Talks Shine Light on Timely Topics in Health
12th Annual Public Health Speaker Series Examines Root Causes of Community Challenges
Touro University California alumni as well as members of the community are invited to take part in the 12th Annual Public Health Speaker Series starting Sept. 24.
This year’s series includes six sessions that will allow participants “to look upstream” to examine the historical, economic, and structural forces that shape the community’s health and well-being in keeping with the theme of the series: “The Roots of Health: History, Economics, and Structural Disparities.”
Both in-person and virtual participation options are available.
Designed for Students, Beneficial to All
Dr. Gayle Cummings, Director of the Public Health Program and Assistant Dean of the College of Health Sciences, said the speaker series historically, and today, offers an introduction to timely topics in public health.
Cummings describes the series as an innovative collection of lectures from experts, scholars, and community leaders that explores the issues that shape public health and health disparities.
The target audience is students in the public health, medicine, pharmacy, and nursing degree programs, but working professionals and community members may also benefit from the lectures.
For example, doctors and physician assistants may earn up to 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education Credits for participating in each of the six two-hour sessions. A digital experiential badge is available to participants who do not receiving either class credit or CME.
“This year’s return to in-person programming creates a meaningful opportunity for students, alumni, health professionals, and community members to be fully present and engaged,” Cummings said. “At the same time, our hybrid format maintains virtual access for those unable to attend in person.
“Bringing people together both on campus and online helps build community and deepen our shared understanding of how poverty, economic instability, and other structural conditions shape health and well-being,” Cummings said.
Lectures Examine Public Health from Various Angles
This year’s sessions include:
- “Immigration, Social Movements, and Poverty: A Global Perspective,” 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 24. The keynote speaker is Genevieve Negrón-Gonzales, Ph.D., a Professor of Education with the University of San Francisco.
- “Native Communities, History, and Economic Well-Being,” 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 15. The speaker is Cutcha Risling Baldy, Ph.D., a Professor of Native American Studies at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
- “Children, Poverty, and Public Policy,” 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 29. The speaker is Shimica Gaskins, JD, President and CEO of End Child Poverty California, which is powered by the nonprofit Gather, Respect, Advocate, Change Engage (GRACE) End Child Poverty Institute.
- “Poverty, Incarceration, and Economic Instability,” 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 12. The speaker is Reuben Miller, Ph.D., Chancellor's Professor with the Department of Sociology at the University of California, Berkeley.
- “Local Perspectives on Homelessness and the Unhoused: Poverty, Economic Insecurity, and Public Health,” 5 to 7 p.m. Nov. 19. The speaker has not yet been identified.
- “Poverty, Food, Insecurity, and Community Solutions,” 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 3. The speaker is Lisa Goldman Rosas, Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care at Stanford School of Medicine.
The Speaker Series and accompanying CME are free and open to the public with advance registration.