Presented by the Quick Center’s Open VISIONS Forum in affiliation with the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies, Regina Benjamin, MD, will give a virtual lecture on “Combating Health Disparities: Narrowing the Gap.”
On Thursday, Nov. 4 at 5 p.m., Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts will present “Combating Health Disparities: Narrowing the Gap,” led by Regina Benjamin, MD, a leader in national health care.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Americans have experienced dramatic inequalities in the world of healthcare. While the availability of vaccines provides hope to many, it potentially deepens the divide between those with access and those without. Dr. Benjamin has been a driving force in the effort to promote equity and access.
Dean Meredith Wallace Kazer, PhD, CNL, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, FAAN of the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies is thrilled to welcome Dr. Benjamin to Fairfield. “Her remarks will prompt important discussions about the equitable distribution of health care, Covid-19 vaccines, and the implications for individuals, families, and communities worldwide,” Dr. Kazer said.
The Egan School’s Jennifer Schindler-Ruwisch, DrPH, assistant professor of public health, agreed: “Dr. Benjamin’s visionary leadership experience and wisdom is the thought-provoking commentary we all need to hear as we continue to battle the pandemic and the growing trail of inequities it has revealed.”
Dr. Benjamin is the founder and CEO of the rural Bayou Clinic in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where about 80 percent of patients live below the poverty level. As a rural family doctor serving poor communities, Dr. Benjamin has seen the impact of healthcare disparities on several generations of patients in her community. She is aware of the unfortunate reality that zip code serves as a better predictor of one’s health and longevity, than one’s own genetic code.
Since earning her medical degree at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1984, Dr. Benjamin has received an impressive number of professional honors and appointments. In 1998, she received the Nelson Mandela Award for Health and Human Rights. In 2002, as president of the Medical Association of the State of Alabama, she became the first African American woman president of a state medical society in the United States.
In 2009, she was appointed the 18th U.S. Surgeon General by President Barack Obama. During her four years in this role, Dr. Benjamin promoted preventative health measures and served as chair of the National Prevention, Health Promotion, and Public Health Council. Since 2013, she has served as the chair of Public Health Sciences at Xavier University, dedicated to creating healthy communities through education.
“Combating Health Disparities: Narrowing the Gap” with Dr. Regina Benjamin will take place in virtual format on Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 at 5 p.m. Tickets are $10-$20 and available at Quickcenter.com. This and several upcoming premiere Quick events are free for Quick Center Members. To become a Quick Center Member today, visit quickcenter.com or call the box office at 203-254-4010 or toll free at 1-877-ARTS-396.
