Hello Scholars,
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., this Saturday-Monday the Geisel School of Medicine offers several ways to learn more about disparities and inequalities in health care in our country. The virtual conference is titled “COVID19: Envisioning Sustainable Healing in Light of Systemic Inequities,” and invites participation from all. Thank you to the NH AHEC HS Scholars in the organizing committee for this incredible lineup of speakers.
The top section of the newsletter lists these MLK events—but please take a look at the AHEC Scholar–specific offerings below that as well. We have the option to create 2 teams for case-based learning—and I’m looking for participants. Learn more by scrolling down!
Best wishes, Kate
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhuman.”
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Upcoming Live Events/Opportunities
MLK Celebration at the Geisel School of Medicine
A Tale of Two Americas: HIV, COVID-19, and the “Pandemic” of Healthcare Disparities
Saturday, January 16, 2021 (1:00 pm)
As the HIV pandemic has shown, chronic healthcare disparities have inflicted immense suffering in marginalized communities of color, and the current COVID-19 crisis has further compounded these inequities, which challenge us in our everyday clinical interactions with our patients.
Presenter:
Daniel Baxter MD: Dr. Baxter is an Internal Medicine Specialist in New York, NY and has over 45 years of experience in the medical field. He graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1975. He is affiliated with Mount Sinai Morningside.
The COVID-19 Pandemic & Health Inequalities: An Opportunity for a Radical Revolution in Healthcare
Saturday, January 16, 2021 (2:15 pm)
Racial and socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 diagnosis are superimposed upon and have the potential to worsen historical inequities in the United States. Lessons learned from the current COVID-19 pandemic provide an opportunity for healing and reshaping of our current healthcare system to better serve historically marginalized populations.
Presenter:
Roy Wade Jr. MD, PhD, MPH, MSHP: Dr. Wade is an instructor of pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania and a general pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Cobbs Creek Primary Care. He has a PhD in Microbiology from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He received his medical degree from Dartmouth Medical School, completing his pediatric residency at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. After residency, Dr. Wade completed a Commonwealth Fund Harvard Minority Health Policy Fellowship at the Harvard School of Medicine and Harvard School of Public Health earning a MPH in Health Policy and Management. He completed a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Fellowship at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.
UNMUTED
Saturday, January 16, 2021 (7:15 pm)
COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our day-to-day lives–physically, economically, socially, and educationally. As part of the Geisel School of Medicine 2021 MLK Day Celebration, we created UNMUTED, a platform for community members to share their stories and reflect on the myriad ways the pandemic has impacted them. This includes stories of illness, financial struggles, mental health, and silver linings. We hope that this time will help to eliminate the anonymity of the COVID-19 crisis in our community and bring us closer together. To that end, we invite you to submit proposals for a 3-5 minute performance in any creative format –story, essay, spoken word, song, video, or dance—to be shared in a live stream with the community at large. Performances can be submitted anonymously and shared live, read by the event’s Emcees, or pre-recorded.
Abenaki Food Pantry Fundraiser with Medicine in Motion
Sunday, January 17, 2021 (1:00-3:00 pm)
Pledge to walk, run, skate, snowshoe, or participate in an activity of your choice around Occom Pond in support of the Abenaki food pantry in Swanton, VT. More details and sign-up information here.
More than ever: “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” – Dr. Martin Luther King
Monday, January 18, 2021 (11:00 am)
COVID-19 did not create the inequalities and the social, structural violence that prevents individuals from practicing their rights to health but has rather significantly exacerbated them. Similarly, COVID-19 did not create preconditions but has killed hundreds of thousands of people based on these preconditions. While the elderly are the most vulnerable, we cannot forget the increased vulnerability and the damages faced by minorities due to preexisting socioeconomic injustices as well as the bad leadership that is responsible for all of this. If we are to bring an end to injustice in healthcare for this crisis and prepare for any future global health threat, we need governance structures centered on wellness and inclusiveness.
Presenter:
Agnes Binagwaho MD, M(Ped), PhD: Professor Binagwaho is a Rwandan pediatrician and the Vice Chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity. She worked for 20 years in the public health sector in Rwanda, serving in high-level government positions from 2002-2016 as the Executive Secretary of Rwanda’s National AIDS Control Commission, then as Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, and then for five years as Minister of Health. She is currently the Senior Advisor to the Director General of the World Health Organization, a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, an Adjunct Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine, a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Global Health Equity, a member of US National Academy of Medicine and a fellow of the African Academy of Sciences.
Keynote Address: Mobilizing for Health Equity
Monday, January 18, 2021 (12:15 pm)
In this talk, Dr. Uché Blackstock, founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, will touch upon topics ranging from the historical aspects of racism in the American medical system to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on racial health disparities to motivate that audience to mobilize for health equity.
Presenter:
Dr. Uché Blackstock is a thought leader and sought-after speaker on bias and racism in health care. She is the Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity, which partners with healthcare organizations to eradicate racial health inequities, through keynote talks, trainings and consulting services. In 2019, Dr. Blackstock was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of “10 Diversity and Inclusion Trailblazers You Need to Get Familiar With”. In 2020, she was one of thirty-one inaugural leaders awarded an unrestricted grant for her advocacy work from the Black Voices for Black Justice Fund.Dr. Blackstock’s writing has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Scientific American, the Washington Post and STAT News for the Boston Globe. Since June 2020, she has been a Yahoo News Medical Contributor and appears regularly on cable and broadcast news programming to amplify the message around racial health inequities. She is a former Associate Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the former Faculty Director for Recruitment, Retention and Inclusion in the Office of Diversity Affairs at NYU School of Medicine. She left her faculty position at NYU School of Medicine in December 2019 after almost 10 years to focus on Advancing Health Equity. Dr. Blackstock received both her undergraduate and medical degrees from Harvard University.
