Theme:
BODY & SOUL
THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF HEALTH ACTIVISM
Date:
FEBRUARY 25 – 26 2021
#MHC2021 #BodyAndSoul #HealthActivism
ABOUT THE THEME: Body & Soul is based on the recognition that health does not only refer to one’s physical body but rather the whole person. Health activism that challenges systems to create a more equitable and just society has been and continues to be, a forceful presence in the United States. This year’s conference seeks to critically examine the structural barriers that reinforce inequities and exclude the experiences of marginalized voices in the policy process. Body & Soul encompasses a holistic view of health, empowers people to find their voices in the activism space and encourages people to use their gifts and skills to advocate for and create change for those in the margins.
Keynote Speakers:
Sharrelle Barber, ScD, MPH is a social epidemiologist whose research focuses on the intersection of “place, race, and health” and examines the role of structural racism in shaping racial health inequities among Blacks in the Southern United States and Brazil. Dr. Barber has authored peer-reviewed articles in leading journals including the American Journal of Public Health and Social Science and Medicine. Over the past 5 years, she has served as Principal Investigator on several externally-funded research projects and has secured over $2.5 million dollars in funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Heart Association. Dr. Barber has also lectured and taught nationally and internationally about the impact of racism on health inequities.During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has served as the coordinator for the COVID-19 Health Justice Advisory Committee for Poor People’s Campaign. In the Fall of 2020, she was appointed by the Dean of the Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health to serve as chair of the planning committee charged to establish a Center on Racism and Health which will launch in 2021 with a generous multi-million dollar gift from Dana and David Dornsife.
Dr. Wizdom Powell is Director of the Health Disparities Institute and Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UConn Health. She serves as the President of the American Psychological Association, Division 51 Men and Masculinities, and is an honorary professor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. Formerly, Dr. Powell was Associate Professor at Health Behavior at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and Research Associate Professor in UNC’s Department of Social Medicine. Dr. Powell also served as Associate Director of the Center for Health Equity Research, faculty member at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Director of the UNC’s Men’s Health Research Lab.
The 42nd Minority Health Conference was a success!
Thank you to all our attendees, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors, planning committee members, and the Gillings community at large for helping to make the 42nd Minority Health Conference a huge success. In the time of a global health crisis, we recognized that there was a greater need to raise awareness on health disparities. To ensure the safety of our attendees, we hosted our conference on a virtual platform –Pathable. The planning committee worked hard to create an interactive and informative conference experience, albeit fully virtual. We hope to see you again next year!
Conference Sponsors
Press Release from the 42nd Annual Conference Co-Chairs
42nd Annual Minority Health Conference Agenda
February 25-26, 2021