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February 2024 Swetland Seminar || The University of Pittsburgh Center for Health Equity: Development, Strategies and Synergies
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The University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public Health Center for Health Equity (CHE) marks the 29-year anniversary when the founding of its predecessor entity, The Center for Minority Health, set in motion a goal of developing research, teaching and service in support of improving the health and well-being of underrepresented populations. In its current form, CHE continues with its mission of elevating and uplifting health equity and justice. Our goal is to ensure that our priorities, goals and strategies align with the needs of our local community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (PA) and Allegheny County, the region of Southwest PA, and the state of PA while also synergizing with our national and global partners. CHE has been successful in our three main pillars of research, service to community and education including leadership in research across the lifespan, continued community-partnered work through the Community Research Advisory Board (CRAB) and development of curricula in health equity. In this seminar, we will share the history of CHE and its development, describe some highlights and accomplishments over the years and plans moving forward.
Presenters:
Dara D. Méndez, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh
Associate Director, Center for Health Equity, University of Pittsburgh
Dr. Méndez’s research, practice and instruction include health equity, reproductive justice and anti-oppression praxis as well as applications of Black Feminist Theory and Public Health Critical Race Praxis. She focuses on understanding and addressing racial and socioeconomic equity in pregnancy, birth and women’s health. Dr. Méndez has developed approaches to measure and understand how structural and social contexts (including structural racism and oppression) intersect to contribute to health, particularly the health of Black women, femmes and gender-expansive people. She also leads several projects focused on community health and policy interventions aimed to achieve health equity. Her work has been funded by the NIH, CDC, Kellogg Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to name several. In her role at the University of Pittsburgh, she has served as former Interim Director for the Center for Health Equity (current Associate Director) and founder and current director of the Health Justice Scholars and Maternal and Child Health Equity Scholars Programs. She also serves as executive member of the Black Equity Coalition, Health Editor for Block Chronicles and co-founder of the Pittsburgh Latinx Artist Residency Program.
Dr. Méndez received her bachelor’s degree in sociology and anthropology from Spelman College; MPH in maternal and child health and PhD in maternal and child health and epidemiology from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She completed her postdoctoral training as a Kellogg Health Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh.
Lora Ann Bray is the Manager of Community Partnerships, Education and Training, at the Center for Health Equity (CHE) in the School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh. Lora Ann is responsible for the administration and management of CHE Programs including the Community Research Advisory Board (CRAB), Barbershop Health Outreach Program, Journal Club, student scholarship and pathway programs, and for developing strategic community partnerships. She joined the Center in 2003 with experience in data management, cancer education, program planning, and clinical trial recruitment. She is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a minor in Black Studies. Lora Ann is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.
This seminar is co-sponsored by the Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods and the Master of Public Health Program at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). It is conducted in partnership with the CWRU Population and Community Health Initiative.