focuses on teacher preparation, self-efficacy in physical activity, technology integration, and assessment in physical education.
At ETSU, he was named to the inaugural cohort of Provost’s Academy Scholars in 2021. He currently serves as associate chair of the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and as program coordinator for physical education teacher education.
His lecture is titled “Physical Activity as a Way of Life.”
ETSU faculty lead the way in research, teaching and service, helping to position ETSU as the flagship of Appalachia.
For disability accommodations, call the ETSU Office of Disability Services at 423-439-8346.
