Public Health Leaders Tackle Equity Gaps at APHA 2024 Workshop

At this year’s American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting, Dr. Wendy Ellis led a half-day workshop titled Committing to Equity: The Path Forward in Turbulent Times, bringing together practitioners and community partners to strengthen efforts aimed at addressing systemic inequities that drive equitable health and social outcomes. Dr. Ellis, Assistant Professor in Global Health and Director of both the Center for Community Resilience (CCR) and the Institute for Racial, Ethnic, and Socioeconomic Equity (Equity Institute) at George Washington University, infused the event with purpose and urgency, uniting participants around a central goal: advancing meaningful, actionable systems change while acknowledging the political and social headwinds ahead for public health.

Co-sponsored by the Equity Institute, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Center for Community Resilience, and the APHA, the event provided attendees the opportunity to share lessons learned in navigating turbulence while remaining on mission to foster social and health equity.

The workshop kicked off with two plenary sessions. Plenary 1: The State of Equity, highlighted data and analysis outlining current political challenges and the opportunities that remain to foster more equitable outcomes for the public’s health. Mighty Fine, Associate Vice President of Public Health Practice and Policy at APHA, moderated Plenary 1, providing insight from the national perspective on the state of affairs. Participants heard from Dr. Kimberly Wyche-Etheridge, Vice President of Health Equity Initiatives at the Association for State and Territorial Health Officials, and Dr. Robynn Cox, a member of the NAM Culture of Health Committee. Most notable was a preview of an upcoming paper series from the National Academies of Medicine which demonstrate the harm of structural racism for all races in America across both urban and rural settings.

Plenary 2: Lessons Learned, featured perspectives from local public health champions who are making success in fostering health equity despite political opposition on the ground. This included lessons learned from Leon County, Florida health equity initiatives, National Academies of Medicine Culture of Health Senior Program Officer Amy Gyau-Moyer, and BARHII Executive Director Melissa Jones. These insights helped attendees understand the importance of framing a message that is inclusive and sensitive to both race-based and place-based inequities.

True to its aim to equip local public health leaders with the tools and resources needed to continue health equity initiatives in hostile political environments, the workshop focused on three breakout sessions led by Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative (BARHII), Berkeley Media Studies Group, and CCR, each zeroing in on essential components of health equity. Workshop 1: Systems Change Self-Assessment led by BARHII offered attendees tools to evaluate existing systems and pinpoint areas for improvement. Next, in Workshop 2: Narrative Change led by Berkely Media Studies participants explored strategies to amplify community voices and empower individuals to share their experiences, with a focus on revealing how current systems impact their lives and fostering momentum for systemic change. Finally, Workshop 3: Measuring Equity led by CCR provided participants with tools to track progress and maintain accountability.

The workshop’s collaborative format encouraged meaningful discussions and reinforced a shared commitment to fostering an equitable public health future. Public health stakeholders left inspired, provided with practical strategies and resources to drive change in their communities.

For more information on the workshop or to access CCR related resources, visit their website at https://ccr.publichealth.gwu.edu/.

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From left to right: Dr. Wendy Ellis , Mighty Fine, and Dr. Robynn Cox.

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Dr. Kuan-Lung Daniel Chen presents at the "Committing to Equity: The Path Forward in Turbulent Times" workshop on October 26.