The Center's Beat: Monthly Update

The Center's Beat: Monthly Update

April 10, 2018

Opportunities
Upcoming Events
Project Meetings
Recent Publications & Presentations

Gail Daumit Receives David M. Levine Excellence in Mentoring Award

We would like to congratulate Gail Daumit, MD, MHS on her receipt of the David M. Levine Excellence in Mentoring Award at the 2018 Department of Medicine Research Retreat! Dr. Daumit, Professor of Medicine, Research Director in the Division of General Internal Medicine, and a core faculty member in the Center for Health Equity, conducts research devoted to improving overall health and decreasing premature mortality for persons with serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Gail is currently leading a randomized trial funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute testing a comprehensive cardiovascular risk reduction program in persons with serious mental illness (IDEAL). She is the principal investigator, with Dr. Evins at Massachusetts General Hospital, of a randomized trial of a tobacco smoking cessation program integrating exercise and weight management for persons with serious mental illness (TRIUMPH) funded by NIMH. Dr. Daumit is also leading a NIMH-funded study to examine Health Homes in Maryland psychiatric rehabilitation programs. For further information on her award, please visit the Johns Hopkins Medicine Matters blog at https://bit.ly/2umn0lq.

Cheryl Dennison-Himmelfarb to Receive The Sarah E. Allison Endowed Chair in the School of Nursing

Cheryl Dennison-Himmelfarb, PhD, RN, ANP, is professor and associate dean of research, and a Core faculty member in the Center for Health Equity. She co-leads the Blood Pressure Measurement and Hypertension Best Practices Workgroup of the RICH LIFE Project, along with Romsai (Tony) Boonyasai, MD, MPH. Dr. Dennison-Himmelfarb is a trailblazer in patient safety and cardiovascular care. She was recently enshrined in the Nurse Researcher Hall of Fame by Sigma Theta Tau International. Cheryl also served as an author of the new Hypertension Guideline of the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. She is among the faculty at the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality Leadership Academy and directs the Helene Fuld Leadership Program for the Advancement of Patient Safety & Quality. Cheryl is deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Clinical and Translation Research and Co-Director of the Center for Cardiovascular and Chronic Care in the School of Nursing. Cheryl will receive The Sarah E. Allison Endowed Chair, funded by the School of Nursing’s recently deceased alumna, Sarah Allison. This chair was established to support and recognize Dorothea Orem and her Self-Care Deficit Theory, which has shaped research in promoting self-care. Dr. Himmelfarb’s work, particularly in hypertension and heart failure self-care will advance these important theoretical foundations. Cheryl’s installation ceremony is scheduled for April 26 at 4:00 pm in the SON auditorium. Congratulations, Cheryl!

Lisa Cooper Speaks at HRSA Health Equity Report Launch Event

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) proudly announced the formal launch of its 2017 Health Equity Report on April 4, 2018 in conjunction with and observance of National Minority Health Month 2018 ‘ “Partnering for Health Equity”. The Report presents a comprehensive analysis of HRA’s program efforts in reducing health disparities and promoting health equity for various populations at the national, state, and local levels. HRSA’s Office of Health Equity (OHE) developed the Report in partnership with each of HRSA’s Bureaus and Offices. The Report addresses the agency’s key Strategic Plan goals such as improving access to quality health care and services; strengthening the healthcare workforce; building health communities; and improving health equity. Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor and our Center Director, spoke about the Center for Health Equity’s partnerships with patients, health systems (including FQHCs such as Berks, Choptank, Park West, and Total Health Care), community organizations, and representatives of several sectors of society, and the important role these partnerships play in our research, education and training, and our efforts to improve practice and policy. Other speakers included Michelle Allender, Director of HRSA’s Office of Health Equity, Dr. Matthew Lin, Director of the Office of Minority Health, and Dr. Nathaniel Stinson, Director of the Division of Scientific Programs at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Tanjala Purnell Promotes Transplant Equity in the Baltimore Community

Tanjala Purnell, PhD MPH, Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins Department of Surgery, and Associate Director for Education and Training, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, recently engaged in a series of activities to promote health equity for patients with chronic kidney disease who are in need of a transplant. On February 15, 2018, Dr. Purnell traveled to Annapolis, MD to provide expert testimony on behalf of Maryland House Bill 442, which aims to improve education about organ and tissue donation awareness in public and nonpublic high schools. (photo attached) The bill was sponsored by Delegate Pamela Queen and successfully passed in the House on February 27 with a vote of 134-2. On March 23, 2018, Dr. Purnell participated in a Radio One Baltimore interview with The Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland and Power Magazine to raise awareness about the importance of kidney health, organ donation, and transplantation in the Baltimore community. On March 24th, she was an invited speaker at the Living Legacy Foundation of Maryland's 2nd Annual Volunteer Collaborative where she discussed strategies for overcoming health disparities in kidney disease and transplantation. Finally, Dr. Purnell will give a talk entitled, "Achieving Transplant Equity: Closing the Gaps in Disparities, Interventions, and Research" at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research Seminar on April 24 from 12pm-1pm in Hampton House Room 688. All are welcome to attend!

