The School of Health Professions' Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
is hosting several lectures during Black History Month 2022
We will begin our celebration on February 10th by welcoming Adesuwa Obasohan-Watson, MPH who serves as the Director of the Suffolk County Department of Health Office of Minority Health. Mrs. Watson will share information about the current state of health of Black and Brown residents of Suffolk County and the importance and services provided by her office to be followed by questions and answers. In the weeks following Mrs. Watson’s presentation, there will be a series of workshops led by members of the School of Health Professions.
Workshop participants will have the opportunity to attend one of three breakout sessions that will occur concurrently. Please save the following dates and times as the workshops will be presented at different times depending on the date. Also note that the workshop presented by Dr. Pierre-Glaude will be offered twice; however, it will be open only to faculty, staff and alumni.
Thursday, February 10, 2022
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Black History Month Health and Wellness Lecture with Adesuwa Obasohan-Watson, MPH
The goal of the Suffolk County Office of Minority Health (OMH) is to address existing health disparities and improve the health of minorities by: raising awareness of health issues through educational programs and events; working to improve access to quality primary care services and health insurance; and ensuring that our residents receive health care in a culturally sensitive and appropriate manner. Through partnerships and collaborations with various organizations based in Suffolk County, we are not only helping people to live longer, healthier lives but aiding in the improvement of their quality of life. At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Describe health disparity
- Explain 3 reasons why disparities exist
- Discuss how disparities impact the health and wellbeing of minority populations in Suffolk county
- List 3 services provided by the OMH
To view the lecture recording, please click here. Passcode: GX9A=$vf
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Adesuwa Watson has been with the Suffolk County Department of Health Services - Office of Minority Health (OMH), since August of 2008. She first served as the Health Program Analyst for the Office and as of April 2021, serves as Director for the Office of Minority Health, which strives to address health disparities and inequities for racial and ethnic minorities in the County. As a Public Health Professional, Mrs. Watson sits on and chairs multiple committees that address health disparities, health promotion, cultural responsive care and community engagement. She received her BA in Psychology, minoring in Biology and Africana Studies and went on to complete her Master’s Degree of Public Health in Social Behavior and Community Health, from the State University of New York at Albany. As a strong public health advocate, she is passionate about community work, has contributed countless hours to projects that focus on health disparities and community collaboration. Her work centers on raising up voices of the community, access to quality care issues, health literacy, prevention of community violence, behavioral health, HIV/AIDS; STIs; other chronic conditions. Outside of work, she is active in her church and volunteers with several organizations such as the National Council of Negro Women- Suffolk Section, the Anti-Bias Task Force; NAACP of Brookhaven, the Women’s’ Diversity Network’s - Health Equity Task Force on Maternal Mortality and a host of others. She is the proud wife to Dr. Jarvis Watson, who also has a shared passion for leaving the world better than when he found it, as they both feel strongly, that every day we must work to challenge unequal systems, recognizing the power of community engagement and centering equity in all that we do. |
Tuesday, February 15, 2022
12:00 - 1:00 PM
Black History Month Workshop 1
This workshop includes the following:
1. Dr. James Pierre-Glaude - Educating Health Professions Educators to Address the “isms" (For faculty and staff only)
2. Dr. Paul Dominguez - Implicit Bias (Open to all)
3. Dr. Ghenet Weldeslassie - The History of racial inequity in the US healthcare system. (Open to all)
Thursday, February 24, 2022
1:00 - 2:00 PM
Black History Month Workshop 2
This workshop includes the following:
1. Dr. James Pierre Glaude - Educating Health Professions Educators to Address the “isms" (For faculty and staff only)
2. Dr. Carmen Hall - Public and Population Health Informatics: The Bridging of Big Data to Benefit Communities (Open to all)
3. Robbye Kinkade – The Wellness of Black Americans (Open to all)
