A Social Justice in Health Symposium, organized by Center for Health Equality/Project EXPORT fellows at The University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, will address how social justice and human rights affect the health of communities of the Southwest, Friday, April 20, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Roy P. Drachman Hall.

The opening address, "Social Justice, Health Care Access, and Public Health," will be delivered by Victor W. Sidel, MD, distinguished university professor of social medicine at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, and adjunct professor of public health at Cornell University, NY. Dr. Sidel has served as president of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and of the Public Health Association of New York City, and is co-editor of the book "Social Injustice and Public Health," published by Oxford University Press in 2006.  

Keynote speaker will be Richard H. Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, 17th Surgeon General of the United States and distinguished professor at the UA Zuckerman College of Public Health. Dr. Carmona also is Vice Chairman of Canyon Ranch and CEO of the Canyon Ranch Health Division.

Guest speaker during lunch will be Isabel Garcia, JD, director, Pima County Legal Defender's Office, co-chair of Derechos Humanos, and a strong advocate for immigrant and refugee rights.

Morning and afternoon sessions will include breakout sessions, film screenings, and several presentations from UA fellows, visiting international fellows, and faculty from across several UA disciplines. For a complete schedule of events please click here.

As an innovative strategy to address health disparities, the symposium will help increase awareness and build a strong community for inclusive dissemination and discussion of recent research and community activities. This one-day symposium will bring together diverse groups of UA students, faculty and staff to collectively address social justice and health in the Southwest. The specific outcomes of the symposium will be to:

• Raise awareness, expand consciousness, clarify assumptions and exchange critical analysis about how social injustice impacts health outcomes.
• Demonstrate how cross-sectoral partnerships can effectively address health disparities in the Southwest.
• Engage students and faculty to inspire action for addressing ways in which social inequality harms and how social equality improves the public’s health.

For more information about the symposium, please send an email to Fellows Selena Ortiz or Rachel Paz Rivera. You also may contact Griselda Martinez, program coordinator for health disparities training, at (520) 626-9672.