AEQUITAS HEALTH
1st ANNUAL AEQUITAS HEALTH CONFERENCE
Welcome to the Aequitas Health Annual Conference—an asynchronous gathering dedicated to advancing healthcare equity. I'm thrilled to introduce three distinguished speakers whose insights epitomize our mission.
We also have the opportunity to recognize a fantastic project from an Aequitas Health Fellow.
Our presenters, experts in their fields, bring valuable perspectives that resonate with Aequitas Health's commitment to positive change. Their contributions, alongside the impactful presentation from our Fellow, embody the dedication to transforming healthcare disparities.
Thank you for being part of this experience.
Let's collectively inspire and innovate for a future where healthcare equity is a lived reality.
Benson S. Hsu, MD (he/him)
President and Chair | Aequitas Health
LGBTQ+ Health Equity: A Roadmap for the Future
José Arturo Bauermeister, MPH, PhD
José Arturo Bauermeister, MPH, PhD, is the Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). This Professorship recognizes a distinguished professor whose teaching, research, and service focuses on the reduction of tension and amelioration of relationships among people who differ from each other in race, religion and ethnic identifications, and socioeconomic class. José is chair of the Department of Family and Community Health at the Penn School of Nursing, Director of the Eidos LGBT+ Health Initiative at Penn. José is a standing member of the NIH's Council of Councils' Sexual and Gender Minority Research Working Group and has had work funded by the NIH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MAC AIDS Fund, Ford Foundation, the Philadelphia Foundation, and the Herb Ritts Foundation. José is committed to addressing health inequities among LGBT youth of color. He received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Puerto Rico and his master’s and doctorate in public health from the University of Michigan. José is a Fellow of the fifth class of the Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Health Equity
Wendy Nembhard, PhD, MPH, FACE
Wendy Nembhard, PhD, is the director of the Arkansas Center for Birth Defects Research & Prevention, one of 10 CDC-funded centers in the US that researches the causes and impacts of birth defects. She is also a professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), Fay W Boozman College of Public Health in Little Rock, and a professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the UAMS College of Medicine. Prior to joining the UAMS College of Public Health in 2017, Dr. Nembhard was scientific director of the Arkansas Reproductive Health Monitoring System, the statewide birth defects registry, at Arkansas Children’s Hospital, and chief of the birth defects research section at the UAMS Department of Pediatrics. Before joining UAMS in 2014, she was an associate professor with tenure in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health in Tampa. Dr. Nembhard is a member of several boards, including the National Birth Defects Prevention Network and the Scientific Advisory Board of Conquering CHD. Dr. Nembhard completed a post-doctoral fellowship in social epidemiology and cardiovascular disease at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. She earned her doctoral degree in Epidemiology and Master in Public Health degree in International and Family Health from the University of Texas Houston, School of Public Health. Dr. Nembhard was a 2014 Australian-American Fulbright Senior Scholar, 2018 Fellow of the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) Program at Drexel University, School of Medicine, is a Fellow of the American College of Epidemiology, a 2019 Fellow (fifth class) of the of the Aspen Institute Health Innovators Fellowship Program and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
A Message to Aequitas Health Fellows
Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA
Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick, MD, MPH, MPA, is the CEO and founder of Grapevine Health, a health literacy and patient engagement organization working to improve health communication in Black and brown communities. An infectious diseases physician and CDC-trained medical epidemiologist, Lisa is also a professorial lecturer for the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Previously, Lisa served as chief medical officer for the DC Department of Health Care Finance. She began her public health career at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she held several leadership positions, including U.S. diplomat in the Caribbean region. Lisa holds various member positions for Socially Determined, Bright Health, Vital Strategies, American Medical Association, Equal Measure, Solera Health, Institute for Public Health Innovation, and United States of Care. Lisa earned a BA and MD at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, an MPH from the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Lisa is a Fellow of the third class of the Health Innovators Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.
Parenting the Disabled Child in an Inequitable Health Landscape
Eleanor Turner, MA
Eleanor Turner, MA, is the Director of Operations at Aequitas Health. Originally from the United Kingdom, she now lives and works in Sioux Falls. She is also the President and Co-Founder of The Legacy Foundation South Dakota, in addition to working for the Office of the Dean at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. Eleanor completed her MA in nonprofit management and child & adult advocacy studies at the University of South Dakota, and her undergraduate degree at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth where she was the recipient of the Howell Daniels Award. As well as being the published author of two-dozen books on the topic of baby names, she is a LEND parent & family trainee graduate and committed advocate for special needs families.
During this conference, we are excited to showcase and recognize one of the great works of our Fellows.
Fight for Sight: A Community Eye Care Clinic & Current Project
Taylor DeHart
Taylor DeHart is a MD-MSCR student at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC. Taylor graduated from Clemson University in 2019, earning a B.S. in Microbiology and minors in French and Genetics. During college, Taylor was heavily involved on campus as a research assistant, tutor, and leader. She won the College Panhellenic Council Member of the Year and John Robert Clinton Greek Unity Award for her exemplary leadership, service, and caring attitude. Taylor also studied abroad in France, Lithuania, and Ecuador, and she was awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship by the U.S. Department of State in 2017 to support her studies in Lyon, France. Prior to medical school, she worked as a medical scribe and volunteered at a free medical clinic, which sparked her passion for working with underserved communities. During medical school, Taylor has served as a leader by serving as College of Medicine President, Inaugural Community Engagement Advisory Board, and Wellness Council Leader. She is currently in her MSCR year, studying clinical research with a focus on pediatric cataracts. Taylor developed a passion for eye care through the Storm Eye Institute’s Fight for Sight clinics during her first year of medical school and led the clinic during her third year. She plans to apply for ophthalmology residency next year with the career goals to improve vision and eye care for underserved populations.