NIH Health Disparities Seminar Series – April 2013
The National Institutes of Health is pleased to welcome the 18th U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin as the featured speaker for the April 2013 NIH Health Disparities Seminar. The April Seminar presentation will focus on prevention and health promotion in honor of National Minority Health Month.
National Minority Health Month is a time to raise awareness about health disparities that continue to impact racial and ethnic minorities. Health disparities occur across the lifespan and across many different systems. These disparities are not only rooted in biology, but multiple factors including environmental, social, behavioral, and economic disadvantages. Many of the diseases and health conditions associated with disparities in health in racial/ethnic minority populations are preventable. Eliminating health disparities requires efforts beyond disease management. To be successful, efforts must include the promotion of health and the prevention of disease before it happens.
Vice Admiral Regina Benjamin has served as Surgeon General since 2009 and has dedicated her life to underserved populations in need of effective affordable primary care and prevention. Dr. Benjamin is a world renowned expert on primary care particularly in rural settings where access remains a major barrier to health.
As Surgeon General she headed up the development of the National Prevention Strategy which was released in 2011 and which offers a blueprint to improve disease prevention across America and across medical and community systems. One of the four key strategic directions of the report is to eliminate health disparities to improve the quality of life for all Americans. In her presentation, Dr. Benjamin will discuss the importance of prevention in eliminating health disparities, and highlight some of the exciting work taking place in communities around the country to promote health in minority communities.
A graduate of Xavier University, she obtained her MBA at Tulane University and medical degree at the University of Alabama. She attended Morehouse School of Medicine and did her residency in family medicine in Macon., GA. Shortly thereafter, she returned to her home state of Alabama and started a rural health clinic in Bayou La Batre. Dr. Benjamin is former associate dean for Rural Health at the University of South Alabama, College of Medicine in Mobile and past chair of the Federation of State Medical Boards of the United States. For her work she has been awarded the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights, the papal cross by Pope Benedict the 16th and a MacArthur Genius Award Fellowship.
Guest Speaker:
Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA
U.S. Surgeon General
Date/Time:
Tuesday, April 13, 2013
2:00 - 3:30 P.M.
Seminar Video Recording:
Click here to view April's video recorded seminar.
Location:
NIH Campus
Masur Auditorium, Building 10
Bethesda, MD
Additional Information:
There is limited parking on the NIH campus. The closest Metro is Medical Center. Please allow adequate time for security check. The seminar will be video cast and made available in the NIH Video archives and on the NIMHD website after the seminar. Sign language interpreters will be provided. Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable accommodations to participate should contact Edgar Dews at 301-402-1366 or the Federal Relay at 1-800-877-8339.
