20th Annual William T. Small, Jr. Keynote Lecture

Keynote Lecture By Monica Raye Simpson

Moderators:
Josh Boegner, MPH Candidate, Department of Health Behavior
Gillings School of Global Public Health

Caitlin R. Williams, MSPH, Doctoral Student, Department of Maternal and Child Health
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

from the 39th Annual Minority Health Conference: Reclaiming the Narrative

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About The Presenter:

Monica Raye Simpson is the Executive Director of SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. A native of rural North Carolina, Monica has organized extensively against human rights violations, reproductive oppression, the prison industrial complex, racism and intolerance and is deeply invested in southern movement building and the fight for Black liberation. She is also committed to birth justice as a certified Doula. Monica couples her activism with her artistry and released her first live album entitled Revolutionary Love where she blends her gospel roots and her passion for social justice with deep soul to create the sound known as Revolutionary Soul. Because of her “artivism” Monica was named as a New Civil Rights Leader by Essence Magazine and chosen as one of Advocate Magazine’s 40 under 40 leaders.

About the Moderators:

Josh Boegner is pursuing a Master of Public Health in the Department of Health Behavior at the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Josh graduated from Cornell College in 2014 where he majored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Prior to coming to Gillings, Josh served for two years as an AmeriCorps member: first as a VISTA member with an afterschool tutoring program for middle school students, followed by a year at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, focusing on access to HIV treatment and prevention services for marginalized populations, including sex workers and re-entry populations. During his time at Gillings, Josh has worked in HIV treatment adherence among adolescents, and researching the impact that current policies around the opioid epidemic have on first responders and current and former drug users. Josh is passionate about access to comprehensive Sexual Health Education, particularly for LGBTQ youth, and the expansion of harm reduction strategies when it comes to drug use and sexual health. Upon graduation from the Gillings School of Global Public Health, Josh hopes to find employment with an organization that works in the realm of harm reduction techniques, communication strategies, and policy advocacy.

Caitlin Williams is a doctoral student in the department of Maternal and Child Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research interests center on implementation strategies for scaling and sustaining evidence-based practices to improve pregnancy and birth outcomes, particularly in under-served and marginalized communities.At Gillings, Caitlin supports the work of the WHO Collaborating Center for Research Evidence for Sexual and Reproductive Health. She also collaborates with the Instituto de Efectivided Clínica y Sanitaria (IECS) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prior to beginning her studies, Caitlin worked at Rabin Martin, a global health consulting firm, where she supported program implementation, operations, communications, and advocacy for Merck for Mothers, a ten-year, $500-million initiative to reduce maternal mortality. She also managed communications efforts for Saving Mothers, Giving Life, a public-private partnership to dramatically reduce maternal and perinatal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. She is also an Assistant Editor at Reproductive Health and a Co-President of the Minority Student Caucus at Gillings.

Sponsors:

Old Well Sponsor ($10,000 +)

UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Carolina Sponsor ($2,000 to $4,999)

  • Anonymous
Graduate and Professional Student Foundation UNC School of Dentistry UNC Health Care

Tar Heel Sponsor ($500 to $1,999)

  • UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
  • Dr. Robert and Wendy Reasenberg, in honor of Dr. Victor Schoenbach
  • Dr. Victor and Marion Schoenbach, in honor of James and Doris Murrell
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Epidemiology
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Environmental Science and Engineering
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Health Behavior
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Nutrition
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Public Health Leadership Program
  • UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Alumni Association
  • UNC Athletics
  • UNC Center for Health Equity Research
  • UNC Department of City and Regional Planning
  • UNC Department of Geography
  • UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • UNC Office for Diversity and Inclusion
  • UNC School of Information and Library Science
  • UNC School of Law
  • UNC School of Media and Journalism
  • UNC School of Medicine
  • UNC School of Nursing
  • Truth Initiative

Related Links:

Minority Health Conference home page

Minority Student Caucus link

Minority Health Conference archived webcasts

Minority Health Project home page


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