Oral Healthcare Disparities in the Black Community
Location: Science Center 232
The National Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association have addressed oral healthcare delivery in the Black community and found clear evidence that the availability of health professionals to meet the demands of underrepresented minorities remains a challenge. This workshop will explore the impact of oral care in the development of systemic conditions and diseases and ways that we, as a community, can work together to provide resources to improve overall oral health.
Moderator: Dr. Na’Taki Osborne Jelks, C’95, Assistant Professor, Environmental & Health Sciences
Panelists: Dr. Zerita Buchanan, C’2010; Dr. Nitsa Gilbert, C’90; Dr. Lori Paschal, C’87
The Role of Big Data in the Biomedical Sciences
Location: Laura Spelman Multipurpose Room
Big data plays an increasingly critical role in healthcare prevention, diagnosis and treatment. During this workshop, experts in the field will discuss how health informatics and bioinformatics are used to enhance discovery in medical research. They will also address how the use of electronic devices in capturing important biometrics influences the way people engage with the healthcare community and can improve health outcomes in the general population.
Moderator: Dr. Aditi Pai, Co-director of Teaching Resource Center, Associate Professor, Biology
Panelists: Dr. Mentewab Ayalew, Vice Chair of Biology; Dr. Erika Brown, C’93; Dr. Mark Maloney, Professor & Chair of Biology; Kendal Whitlock, C’91; Dr. Raquel Hill, Associate Professor and Chair, Computer Information Sciences
The Drug Epidemic: The Politics of Discovery, Dissemination and Affordability
Location: The Beverly Daniel Tatum Suites Private Dining Room
Despite how the nation’s drug epidemic is often portrayed in the news media, this crisis is having a negative impact in communities of color, as well as mainstream America. Professionals in the pharmaceuticals industry and those who are developing cutting-edge treatments for some of the most challenging diseases will talk in this workshop about the complexities of drug availability to underserved communities and the politics and feasibility of having cutting-edge treatments available to the general population.
Moderator: Dr. Leyte Winfield, Associate Professor of Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry Chair, Division of Natural Science and Mathematics
Panelists: Dr. Kecia Harris, C’91; Dr. Erin Searles, C’2003; Dr. Kenicia Walker, C’2015
The Social Determinants of Black Women’s Health
Location: Wellness Center Kitchen
Any discussion of Black women’s health must take into account the complexities that can limit the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of conditions that disproportionately impact Black women. During this workshop, academicians, healthcare policy experts, nonprofit leaders, and health practitioners will discuss key psychosocial, political, and economic concerns that impact Black women’s health and access to healthcare.
Moderator: Dr. Cynthia Trawick, C’85
Panelists: Latecia Engram, C’92; Dr. Valerie Green-Amos, C’93; Dr. Loren Robinson, C’2003
Mental Health and Health Behaviors in the African American Community
Location: LLC II Auditorium
More than 60% of African Americans in the United States had a diagnosable mental health illness in the past year. During this workshop, academicians, psychologists and psychiatrists will share their perspectives on this pressing issue, discuss the key concerns that impact the mental health of individuals in the black community, and, specifically, the ways that the Spelman community can address those concerns at the local and national level.
Moderator: Dr. Shani Harris, C’95, Associate Professor of Psychology
Panelists: Dr. Kanika Bell, C’97; Dr. Angela Farris Watkins, C’86, Associate Professor and Chair of Psychology; Dr. Fleda Mask-Jackson, C’73
The Demystification of Black Women’s Bodies: In Search of Health Equity in an Era of Racism, Sexism and Gender Discrimination
Location: Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Academic Center Reading Room
Intersectionality is defined as the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender as they apply to a given individual or group; regarded as creating overlapping and interdependent systems of discrimination or disadvantage. The healthcare of black women has been impacted by all three constructs. This workshop seeks to review the historical aspects of healthcare for women overall and how the nation’s conscious and unconscious labeling of black women have led to health inequities. The workshop will also discuss approaches to advocacy that seek to eliminate health disparities among underserved populations.
Moderator: Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, C’66, Director of Women’s Research & Resource Center, Chair of Comparative Women’s Studies
Panelist: Dr. Vonda Ware, C’92
Narratives of the Unheard: How Healthcare Manifests Itself in Current Literary Works
Location: Manley President's Dining Room
Modern fiction and nonfiction literary works include experiences of individuals who directly or indirectly have been engaged with the healthcare community. What stories do these current narratives tell—and what truths do they reveal and/or hide? In this workshop, experts in media and literature will identify and explore some of the ways that patient experiences are communicated through the written word.
Moderator: Dr. Dana Lockhart
Panelists: Dr. Pushpa Parekh, Chair of African Diaspora and the World Program, Professor