President’s Forum on Health Disparities Returns with Forum of Experts

ALBANY, N.Y. (April 27, 2021) - As part of its ongoing efforts to tackle minority health disparities, the University at Albany is again convening a forum of experts to discuss barriers to health and healthcare for minority populations.

The annual President’s Forum on Health Disparities, titled Health Disparities in the World of COVID-19 and Going Forward, is on Friday, April 30, hosted by the Center for Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD) together with Upstate and Downstate Medical Universities. Though it’s virtual this year, the event will feature a keynote presentation as well as a number of discussions and breakout rooms all centered around building ongoing research partnerships, meeting potential collaborators and identifying new priority research issues.

The forum is a product of the $10 million National Institutes of Health grant awarded to the University in 2016 to address the future of minority health disparities in the Northeastern United States.

“The health of traditionally disadvantaged people in the US is a national problem brought into sharp focus by the COVID19 pandemic,” said Lawrence M. Schell, director of CEMHD. “The need to address and eliminate these health disparities has never been greater. By harnessing the combined power of our communities, universities and governments in a forum like this one, we can take steps towards solving the problem.”

The keynote will be delivered by Thomas A. LaVeist, a national expert on equity and health issues, and dean at Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He is also the Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity at Tulane. Following the keynote will be multiple panel discussions and breakout sessions, and the CEMD doctoral fellows will have an opportunity to meet privately with LaVeist.

The full schedule can be found on the website. Registration is required, but the event is open to the public and there is no cost to attend.