Bay Area Health Equity Speaker Series

May 18 – June 15, 2021
Tuesday evenings, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Free to attend! Register here. Register once for all sessions.

For questions, please contact Jenn Mullins, ACCMA Education and Event Associate at jmullins@accma.org or 510-654-5383.

Topics and Speakers

May 18: Linkage Between Social Inequity and Health Disparities

Keynote Speaker: Rishi Manchanda, MD, President and CEO, HealthBegins

Dr. Manchanda has spent more than a decade developing novel strategies to improve health in resource-poor communities. In this presentation, he examines the connections among socioeconomic factors, systemic inequality, and health disparities. Socioeconomic factors that may not seem directly related to health outcomes are in fact closely related through systems that promote unequal treatment and thus lead to disparate outcomes. 

May 25: Health Inequity in Our Own Backyard

Keynote Speaker: Anthony Iton, MD, JD, Senior Vice President, Healthy Communities, The California Endowment

Dr. Iton oversees a 10-year, $1 billion initiative to improve the health status of low-income Californians. In this presentation, he will give a local view of how the relationship between systemic inequality and health outcomes impacts patients in our community. Data will be presented that show the effects of the widening wealth gap in the Bay Area and of the unequal distribution of resources on the health outcomes of specific demographics. 

Panel of Speakers

June 1: Community Resilience Case Study: Physician Leaders of the African American Response Circle (AARC)

Panel Discussion Speakers: Katrina Peters, MD, MPH, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCSF (Facilitator); Noha Aboelata, MD, Founder and CEO, Roots Community Health Center; Damon Francis, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Health Leads; Kimberly Rhoads, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, UCSF

This panel will discuss the political, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that led to exacerbations of health disparities in the African American community during the COVID-19 pandemic. They will identify leveraging points that can help mobilize resources for supporting community resilience. Additionally, they will describe the critical ingredients for a successful community-based alliance that bridges healthcare delivery with other sectors such as public health, educational, and religious institutions. 

Panel of Speakers

June 8: A Systems Approach Case Study: The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG)

Panel Discussion Speakers: Shannon Udovic-Constant, MD, TPMG (Facilitator); Stacey Hunt, MD, TPMG

TPMG is taking a strategic approach to health equity that includes a focus on People, Patients, and Community. We will hear how TPMG is approaching health equity and dive into some of the specific areas and initiatives that are underway to move the dial towards equity. Participants will understand some of the elements and considerations that go into a systems approach to health equity. 

Panel of Speakers

June 15: Leadership in Action Case Study: Kedran Community Health Center and True Vine Ministries Vaccine Clinic

Panel Discussion Speakers: Albert Brooks, MD (Facilitator); Jerry Abraham, MD, MPH, CMQ, Director, Kedren Community Health Center; Donna Carey, MD, FEMA, CalOES, Alameda County Public Health Department, and LifeLong Medical Care

Learn how a South Los Angeles health center and a local Oakland vaccine clinic became models of success for vaccine distribution. This panel will examine the contributions from community organizations, specifically, the partnerships created to remove barriers to getting vaccines to underserved communities. Their stories show the positive and uplifting atmosphere they spread to be part of the solution during the pandemic. 

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