First Annual Academy for Health Equity Meeting to Address Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

http://www.cmh.pitt.edu/pdf/CMHHelathEquityMeetingLetterhead.pdf

PITTSBURGH, June 25 – Eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities is one of the goals of Healthy People 2010, the nation’s roadmap to improving the health of all Americans. To address this challenge, the Center for Minority Health (CMH) at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health has joined forces with researchers, community organizers, philanthropists and federal and state agencies to launch the Academy for Health Equity. The international organization will hold its inaugural conference June 26-27 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver. The goal of the conference, “Building Capacity to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities,” is to identify and better address health disparities through affordable, quality, timely and culturally competent medical care. Conference attendees also will address the social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to excess illness and death among minority populations. “We believe that no one discipline has the ‘magic bullet’ to solve this problem and that only by working together and engaging the community as trusted partners will we be able to accelerate efforts to close the health disparity gap,” said Stephen B. Thomas, Ph.D., CMH director and the Philip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Dr. Thomas also is the founding executive committee co-chair of the Academy for Health Equity. “We are proud to play a role in the establishment of the Academy for Health Equity as an international organization because it represents the maturation of a new field of research, teaching and public health practice dedicated to eliminating racial and ethnic health disparities by focusing on health equity,” said Donald S. Burke, M.D., dean, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and UPMC-Jonas Salk Professor of Global Health. The opening address will be delivered by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. Additional speakers include:


Garth N. Graham, M.D.,deputy assistant secretary for minority health, Office of Minority Health, Department of Health and Human Services
Joyce A. Hunter, Ph.D., deputy director, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Thomas A. LaVeist, Ph.D., co-chair, Academy for Health Equity and director, Hopkins Center for Disparities Solutions, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Stephen B. Thomas, Ph.D., CMH director and the Philip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
Irene M. Ibarra, president and CEO, The Colorado Trust


Additionally, former U.S. Congressman Louis Stoke and former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Louis W. Sullivan, will be receive the 2008 National Minority Health Leadership Award for their lifelong work and dedication to health policy and legislation designed to improve the health of all people. For more information on the Academy for Health Equity, please visit: http://www.academyforhealthequity.org.

click below for press release:
http://www.cmh.pitt.edu/pdf/CMHHelathEquityMeetingLetterhead.pdf

Founding Meeting of the Academy for Health Equity

Conference InformationMeeting Dates: June 26-27, 2008 Meeting Location: Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention Center650 15th StreetDenver, Colorado 80202Phone: 303-436-1234Fax: 303-486-4450Reservations: 888-591-1234 (toll free)
Building Capacity to Eliminate Health Disparities: The Founding Meeting of the Academy for Health EquityThe inaugural founding conference of the Academy for Health Equity is critical to developing the knowledge-base for those engaged in health disparity activities by facilitating trans-disciplinary translation exchanges of the latest research and practical applications by:

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http://www.academyforhealthequity.org/conference.asp

Background: ACADEMY for HEALTH EQUITY

ACADEMY for HEALTH EQUITY

Over the past decade, efforts to eliminate health disparities have been met with limited
results. This is largely due to many individual and uncoordinated activities taking place
that are designed to address specific diseases and organ systems rather than the
population as a whole. One essential missing element is an organization that can bring
together the varied and diverse stakeholders to exchange ideas, disseminate information,
conduct research, training and other activities to promote equity in health for all.
Plans for the establishment of an organization began in January 2006 during a convened
meeting of researchers, policy-makers, and other interested parties attending the
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Minority Health (OMH)
National Summit to Eliminate Health Disparities. During the National Summit, a brief
needs assessment survey was administrated to selected participants. Additionally, a
petition was circulated to gather names for endorsement of the new organization. The
results of the survey (n=179) and petition (n=405) demonstrated a compelling need for a
common identity among the various disciplines demonstrated by the respondents.

CLICK BELOW FOR FULL DOCUMENT
http://www.academyforhealthequity.org/pdf/AHECONFERENCEBriefingPackageAPRIL08.pdf

Building Capacity

Greetings,

It is critical that we build momentum leading up to the inaugural founding conference of the Academy for Health Equity. I have established a blog to open a cyberspace to ongoing dialog and sharing of ideas. Please click below and post something ... anything:
http://academyforhealthequity.blogspot.com/


Additionally, I encourage each of you to add the Academy for Health Equity url to your signature files as you see below in mine.
http://www.academyforhealthequity.org/


This will help populate the web with the name. From time to time please do a "google" search with the Academy for Health Equity as the term. Soon our link will be the first listing...

Stephen
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Stephen B. Thomas, Ph.D.
Director, Center for Minority Health
Philip Hallen Professor of Community Health and Social Justice
Graduate School of Public Health
University of Pittsburgh
412-624-5665
www.cmh.pitt.edu
www.academyforhealthequity.org
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Academy for Health Equity Introduction

The mission of the Academy for Health Equity is to utilize rigorous scientific research, policy development, and community advocacy to eliminate health disparities and create a social movement designed to ensure equal opportunity for health.

CLICK BELOW FOR DETAILS:
http://www.academyforhealthequity.org/