American Heart Association’s Community Action Kick-Off Meeting

On March 29^th, the American Heart Association held a kickoff meeting to launch a collective impact strategy: Community Health in Action. The Community Health in Action Task Force (CHAT) aims to develop and implement strategies to address disparities and inequities that impact a patient’s ability to effectively access and navigate the healthcare system. Additionally, the CHAT will work to develop strategies to impact the healthcare system’s ability to effectively reach out to, and serve, poor and medically underserved patients. This initiative will focus on improving the health outcomes of the most vulnerable Baltimore communities disproportionately affected by cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, atrial-fibrillation (AFib), and venous thromboembolism (VTE). The kickoff meeting brought together a dynamic group representing the perspectives of health systems, academic medical institutions, payers, patients, providers, and community health workers. The task force will meet for the first time on April 26, 2018. The AHA is looking for committed community members and stakeholders with a vision of health equity and equal access to quality healthcare resources for all. If you are interested in participating in this initiative, please contact Jalisa Powell, Project Manager at Jalisa.Powell@heart.org or (410) 246-6715.

Trainee News

Sarah Jude Flynn, who worked with the Center as a Research Assistant on Project ReD CHiP and the ACT Study from 2011-2013, has matched for residency in Internal Medicine at University of California - San Francisco. Sarah completed a Master of Philosophy in Primary Care Research at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. She will graduate from the University of Maryland School of Medicine with her Doctor of Medicine degree next month, at which time she will be recognized with the “Faculty Gold Medal for Outstanding Qualifications in the Practice of Medicine”. Congratulations, Sarah!
Robert Okyere, who spent a month with us during the summer of 2016 as a volunteer medical student on the RICH LIFE Project, has matched for residency in Primary Care Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Robert will graduate from Howard University College of Medicine next month. Congratulations, Robert!

Applications of Innovative Methods in Health Equity Research Summer Institute Course 2018 - Register Now!

Do you want to conduct high quality research related to achieving health equity? Do you need to learn practical techniques ranging from how to engage key stakeholders, hire the best staff, tailor interventions for your study population, and more? Are you ready to apply theories to real world situations, but you are not sure how to take the next step? Our course, Applications of Innovative Methods in Health Equity Research, will provide you with practical methods to develop, implement, and sustain successful health equity research programs. The course, co-directed by Dr. Lisa Cooper and Dr. Tanjala Purnell and featuring lectures by several core Center faculty, will be held on June 11 – 12 at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The course features several faculty lecturers and provides a comprehensive introduction to innovative methods and skills required to conduct rigorous health equity research and translate evidence-based strategies into practice and policy. We will cover topics ranging from stakeholder engagement and behavioral intervention development to research methods in social epidemiology. You will learn through lectures, interactive panel discussions, and opportunities to participate in small group discussions with experienced investigators. Registration is now open! For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2GsAiT0.

April Health Equity JAM Session Features Dr. George Mensah of NHLBI

The next Health Equity Jam Session, co-sponsored by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity and the Bloomberg American Health Initiative, will be held on April 25 from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm at 2024 E. Monument Street in the 1st Floor Powe Conference Room (The Welch Center). The session will feature George Mensah, MD, FAHA, Director, Center for Translation Research & Implementation Science, NIH/NHLBI, who will share his expertise on “Seven Decades of Progress: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s Role in Health Disparities Research and Research Training”. Please RSVP by clicking here. The Health Equity Jam Sessions are usually held on the 4^th Wednesday of each month during the academic year. We aim to provide faculty and trainees working on health equity research with a supportive forum to discuss new research ideas and proposals, research-in-progress, responses to peer review, career development, collaborations, and opportunities to be inspired and energized by each other in an informal setting. Light refreshments are served. If you would like more information about the Health Equity Jam Sessions and future presentation opportunities, please contact us at healthequitytraining@jhmi.edu.

Upcoming Events

Workshop on Inequality and Social Policy. 21st Century Cities is hosting an upcoming discussion as part of a series titled the Johns Hopkins Workshop on Social Policy and Inequality. This workshop series brings together colleagues - faculty, graduate students, undergraduates, and staff - from the Krieger School and around the university to examine the latest scholarship on inequality. Chloe Thurston, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Northwestern will present on Thursday, April 19 from 4:15 pm - 6:00 pm in Gilman Hall, Room 130G on the Homewood Campus. Professor Thurston's research and teaching interests are in American political development, with a focus on social policy, organized interests and social movements, and historical analysis. She will be discussing the forthcoming paper "The Dividing Welfare State: Race, Gender, and Stratification in the US's Public-Private Safety Net." Light refreshments will be served. Please RSVP here. For further information on the series, you may visit https://bit.ly/2GJKmmI.

Grand Rounds with Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo - 15^th Annual Myron L. Weisfeldt Distinguished Visiting Professor in Diversity. The Department of Medicine Diversity Council and the School of Medicine Office of the Vice Dean for Faculty are thrilled to announce the visit of Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, featured speaker at the Department of Medicine Grand Rounds on April 20. The title of her talk is “Cardiovascular Disease Prevention and Precision Population Health.” Dr. Bibbins-Domingo is the Lee Goldman, M.D. Endowed Chair in Medicine, Professor & Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, and Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She is the inaugural Vice Dean for Population Health and Health Equity in the UCSF School of Medicine and directs the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. Medical Grand Rounds are held on Fridays at 8:00 am in Hurd Hall at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Bibbins-Domingo will be meeting with Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity trainees during her visit.

11^th Annual Jazz Brunch & Awareness Fair. The American Heart Association, The American Stroke Association, and Johns Hopkins Medicine presents the 11^th Annual Jazz Brunch & Awareness Fair featuring guest comedian Rodney Perry and live jazz music by Café Red. This event is free and open to the public. There will be free blood pressure screenings, free giveaways, stroke counseling, health food samples, and more. The event will be held on April 21 from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm in the Albert H. Owens Auditorium, Koch Cancer Research Building, 1500 Orleans Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21287. To RSVP or for more information, please contact Faye Brookes at 410-246-6717 or faye.brookes@heart.org.

Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research (CHSOR) Seminar. Tanjala Purnell, PhD MPH, Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, JHUSOM, and Associate Director for Education and Training, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, will give a talk entitled, "Achieving Transplant Equity: Closing the Gaps in Disparities, Interventions, and Research," at the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research Seminar on April 24 from 12:00 noon -1:00 pm in Hampton House Room 688. All are welcome to attend! For more information, please contact Mary Breckenridge-Keyes at mbrecke1@jhmi.edu.

Voices of Social Change: Empowered Communities for Health and Social Justice. On an annual basis, the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, in collaboration with the office of the Provost, convenes a symposium focused on the social determinants of health. This year marks the 50^th anniversary of a series of events that happened in 1968 that sparked social change both on a national and local level, such as the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, the protests at the Democratic National Convention, the riots in Baltimore, the Poor People’s Campaign, and the anti-war movement. Join the conversation to hear from local and national leaders as they reflect on activism and social justice from 1968 to 2018. The event will take place on April 30 from 8:30 am – 5:00 pm in Turner Auditorium, 720 Rutland Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21205. For more information or to register, please visit https://bit.ly/2Ftx7cl.

The Future of Health Services Research: Confronting Determinants, Delivery and Data. A 2018 Sam Shapiro Lecture. The Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research (CHSOR) is hosting Lisa Simpson, MB, BCh, MPH, President and CEO of AcademyHealth, on May 1. Her talk, titled “The Future of Health Services Research: Confronting Determinants, Delivery and Data” is part of the 2018 Sam Shapiro Lecture series. It will be held at the Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Hampton House at 624 N. Broadway, Hampton House Auditorium (B14B) from 12:00 pm – 1:20 pm. For further information, please contact Mary Breckenridge-Keyes at mbrecke1@jhmi.edu.

2018 Health Disparities Research Institute. The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) will host the Health Disparities Research Institute (HDRI) this July 23-27. The HDRI aims to support the research career development of promising minority health and health disparities research scientists early in their careers, stimulating research in the disciplines supported by health disparities science. The program features lectures, mock grant review, seminars, and small group discussions on research relevant to minority health and health disparities. It will also include sessions on NIH scientific staff engaged in related health disparities research across the various institutes and centers. The due date for submitting your application is April 27 at 5:00 pm. For further information on how to apply, please visit https://bit.ly/2Edw6jZ.

The RICH LIFE Project