The Center's Beat: Monthly Update

The Center's Beat: Monthly Update

February 15, 2018

Opportunities
Upcoming Events
Project Meetings
Recent Publications & Presentations

Deidra Candace Crews Receives President’s Award

Congratulations to our friend and colleague, Deidra Candace Crews, MD, ScM, who was chosen as the 2018 recipient of the President’s Frontier Award. She was selected for her national leadership in the study of chronic kidney disease and her exceptional work to understand and eradicate health disparities among those with the condition. Dr. Crews will receive $250,000 for her research, education, and clinical work. Deidra is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Nephrology. She serves as associate vice chair for diversity and inclusion for the Johns Hopkins’ Department of Medicine, and she is the Center’s Associate Director for Research Development. For more information on Deidra and her award, please visit http://bit.ly/2E25vu4.

Jill Marsteller Promoted to Professor of Health Policy and Management

It is also our pleasure to announce that Jill Marsteller, PhD, MPP, co-principal investigator on the RICH LIFE Project in the Center for Health Equity, has recently been promoted to Professor of Health Policy and Management of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Jill is a national and international leader in the study of organizational learning to promote high quality, safe, reliable, and equitable healthcare. She is dedicated to a research agenda aimed at helping healthcare organizations continually learn, and at developing systematic approaches for applying best practices to achieve critical goals for improving patient care. We congratulate Jill for this exciting and important achievement!

Dr. Lorraine Dean to Speak at February Health Equity JAM Session

Johns Hopkins Health Equity JAM Session, co-sponsored by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, will feature Lorraine T. Dean, ScD, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Dean will speak on “Multi-level Social and Economic Determinants of Chronic Disease” on Wednesday, February 28, 2018 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm in the Powe Conference room at 2024 E. Monument Street. Our Health Equity Jam Sessions are held monthly on the 4^th Wednesday of each month during the academic year. We aim to provide faculty and trainees who conduct health equity research with a supportive forum to discuss new research ideas and proposals, research-in-progress, responses to peer review, career development, and collaborations and to be inspired and energized by each other in an informal setting. Light refreshments are served. For more information, please contact the Center for Health Equity at healthequity@jhmi.edu. To RSVP for the February Health Equity JAM Session, please visit http://bit.ly/2G0bWew. To sign up for our Health Equity JAM Session listserv, please visit http://bit.ly/2Et4jAa.

Dean Martha Hill Receives Watkins-Saunders Award from the AHA

On Saturday, February 10, Martha Hill, PhD, RN, former Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, received the 2018 Watkins-Saunders Award from the Greater Baltimore Chapter of the American Heart Association, at the Baltimore Heart Ball. The Watkins-Saunders Award recognizes outstanding commitment to overcoming health and community disparities in the state of Maryland. Dr. Levi Watkins was a trailblazing Johns Hopkins cardiac surgeon, renown civil rights activist, and beloved mentor. Dr. Saunders was a prominent University of Maryland cardiologist, advocate for African American health, and revered medical educator. Both physicians were supporters of the Center for Health Equity and we will keep them in our hearts forever. Dr. Hill is Professor Emeritus in the School of Nursing, a member of the National Academy of Medicine, former President of the AHA, and a long-time friend and supporter of the Center for Health Equity. We are so proud of her legacy. Congratulations, Martha!

Five, Plus Nuts and Beans for Kidneys Study Hires a New Research Assistant

Janee Kearney has been hired as a Research Program Assistant with The Five, Plus Nuts and Beans for Kidneys study. Originally from New Jersey, Janee is a 2016 graduate of North Carolina A&T State University with a B.S. in Food and Nutritional Sciences (Dietetics). She is currently pursuing her Masters in Nutrition and Integrative Health at the Maryland University of Integrative Health. She will be conducting recruitment calls and follow-up visits with patients who are enrolled in the study. Welcome to the Center, Janee!

Health Equity Leadership Institute. The 2018 Health Equity Leadership Institute (HELI) application is now open. HELI is an intensive week-long research and career-development institute with the goal of increasing the number of underrepresented scholars who can sustain their ongoing commitment to health equity research. In 2010-2016, HELI brought 145 diverse scholars together to engage with each other and learn from supportive faculty. HELI includes an evidence based curriculum to develop a diverse workforce for health equity research. For those institutions interested in implementing such an institute to develop and support underrepresented early stage investigators, a resource toolbox is provided. The application due date is Thursday, February 15. For more information on the institute and how to apply, please visit http://bit.ly/2EUzNwI.

Policy Change Funding Opportunity. Sponsored by the Bloomberg American Health Initiative Policy Change workgroup, this award will support the translation and dissemination of research that is related to one of the Initiative’s five focus areas (Addiction and Overdose, Environmental Challenges, Obesity and the Food System, Risk to Adolescent Health, and Violence.) One award in the amount of $20,000 is available to increase the capacity of faculty, staff, and students to make research findings compelling and actionable, and to disseminate findings to individuals, agencies, and/or organizations that can advance policy change. The Initiative broadly defines policy as including legislation, regulation, standards, or guidelines. Applications are due by Friday, February 16, 2018 at 5:00 pm EST. For more information on award objectives, eligibility requirements, and use of funds you can contact Keshia Pollack Porter at (kpollac1@jhu.edu) or please visit http://bit.ly/2nWwr4r.

