3100.0: Monday, October 22, 2001: 2:30 PM-4:00 PM

Oral Session

The Black Young Professionals Public Health Network: Preparing Yourself for Meaningful Contributions in Public Health

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has previously mandated the improved inclusion of minorities in the health professions. Currently, approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population is of minority status, but only 10 percent of the health professional workforce is of minority status. Healthy People 2010 will address this gap by attempting to attract more minorities to the health professions, and as a result, provide minority populations with better needs assessment, quality of and access to health care. An early indication of this is the higher number of Blacks matriculating in established Schools of Public Health, as well as in newly developed Public Health training programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). To date, there are five (5) Public Health training programs at various HBCU’s: Meharry College of Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine, Florida A&M University, Jackson State University, and Morgan State University. With the increase in the number of academic settings where black students can be trained comes the need for establishing sustainable mechanisms for professional and collegial networking. Thus, meaningful interactions between Black students from these various institutions along with their professional counterparts should be prolonged over time. This session will provide Black students with a formal opportunity to hear from established Black Public Health professionals regarding life choices and experiences that have impacted their career pathways, discuss the influence of racial/ethnic identity on a career in Public Health, and provide a mechanism for creating meaningful linkages beyond the time frame of the 2001 American Public Health Association (APHA) annual conference.
Learning Objectives: 1) To highlight the remarkable accomplishments of several Black Public Health Professionals. 2) To engage in dialogue on the steps in proper decision-making that may lead to a successful career in Public Health. 3) Provide a structure and forum through which Black Public Health Professionals can exchange views and create mutually beneficial mentoring partnerships beyond the time frame of the 2001 APHA annual conference.
Panelist(s):Dubois Bowman, PhD
Helene Gayle, MD, MPH
Uniqua McIntyre, MPH
Moderator(s):Melissa Hunter
Organizer(s):Zara Sadler, MS
Peter Thomas, MPH
Michael Joseph, MPH
Carl V. Hill, MPH
Sponsor:Black Caucus of Health Workers
Cosponsors:Academic Public Health Caucus; Environment; Food and Nutrition; Public Health Student Caucus; Social Work; Socialist Caucus; Association of Schools of Public Health
CE Credits:CME, Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work

The 129th Annual Meeting of APHA