UNC’s minority health videoconference examines inequities as the basis for health disparities
| May 24, 2011 | |
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The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s 17th annual Summer Public Health Research Videoconference on Minority Health, presented by the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s Minority Health Project and UNC Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, will examine lessons learned from a quarter-century of health disparities initiatives.
Dr. Vic Schoenbach
“It’s now more than 25 years since the Heckler Report focused the nation’s attention on the problem of racial/ethnic health disparities – and some 12 years since the elimination of such disparities became official U.S. public health policy,” noted Victor Schoenbach, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology and director of the Minority Health Project. “What can we learn from the successes and failures of policies and programs under this initiative?” The interactive conference, titled “Health Equity: Progress and Pitfalls,” will be broadcast live online from 1:30 to 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, June 7, from the Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building auditorium at the UNC School of Social Work on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. Last year, an estimated 1,000 people viewed the live broadcast via Internet or in the studio audience. Participation is free, but registration is required. Registration information, speaker biographies, and a growing list of group viewing sites can be found at www.minority.unc.edu.
Those participating in the conference can expect an under-the-hood analysis of social and environmental determinants of health disparities and the central role of inequity in fueling these drivers of health disparities. The analysis will focus on several chronic diseases for which inequity is at the root of major disparities. Participants will hear lessons learned from work with community organizations, health care providers and policy makers. Conference presentations will illustrate that the challenges of health disparities necessitate a more comprehensive strategy than improving health care access and personal behavior.
UNC alumna Barbara Pullen-Smith, MPH, director of the North Carolina Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (OMHHD), will serve as moderator for a distinguished panel of public health leaders, which includes:
For more information and to register, visit www.minority.unc.edu. # # #
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: Ramona DuBose, director of communications, (919) 966-7467 or ramona_dubose@unc.edu. |
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