Intersectional Qualitative Research Methods Institute (IQRMI). The 4^th annual Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Intersectional Qualitative Research Methods Institute (IQRMI) for intersectional and underrepresented minority early career scholars will provide scholars with practical experience to enhance qualitative intersectional research skills, develop critical intersectional perspectives for designing and interpreting research, create and hone navigational skills to successfully negotiate academic career paths, and cultivate a network of intersectional scholars. The application deadline is February 28, 2018. New Connections will cover the cost of registration and travel for a select number of Network Members. In order to be considered you need to have attended a Research and Coaching Clinic or a Symposium. For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/2nVnybu.

Bloomberg Distinguished Professors Think Tank. During this event, you will learn about current research from the Big Data thematic group from varying Bloomberg Distinguished Professors (BDPs) including Nilanjan Chatterjee, Professor of Biostatistics and Genetic Epidemiology; Alan Yuille, Professor of Computational Cognitive Science; Tannis Kevrekidis, Professor of Modeling and Dynamic Behavior of Complex Systems; and Chris Chute, Professor of Health Informatics and Translational Sciences. Each BDP will present for 10 minutes followed by brief questions and discussions. A catered reception will follow. This Think Tank series will kick off on February 22, 2018 from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm in the Sherwood Room on the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus. Food and beverages will be provided. Please RSVP to tjohnson2@jhu.edu.

B-Healthy 2018: Summit on Black Male Health Equity. This summit brings together a range of experts from medicine, research, government, community, and the faith community to begin a community wide discussion to reduce health inequities of black males of all ages. The format of the evening will include a keynote address by Bro. Dr. Keith Anthony Jones, Chief Physician Executive at UAB School of Medicine and President of the UAB Health Services Foundation. Prior to the keynote address, the panel will present highlights and simple action items to help increase the health equity of black males included in their respective open letters to the Greater Birmingham Community. Panelists include Willie L. Gilford, Jr., MD; Greg Townsend, MPPM; Paul Amamoo, MD; Rev. Christopher Hamlin, DMin; and Patrick Packer. The event will be held Thursday, February 22, 2018 at 6:00 pm in the Parthenon 2210 First Ave. North Birmingham, AL 35203. For more information or to register, please visit http://bit.ly/2G0YmaO.

Moving Toward Health Equity: From the Neighborhood to the Global Communities. The 2018 Interprofessional Education and Practice Conference Addressing Health Disparities is themed “Moving Toward Health Equity: From the Neighborhood to the Global Communities. This conference is hosted by the College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences, the two-day event will take place on February 22-23, 2018 at Howard University’s Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library 501 W. Street NW, Washington, DC 20059. Conference objectives include the following: to inform participants on current health disparities issues in the U.S. and abroad, to equip participants with equitable solutions to help reduce health disparities, and to engage faculty to integrate an understanding of health disparities into course design. You should consider attending if you are a practicing health professional and faculty or a student. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. For more information or to register, please visit http://bit.ly/2nWcESL.

Engaging New Allies in the Health Equity Movement: A Partnership Summit. The summit will build on the elements that worked successfully in HEI’s 2016 Summit and incorporate new themes that will expand the reach of the health equity movement. It will bring together health care professionals, community leaders, students, government staff, and more. The goal is to inform and engage participants through two direct pathways: one dedicated to engagement through innovation think tanks and case studies on important determinants of health that emerged from the participants’ feedback at the 2016 summit; and the other dedicated to presentations, training, case studies and consensus building on strategies for multi-sectoral partnerships via community and public engagement. The summit will take place on Friday, February 23, 2018 from 8:00 am – 5:30 pm at the New York Public Library on 515 Malcolm X Boulevard New York, NY. For more information on this event, please visit http://bit.ly/2B476Kp.

The Kerner Commission at 50 Conference. The Race and Inequality in America: The Kerner Commission at 50 conference aims to serve as a landmark, comprehensive investigation of race in American society. Findings from the conference will be compiled into reports and multimedia materials to be made publicly available following the conference, in order to serve as a landmark retrospective as well as a roadmap for a policy agenda that can grapple with the challenges of racial inequality in American Society. The conference will be held February 27 – March 1, 2018 at Pauley Ballroom, UC Berkeley, 2475 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94720, with a satellite location at Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 2^nd Floor Theater, 830 E Pratt St., Baltimore, MD 21202. Our Center Director, Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH, will participate on a panel entitled, “Health and Race in America” with Drs. Leana Wen, Baltimore City Health Commissioner, and Robert Hahn of the Centers for Disease Control. For more information, please visit http://haasinstitute.berkeley.edu/kerner50.
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Project Meetings

RICH LIFE Project