Well, good afternoon, and welcome, everyone. Welcome to the inaugural Paul Farmer Lecture in which I opted with titling it to be Young, Gifted, and Black, for us to discuss, rather, the intersectionality of race and public health. And so, just to go over a couple housekeeping items first. There are no relevant financial disclosures to share with you all at this time, and I do not have any conflicts of interest with the content that is presented in this session. So, in case you don't know me, I am Dana Powell Baker, preferred pronouns of, oh, thank you, thank you, you all are so funny, I appreciate that, mad love. So, my preferred pronouns are she, her, and y'all, because I'm from the south. I do answer to y'all. Currently, I serve as manager of academic partnerships with the Association of Public Health Laboratories. I still hold a teaching assignment with the University of Kansas, as well, so I would love to mention that, especially given that I see former students in the room. So, that's exciting. But, along with this role, I thought it was just very timely, especially given the nature of this talk, who it's named after, Dr. Paul Farmer. So, to be now in a sector that I felt like fully represented who he was, and what his legacy is, and what he's given to public health. So, I truly am honored, and really nervous to give this inaugural lecture, just because of the giant of who he was. And so, I hope that in this talk, that it speaks to the spirit of who he was, and the legacy that he hopes that each and every one of us in this room will continue to carry forward. And so, with my new role, as I mentioned, APHL has a really interesting hiring process, especially with the new hires that come in. And I see a colleague here who can speak to this. And so, in our first 90 days, we have to meet with all these different individuals within the association that give us more of the history, the background, the why behind the work that we do as an association, which I think is rather neat, and very powerful, because it gives us that empowerment as, you know, you're a part of this association, this is what we represent, and that we hope that you will carry this forward as well. And one of the individuals that we were able to meet with is the former chief program officer, Dr. Eric Blank, which I'm sure some of you know that name in this room, especially given that he is a second generation public health advocate and champion himself. And so, in this discussion that he had with myself and my colleague, as I keep looking at her, he talked about the three basic needs that human beings have. One of those being clean air, clean water, healthy, safe food. As long as we have those three things, those are the basic needs for us to not just survive, but to thrive, not just as individuals, but as communities. And so, in that messaging, he was like, that's what public health is. We look out for communities to make sure that there's access to clean air, clean water, good quality, healthy, safe food. That is part of the plight of being involved in public health. And when there's a lack of access or an inequity in that, that is the purpose, that is our why. All of us have a role in addressing that, because, again, it doesn't just impact you, it impacts communities. And when he shared that with us, I was like, this is so simple, yet so profound. Never contextualized it in this way. And then it made me just reflect a little bit more about the intersection of race and public health in itself. And, of course, with, you know, all transparency, race came to mind for me, being a black woman, coming from a black family that resides in predominantly black communities. And just really looking at the impact or the lack of access to these very basic needs that we all should inherently have as human beings. We should all be able to have access to clean water, but is that the reality that we live in? You know, should we, we should all have access to clean air, that's a given. Again, not a reality that we live in, especially if you're from certain communities. My mom's family's from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Good portion of that town, there's a full saturation of foundries there. How are those foundries contributing to the air quality in those local or neighboring communities? You know, things to reflect on and think about. Access to healthcare, right? We should all have access to healthcare. You're not feeling well, you're sick, regardless of your location, your race, your gender, your class, if you will. We should have access to that basic need, but everyone doesn't have that. And as us, as healthcare professionals, we're a part of that infrastructure where there are those barriers and challenges. We have to call them out for what they are. For people, especially those that come from historically underserved or underrepresented communities. And so this is very big when we talk about race and that intersection of race with public health. And the discussion has become so much more prevalent, especially in recent years with the pandemic, that you have large organizations or entities such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coming out against racism and stating it, just very blatantly, racism is a serious threat to public health. It is. You have the American Medical Association and the American Public Health Association that have said the same thing in acknowledging this link between racism and public health. This is an issue. It is a crisis. What are we doing as communities, as organizations, as a profession to address this? And beyond those medical-related factors, we also have what are known as those non-medical-related factors, the social determinants of health. This is a focal point in helping us to improve the health and the quality and the access that is much needed in a lot of these communities. You know, this is beyond those three basic things I talked about, clean air, clean water, food. You know, do you have