Conference to explore impact of poverty, environment on minority health
| February 25, 2008 | |
The impact of poverty, culture and environment on minority health is the topic of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s 29th annual Minority Health Conference, which will be held Friday, Feb. 29 at the William and Ida Friday Continuing Education Center.
Photo, Dr. Nancy Krieger
As a highlight of the conference, the 10th annual William T. Small Jr. Keynote Lecture will be presented at 9 a.m. by Nancy Krieger, Ph.D., professor of society, human development and health at the Harvard School of Public Health. Krieger’s lecture – titled “The Science and Epidemiology of Racism and Health in the United States: an Ecosocial Perspective” – will address how racial inequalities in social conditions become biologically embodied over lifetimes and across generations, creating racial and ethnic health inequities A social epidemiologist with a background in biochemistry, philosophy of science, and the history of public health, Krieger has 25 years experience as an activist in issues involving social justice, science and health. Krieger is also associate director of the Harvard Center for Society and Health, and co-director of the Harvard School of Public Health’s interdisciplinary concentration on women, gender and health. Although the conference is at capacity, the keynote address will be accessible at 2 p.m. ET via satellite downlink and Webcast, followed by a live telephone question and answer session with Krieger. Visit www.minority.unc.edu for details. The annual Minority Health Conference was launched by the UNC School of Public Health’s Minority Student Caucus in 1977 to highlight health issues of concern to people of color and to attract students interested in minority health to the School. This year’s student-run conference is sponsored by the School of Public Health, the Minority Student Caucus, the School of Public Health Student Government Board, the Minority Health Project and the School’s North Carolina Institute for Public Health. The conference’s student co-chairs are Janelle Armstrong-Brown and Eboni Taylor. “One of the high points of planning the Minority Health Conference for us this year has been connecting with past Minority Student Caucus members who have been impressed with the magnitude of the conference,” said Armstrong-Brown. “They remembered when they used to have to scan the School of Public Health hallways looking for people to come on the day of the conference. Now, in the conference’s 29th year, we have over 600 participants registered and 100 on the waiting list. I see this as a testament to the priority that has been placed on minority health and issues impacting people of color. We look forward to another successful year and for many years to come.” In addition to the keynote address, conference participants will attend sessions on topics including environmental inequities, natural disaster preparation and recovery, healthcare access, cancer disparities, and examples of youth-led health and service projects in marginalized communities. Numerous research posters, including many by students, will also be on display. There will also be a preview and discussion of the PBS Documentary “Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” which looks at how on each descending rung of the socio‐economic ladder, people tend to be sicker and die sooner. The documentary uses compelling personal stories — spanning the country — to demonstrate how social conditions are as vital to health as diet, smoking and exercise. Minority Student Caucus contact: Eboni Taylor, (423) 400-4566, taylorem@email.unc.edu. School of Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
|