Healing Systemic Inequities One Relationship at a Time
Monday, January 18, 2021 (1:30 pm)
Systemic inequities surely need to be addressed in many ways and on many levels. However, at the core of any approach are our own microethical decisions. In the words of Arthur Frank, we face “a sequence of choices…Who will I realize myself to be in response to the other?”
Presenter:
Rabbi Susan Harris: As hospital chaplain, Rabbi Susan Harris has worked to make Boston Children’s Hospital more sensitive to the needs of LGBTQ patients and families. Harris graduated from Brandeis in 1978 and was ordained by Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion in 1984. n 2001, Harris became a chaplain at Boston Children’s Hospital, where she works with patients, serves on the Ethics Advisory Committee, and educates staff on the treatment of LGBTQ patients and families.
AHEC Learning Opportunities
Attend a session specifically offered to NH AHEC HS Scholars, facilitated by AHEC faculty and guest experts. Look for calendar invites a week prior, but if you are interested, let me know asap by email:
An Overview of Epilepsy and Self-Management
Tuesday, January 19 (12:10–1:00 pm)
This intro offers students an understanding of epilepsy and its treatment, common challenges people and families living with epilepsy face, and strategies for managing chronic disease and lifestyle choices that lessen the impact of epilepsy. This session will share with students opportunities they can explore to work as Cognitive Health Coaches, trained to provide one-on-one coaching to patients living with epilepsy in their homes via telehealth, to positively impact health outcomes and quality of life. Social determinants of health and their impact on chronic disease management are a focus of this session.
Trainer:
Elaine T. Kiriakopoulos, MD, MS
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College
Co-Director, HOBSCOTCH Institute for Cognitive Health & Well Being
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Epilepsy Center
Managing Epilepsy Well Coordinating Center at Dartmouth
Synchronous virtual: Zoom link to be shared by calendar invite.
I will send a calendar invite the week prior, but if you are interested, let me know by email.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and SUDs
Thursday, January 21 (12:10–1:00 pm)
Studies show that ACEs are significantly associated with the development in young adulthood of the most severe forms of SUDs. This session will give learners the most current framework for understanding this connection.
Trainer:
DHMC Faculty Holly Gaspar and Rebecca Parton
Synchronous virtual: Zoom link to be shared by calendar invite.
Care Giver Burnout: The Hidden Patient
Friday, February 12 (3:45 to 5:45 pm)
A case and multi disciplinary team-based exercise helping learners identify caregiver burnout among those providing support/care to loved ones with chronic disease and/or disabilities, as part of the overall care of the patient. Learners will explore five cases in pre-established groups, focused on patients/needs in pediatrics, veteran health, geriatrics, and opioid use disorder. A 60 min. pre-assignment includes review of a video, resources and assignment of a patient/family.
Students will gain understanding of:
1. the role of providers in identifying caregiver burnout for family members providing care to loved ones managing chronic diseases and/or disabilities
2. identification of screening tools to assess burnout
3. identification of resources to provide caregivers
Trainers:
Faculty from UConn Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars Program
Synchronous virtual: Zoom link to be shared on registration. This is available to NH AHEC by invitation from the Connecticut AHEC Scholars program.
***We must commit by 1/15/21***
The following events are open to all. Feel free to forward the attached flyers
Human Trafficking: What it is and How Health Care Professionals Can Help
Tuesday, January 26 (12:00 to 2:00 pm)
Join us as we learn from a victim of human trafficking about her experience, how she survived it, and the people, interventions and supports that helped her survive. Join our panel conversation with trafficking survivor Jasmin.
Moderators:
Janet Carroll, RN, CEN, SANE-A, SANE-P, DHMC Forensic Nursing Program
Kate Rohdenburg, WISE.
Rural Prep Grand Rounds: Practical Tools for Promoting Farm Safety for Children
Join other teams of nurse practitioner students, medical students, physician assistant students, NP and physician residents, and other primary care health professionals from across the country. Teams of 3–5 will learn to:
1. Identify agricultural hazards in risk to youth in farming
2. Understand regulations in place to protect youth
3. Communicate essential information to parents or supervisors to protect young workers
4. Engage patients and explore their concerns around this topic
If you would like to join a NH AHEC team for this, please let me know ASAP by email!
“Just Another Night of Violence”: Brain Injuries from Intimate Partner Violence in NH
Friday, January 29 (12:00 to 1:00 pm)
Nursing Grand Rounds webinar.
Trainer:
Kensie Blodgett, BSN, BA, RN, SANE
Clinical Nurse, Birthing Pavilion and Forensic Nurse Examiner, DHMC
Webinar information
The Survey
A quick reminder that we are looking to keep track of activities through survey and the logs on the website. If you don’t enter info on the website, please fill out that survey. Nithya will be sending out the link—she’s designed it to just take a couple of minutes to complete.
Log Reminder
Remember, log any Scholars-related activities online, either in the link under the calendar announcement of the event, or as an independent activity. If you have been able to do independent clinical work or community service, please make sure to enter it in the Independent Activity Log.
Scholars’ Bios
Add your bio to our Scholars’ page! Please forward a photo (png, jpeg fine; as high a resolution as possible) and a brief introduction to yourself (150–250 words). You are welcome to re-use something you’ve already used elsewhere!