access to education? How is your economic stability? What do your communities look like? What is the location of those communities? Do you even have access to good quality health care in those areas? So, this is adding a whole other facet to also those three basic needs that we talk about. And I love the initiative of healthy people, which changed now from 2020 to now 2030, right? We still have a need. They value social determinants of health so much that it is listed among their leading health indicators. And as one of their five overarching goals, it is to create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining the full potential for health and well-being for everyone, for all, for y'all. And so, with all that being said, let's go back to our namesake, Dr. Paul Farmer. So, for some of you, your story may be similar to mine. When did you encounter Dr. Paul Farmer in your journey? So, for me, that was back in 2016. We were in Las Vegas. I was sitting right next to my good friend and sister, Tiffany Channer, in which Paul Farmer delivered this very powerful, powerful keynote where he talked about these very things. And if anyone knows or had the opportunity to meet Dr. Paul Farmer, you knew that this was the core and the heart of who he was. This was the soul of him in that it really irritated him to know that there are people in need, and there are barriers and challenges for them just to access those very basic needs. And he made it his life's work and mission to do all that he could do within his capacity to create opportunity, to create that ability to have access to food, water, clean air, health care, right, quality health care. We know that he dedicated much of his life in Haiti and in Rwanda. Areas that are known to be historically underserved, especially when it comes to quality health care. So, he didn't, you know, just talk the talk. He walked the walk. He lived it, lived it, breathed it down to the depth of his spirit. And the impact of his work touches literally thousands of people. And that makes me think about the keynote that we had today and talking about, you know, what do you want to be remembered for? And, you know, we know he didn't do it with the intention of, well, I want to be remembered for doing this. You know, it was at the heart of who he was. And he knew that there's definitely an intersection between race and public health and then the barriers and challenges that are there. And in hearing him talk and hearing him sharing stories, because he was often the voice for the voiceless, or he brought visibility to those who were unseen, it has made me think about my own personal awareness of public health. Because as a medical laboratory professional, I honestly didn't spend a lot of time in that space or really reflecting on that. And to really help me reflect on that some more, I just really thought about my own life and my own intersectionality when it came to public health. And so, I plan to share a little bit more about that. Hence, to be young, gifted, and black. Open your heart to what I mean. If you're familiar with artist Nina Simone, this was one of the most prophetic songs, but more so the lyrics, the words, and speaking to the experience of black youth, to the spirit of black people as a people. But it went beyond that. It didn't stay within those parameters. But again, speaking to my experience and where that intersectionality occurred. So, there I am. Next to my big sister. I grew up in Oxnard, California. And for anyone who would talk to me about, you know, how was your childhood in California? I would brag about it. I loved growing up in California. To step out of our apartment and literally smell the ocean air because we literally sat just off of Pacific Coast Highway. So, think of a bright and sunny spot right in between Santa Barbara and L.A., you will find Oxnard. There, and really, like I spoke to my mom being from Tennessee. My dad is from the south as well. And so, my dad joined the Navy. He was stationed out in California. That's how they ended up having their children there. That's how I ended up being a product of California. And Oxnard is known for several things. I'll say one of the biggest things, or one of the two things rather, I would say, I don't want to be remissed. We're known for producing some really awesome boxers. Some of your most notable fighters either trained or from Oxnard. But strawberries, we're very well known for being one of the largest strawberry producers in the country. In fact, you go to the grocery store and you buy strawberries, you might see Oxnard, California listed on there. And so, literally waking up to the smell of the ocean and strawberries is the way I would describe my childhood. Quintessential, right? And so, with that though, as I mentioned, what was my awareness of public health at that time, not existing at that age? But I did some digging, because it's important to know the history of not just who you are, but also where you come from, to have a better and broader understanding of that impact on your own life. So, I decided to do some research on Oxnard, and I learned that there was a lot of information regarding the 1918 flu pandemic, as it impacted that community and the areas around it, which is interesting to read all this, because even just looking at the flyer, it looks very similar to what we've been facing here the last couple of years with COVID, right? As far as the warning, social distancing, they didn't have that phrase at the time, but that's definitely there in context. So, I learned that Oxnard was one of the first California cities to close during this pandemic. They closed before Los Angeles and San Francisco did, according to the historians on this. By October 14th of that year, there were 200 cases of influenza reported in Oxnard alone. I also found that during this time, that there was, as we have this ongoing pandemic, there was a lot with racial discrimination at that time, not just with patients, because Oxnard is predominantly a Latino community, and unfortunately, if you were both poor and Latino, you did not get the best access to healthcare or quality services at that time. A lot of people were left to be homeless, and unfortunately, left to die on the streets. Some were shuffled off into different housing developments, if you will, not with healthcare teams, but with people who they deemed okay to take care of you while you're ill. At this time, we also had World War I going on, severe nationwide shortage of nursing professionals, even similar to what we're seeing now, right, with the shortage of healthcare workforce. But even with African-Americans stepping forward to become nursing professionals, they were not given the right to train as nurses at that time. And specifically in Oxnard, we did not see the uptick in black nurses until the 1920s, when the pandemic was nearly over, because their workforce was essentially exhausted at that point. So it's sad that it took a pandemic to kind of force the hand of black nurses or black individuals becoming trained to be nurses, but it did. And it was just, I would say shocking, but not, unfortunately, to learn that racial discrimination played a very strong role at that time, and here we are in 2022, where we're still seeing some of that with the current pandemic. So fast forward, and as I mentioned, strawberry fields, right. And so Oxnard, very blue collar working kind of town. I remember going to elementary school and even middle school, where the people working the fields would rinse off these big, I mean big, fresh strawberries and pass them through the fence to us. All right, I mean, just really nice people. And just as kids, we loved that kind of stuff. But we didn't think about the impact of the work on them as individuals. As I was sharing with my husband, I was like, you know, if you look closely at this picture, you'll see a lot of the workers have head coverings and facial coverings on. At that time growing up, I just thought they had them on just to protect themselves from the elements, you know, the sun, the heat, what have you. But then I learned that there was a pretty large civil suit that was filed in that area in Oxnard and the surrounding county because of pesticide exposure. And so over the years, it was discovered that a lot of these workers, due to their ongoing exposure to this pesticide, some of the strongest ones, including one that was supposed to be phased out by, I believe, 2015 because of the damaging effects it had on the ozone layer. So to think that people were handling and working with a pesticide, I mean, literally face to face, and it was a product that had a negative impact on our ozone layer, but still, that was their protection, just a scarf or some sort of covering over their face. Maybe gloves, maybe not gloves. And keep in mind that these people had families that they were going back home to. And so they may be carrying this pesticide back home or trailing it back home with them. Right behind, just to show you kind of a sense of proximity, right behind the strawberry field, you see the buildings and the structures there? That was my high school, okay. So when I say our schools are literally surrounded by strawberry fields, literally. We're surrounded by strawberry fields. And so, and that's just how close we would be in proximity to those workers. And so here we had the issue of pesticide drift, which apparently is still an issue, even to this day. So in terms of background, I already mentioned Oxnard, one of the top producers of strawberries. About 80% of the nation's strawberries are produced in California. But 630 million pounds of that comes from Oxnard and the surrounding county. Strawberry crops are one of the most pesticide-laden crops that we have. And so, hence, a lot of exposure, not just those working in those fields or in those crops, but also neighboring communities and, of course, neighboring schools, such as all the ones I attended as a child. The main culprit, I would say, although there is a list of pesticides that were used, methyl bromide was named in this suit. The effects of this, pretty lengthy. So anything ranging from headaches to drowsiness, lethargy, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, twitching, seizures. How many kids do you know complain of headaches while at school? It could be pretty common. You have kids that are drowsy in school. Most of the time, teachers will be like, hey, wake up. You're just not paying attention. You know, you're not engaged. But then to learn that, wow, it may have been as a result of this, exposure. I had classmates that had chronic headaches, but we didn't know why. Drowsiness was not an uncommon thing. I can remember even being in PE in middle school and becoming nauseous during PE and having to sit out a lot of times. And so, again, just me just learning this, reading up on it, OMG moment, right? Of like, I was literally growing up in a public health emergency, if you will, and just not aware of it. And now what is the impact of that? You know, my younger sister grew up with asthma. I'm like, did this exacerbate that for her? She had a couple of hospitalizations when she was younger. You know, it just makes me wonder. It makes you think, you know. Can't correlate it, but still, questions I had that came to mind. As a result of this litigation, they were forced to evaluate racial discrimination in pesticide exposure. And in the reading or in the literature, you'll find that this consistently impacts communities of color. This is not just isolated to Oxnard, California, or that surrounding county. We see this across our country. It was quoted that more minority students at a school had the greater amount of chemicals used within a mile and a half of that school. So, I'm not alone. The kids I went to school with are not alone when it comes to this. The numbers are out there. People often from underrepresented communities endure a very disproportionate rate of pesticide exposure, which places them at greater risk for acute or chronic health care conditions. And so, although this particular case did not have the optimal resolve for the families who were involved in that litigation, but it's still something that has to be tracked and monitored in terms of long-term effects. Because even if these children, these families don't have immediate or acute conditions, it's a likelihood that they may develop chronic conditions as a result of this pesticide exposure. Okay. So, that's air. Let's talk about water a little bit. So, in 2019, NBC News reported that race is still the strongest determinant when it comes to access to safe, clean water. And we're not talking about other countries. we're talking about right here in the United States. More than 2 million people in the U.S., including Puerto Rico, did not have access to running water and basic indoor plumbing. Again, things that many of us take for granted. This has often been attributed to failed infrastructure that has been noted, especially in marginalized communities. So this is more prevalent in those underrepresented neighborhoods and communities. In particular, black and Latino households are twice as likely to lack indoor plumbing. And scary enough, with our Native American populations, 19 times more likely to lack access to basic indoor plumbing. So again, this is a national crisis. This is not an isolated or a specific issue to just one community. Because as I often like to state, you know, if it impacts you, it impacts me. If it impacts one person, it impacts community, surrounding community, so on and so forth. This information is not historical. How long have we been hearing about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan? It is still an issue. Right now, we're hearing about Jackson, Mississippi. And if you talk to the people in that community, this is not a new or acute problem. This has been an ongoing problem. It's just that you had an ultimate breakdown in infrastructure, which now made it national news. I have family in Jackson that I had to reach out to. How are you doing? Do you have access to clean water? What do you need? We're fine. We have access to a water distribution site that's just within a mile of us. You still have to go a mile to access clean water. My cousin has a baby in her house, school age. He does not have full access like that, like what you and I might have. That's a concern in his childhood, a memory that he'll now have regarding his own experience with public health and the lack of access to clean, fully running water. I have family that's just north of Jackson in Greenville. Has anyone been to Greenville, Mississippi? Anyone from that area? I see a couple. What color is the water? Brown. Brown water. That's the norm. When you're taking your showers, running water to wash your hands, using the toilet, your water's brown. It is just a part of the livelihood, the experience there. We have to abandon what we're used to any time we go visit family because this is their normal. That is that community's normal. You know, Mississippi's not far from us. It's, again, here within the United States. Things we take for granted when it comes to access to clean water. You look at any articles right now talking about or discussing Jackson, this is what you hear some of the people there saying. We're suffering out here. It's just terrible. We're going to be worse than Flint, Michigan. You have people that are leaving Jackson and droves now because of that lack of access. What is that long-term impact on that community if the people of that community are leaving? But you can't blame them for leaving. They got to do what's best for themselves and their families. But yet, if that's all you know, if that's where your generations exist, why should you have to leave home? That's truly unfair. It's inequitable. Other thing I want to talk about is food insecurity. Once again, here, United States, when we talk about food insecurity, it is consistent across state lines. You will find areas that do not have consistent access to healthy, safe, and affordable food. You've heard the term food deserts, where there's literally no access to quality, safe food within miles, within a walkable distance even for a lot of communities, for a lot of areas. According to the USDA Food and Nutrition Security Program, poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness in our country. Poor nutrition has been associated with more than a half a million deaths per year in the United States. Isn't that crazy? Due to poor nutrition. Poor nutrition, of course, has been linked with increased risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, and particularly among historically marginalized populations. And, of course, with that comes increased healthcare costs and decreased productivity. And so why does this matter? Why does nutrition security matter? Why should it matter to us, especially as laboratory professionals and pathologists? If we know that poor nutrition is the leading cause of illness in the United States, I already said nearly over half a million die as a result of this every year. We have a lot of tests and a lot of work that we do that correlate with these diseases and these illnesses, obesity, diabetes, heart disease. You know, unfortunately, when we're handling a specimen or a sample, we don't see the full picture of that patient, what they have a lack of access to. You know, the data that we generate, we're able to be like, oh, yep, their glucose is out of control, look at this hemoglobin A1C, but not realizing that on the other side of that it may be an individual who is experiencing an equity, especially if you look at the community in which you work and which you live. Black households are three times more likely to have food insecurity. That's a lot. Eighty-five percent of healthcare spending is related to diet-related chronic disease. This is where a lot of our healthcare costs are going. If we're able to address poor nutrition, we address a lot in our communities alone, just with that one basic need. So, coming back to this, of those three basic needs. Clean air, clean water, good, nutritious, safe food. Have any of you had an opportunity to reflect on your own lives, to think about times or periods where you either experienced lack of access or you knew someone who did? And I see a couple of nods in the room. And so, along with these three, we have to think about equity. Does everyone have access? No, they don't. There is issues when it comes to access. Equality and equity are not the same thing, because with equality, we're suggesting that everyone has the same opportunity or the same access to those same resources. But in what I just shared with you already, we know that that's not the case. We're still trying to address the fulfillment of those three basic needs here in what's supposed to be one of the best countries in the world. And so, even if we went beyond that, beyond our borders into global health, and we see where we have countries that are facing similar, if not worse, challenges when it comes to providing those three basic needs, you know, how can we expect to optimize those health outcomes if we're not even meeting human beings where they need to be met? So, going back again to our namesake, Dr. Paul Farmer. His call to action was for us to reimagine what equity looks like. Modern medicine is not just couched in our ability to solely focus on curing diseases and treating illnesses. It's also looking at that whole patient, that whole person, the whole community. Does this patient have or are they experiencing equity or a lack of access? As healthcare professionals, you know, we can't just leave equity for someone else to do. I can't say, well, I'm a medical laboratory scientist. That has nothing to do with me. I don't even see patients directly. But I'm a part of a healthcare profession. I'm a part of a healthcare team. I'm part of a community. First and foremost, where can I give voice? Where can I amplify voices? Where can I be a part of the change that we all wish to see, right? To help us bring focus, to address these issues of equity, one of the things that Dr. Farmer spoke to is sharing our stories, sharing your story, sharing the stories of those around you. And I have to say, he did that quite well and very effectively. He didn't do it just at tables where you're kind of speaking to the choir. If he had to take it to those policy makers, to administration, to presidents, he did it. He used his power and his influence and his access to create opportunities and equity for others. And a couple of things that were written by Dr. Farmer, rather, he talked about two ranking problems that are facing our world. And so think about this beyond those three basic needs that I touched on. Addressing poverty and inequality. He said we have to address those two things in order to be able to address these other things, especially when it comes to resources. We address poverty, for example, we're addressing that social determinant of health when it comes to economic stability. If we're addressing inequality, we're now improving equity, improving access to those resources. And then maybe if then, we could then talk about equality, where we now all have that same access or same opportunities to those very resources. So what can we do to be stronger together when it comes to this intersection of race and inequity in particular, but we need to improve the coordination of services across our healthcare systems. As those working within these systems or being in relationship or partnership with these systems, be a part of those discussions, whether they are within your own profession or multidisciplinary. I would recommend that any time you could get involved in interprofessional committees or teams, do so. That's where we need voice, that's where we need advocacy to represent how can the lab play a role in improving that access and coordination of services. It's very important to increase diversity, increase that representation in education and healthcare and public health. We have to be intentional. We can't just go into the best performing school districts to recruit for our programs. We want to make sure that we're reaching out to underserved, underrepresented. We want our healthcare team to reflect the very communities that we are servicing. That's really important, especially speaking to inequity. If you're involved in education or training in some way, be intentional in integrating cultural competency and health equity core values in academic programs. This is how we address that whole, nope, that equity doesn't have anything to do with my role. We're beyond technical. We're human beings too that come from communities. So we want to foster that and build that into these professionals that we're training to join into the workforce, that they are intentional and thoughtful when it comes to these pieces, especially the impact of public health on our health. It has a huge role. It shouldn't be separate or siloed. That's an intersectionality in itself. Advocate for equity in public health. If you are in this profession, you are an advocate. You are a champion. You are representing your people. Your communities. So be that voice for the voiceless. Help make the unseen be seen. So that way we're being more effective and improving not just patient outcomes but the outcome of our communities. And of course, make public health matter, not just for yourself but for the world around you. Be reflective. In me being reflective, that has enhanced my own awareness and understanding when it comes to public health and how it's not just touched lives in a non-contextual way but even in a personal way for me and for my family. Share your story. I know that was a hashtag that Dr. Rohde had in circulation. Tell your story. Share your story. Share it. So that way that may provoke someone else to think about their own intersectionality with public health and how, and maybe even brainstorm ways of contributing to make things better for your communities. Going back to that lovely Nina Simone song. We must begin to tell our young there's a world waiting for you. Yours is a quest that's just begun. And that's not just her words. Dr. Farmer spoke to that too. He was called many things. The good doctor. We knew him by his professional roles. We knew him regarding partners in health. Global health champion. Friend of the laboratory. Visionary. Giant. The list goes on. For many of you, I'm sure it was friend, colleague, confidant, mentor. How has his life influenced and impacted you in a way that inspires you to keep carrying that torch forward? With rare exceptions, all of your most important achievements on this planet will come from working with others or in a word partnership. He supported collaboration. It's not an I, it's a we. How do we effectively address this together? Because in doing so, it makes things better for those around us. So again, how has his life journey, his work, influenced you? I hope that his life, his life's work has inspired each and every one of you to reflect on your own role and your own contributions. How do you address public health? How you begin conversations about public health? How do you make public health meaningful for those in your work environment, within your own networks, within your own communities? Among the many roles and hats that he wore, I would be remiss if I did not mention his awesome, beautiful wife and his three beautiful children. I'm sure that they're inspired and that his influence has shaped what their lives will look like going forward, but we want to be a part of their community in helping them carry that torch as well. In reading his book, To Repair the World, I came across this excerpt in the chapter, Making Public Health Matter. It speaks to the next generation, and this really spoke to me, in that I'd be so honored if you were to remember this theme, which is about an equity plan for medicine and public health. Even if you don't remember my name or title, and then he went on to say, or the color of my robe, as he was addressing a group of graduates at a commencement. He had a great sense of humor, and he integrated that and wove it through very well. But just another reminder, life is very serious, but infuse humor where you can, because sometimes things are so bad that you just have to laugh. You've got to release it somehow, and I appreciated that about him, too, and that he had a true gift in doing that. So, my takeaway from this is this, advocate, preach, yell, public health matters, it does. Because if we don't come together and address this and make this a huge part of the work that we're doing, we're missing a whole other huge piece that impacts anything that we're doing in modern laboratory medicine. He is a friend of the laboratory for a reason. Tissue is the issue, right? He would say that. He knew the value and importance of telepathology. He knew the value and importance of the laboratory and the role that we play, and he really empowered us in that way. Even in empowering, be intentional in empowering others around you. I have a couple extra minutes, so I'll share this. So, as some in the room know, because a lot of you are friends and family, you know, my dad's been in the hospital for about a month now, and a phlebotomist came to the room to collect some blood samples from him, and I was like, oh, you're a phlebotomist, and the gentleman goes, yes, and I was like, well, thank you for what you do, and he's like, oh, I'm nobody. I said, uh-uh, no, no. I was like, do you see the shirt that I have on, because I had a medical laboratory scientist shirt on, and he's like, that says medical laboratory science, and I was like, yeah, I'm a medical laboratory scientist, and he's like, well, where are you, you know, so I'm telling him what I do professionally, and he's like, oh, you're way up there from me. I said, uh-uh, no, uh-uh. Again, you are an important part of the whole. That's what Lona always says. I'm like, it starts with you. I'm like, if we don't get a quality specimen, it derails everything else. I'm like, it impacts the work I do and impacts a doctor's ability to diagnose and treat in a timely manner. You are pre-analytical. It starts with you. I'm like, so you go in there to collect that sample from my father. You are so important to me right now. You just don't know, because his results are based on your method of collection, your quality collection. I'm like, never forget that, and he's like, wow, well, thank you, you know, and I was like, you are welcome. You need to know your value and your value on this team, and then he went on and said, well, can you tell him my administration? I was like, you know what? You are absolutely right. I need to reach out to your administration. I will, but just in that moment, and where he just really got into just the rigor and just the repetition of his role, and just losing sight, and like, no, you're so impactful, and your work is so important. You're not at the bottom. You represent a very vital role in the care and treatment for our patients. So even just in doing that, it doesn't require you to have a social media platform or to be giving a talk or anything like that. Just empowering those around you. Just remind them of who they are, and the value of what they do, and the value of who they are as people, because they're a part of your community. That's another intersectionality there. So come away with this with that sense of community, with that sense of how public health impacts what we do, and just the little things that you can do to make all the difference in where you are and where you're planted. And so, that concludes that. Thank you.

Paul Farmer Lecture

race and public health

Dana Powell Baker

systemic inequities

clean water access

healthcare professionals

personal stories

advocacy