CDC hosts historic summit honoring 100 years of moving minority health forward

Thought leaders to develop strategies to improve minority health in the 21st century

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release: Monday, April 13, 2015
Contact: CDC Media Relations
404-639-3286

What

“National Negro Health Week to National Minority Health Month: 100 Years of Moving Public Health Forward,” a historical summit of minority health leaders on the 100th anniversary of National Negro Health Week – now National Minority Health Month – and the 30th anniversary of the 1985 Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and  Minority Health, known as “The Heckler Report.”

The event will be co-hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Tuskegee University and Morehouse School of Medicine. Agenda: https://cdc.6connex.com/event/OMHHE/login.

Who

Ileana Arias, Ph.D.
Principal Deputy Director, CDC

Leandris Liburd, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.A.,
Associate Director for Minority Health and Health Equity, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity, CDC

When

April 17, 2015, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Where

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE Atlanta, GA 30329

Seating capacity for this event has been reached. Visit https://cdc.6connex.com/event/OMHHE/login to register and join the live-stream coverage of the health summit. Early registration is advised.

LiveMeeting

The event will be live-streamed. For access and additional information, please visit:   http://tinyurl.com/OMHHE-virtual

Background:   

Dr. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915), established the National Negro Health Week in 1915 in response to the growing recognition of the importance of health in ensuring the viability of the Black community and the economy in general. The National Negro Health Week eventually evolved to what it is currently known as the National Minority Health Month. Commemorated each April, National Minority Health Month is dedicated to raising awareness of health disparities affecting racial and ethnic populations in the U.S. This year’s event will also honor the 100th anniversary of Booker T. Washington’s death.

The year also marks the 30th Anniversary of the 1985 Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health, a landmark eight-volume report, known as the “Heckler Report,” documenting health disparities affecting Americans of color and recommending action steps for the nation to address these disparities. Both the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)External Web Site IconOffice of Minority Health and CDC Office of Minority Health were established in response to this report.

Media Access:  

To coordinate an interview, contact media@cdc.gov or 404-639-3286.

Speakers:

Rueben C. Warren, DDS, MPH, DrPH, MDiv
Professor of Bioethics and Director of the
National Center for Bioethics in Research and Health Care
Tuskegee University

J. Nadine Gracia, MD, MSCE
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health and
Director, Office of Minority Health, HHS

Cara James, PhD
Director, Office of Minority Health
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 

Jonca Bull, MD
Director, Office of Minority Health
Food and Drug Administration 

Roslyn Holliday Moore, MS
Public Health Advisor
Office of Behavioral Health Equity
Substance Abuse and Mental HealthServices Administration

Yvonne T. Maddox, PhD
Acting Director, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities
National Institutes of Health

Sela Panapasa, PhD
Assistant Research Scientist
Research Center for Group Dynamics, ISR
University of Michigan
(Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Community Representative)

Bonnie Duran, DrPH
Associate Professor, Schools of Social Work & Public Health and Indigenous Wellness Research Institute
University of Washington
(American Indian/Alaskan Native Community Representative)

Craig Washington
Prevention Programs Manager
AID Atlanta, Inc.
(Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Representative)

Shirley E. Borghi
Co-Vice Chairman & Executive Director
Hispanic Health Coalition of Georgia
(Latino Community Representative)

Angela Glover Blackwell
Founder and CEO of PolicyLink

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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES