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Coming up - Nov. 18, 2-4 pm ET
Living for the City: Women's Health in 21st-Century Baltimore
Evergreen Museum & Library co-hosts a virtual panel on women's health in Baltimore for the 10th Garrett Lecture on Urban Issues.
About this Event
From repressive laws and cultural taboos to lower wages and threats of violence, women around the world experience distinct barriers when it comes to accessing the health care they need. Here in Baltimore, some of those same challenges exist, as do opportunities and success stories.
For the 10th Garrett Lecture on Urban Issues, Evergreen Museum & Library and its partners at 21st Century Cities Initiative, the Johns Hopkins University's Women's Suffrage Centennial, and the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing invite you to a virtual discussion of women's health in Baltimore today.
Join a panel of distinguished experts, including Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, Commissioner of Health for Baltimore City; Dr. Kamila A. Alexander, assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing; and China Boak Terrell, Esq., CEO of American Communities Trust, as they parse the pandemic's impact, reckon with the future of reproductive rights, and examine the effects of environmental racism.
The discussion, moderated by Deborah Gross, the Leonard and Helen Stulman Professor in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, will be followed by an audience Q&A.
Image courtesy of Dave Rose Photo.
ABOUT THE GARRETT LECTURE ON URBAN ISSUES
Conceived by philanthropist Alice Warder Garrett of Evergreen as a way to discuss the most pressing issues of urban life, the first symposium took place in 1943. With the support of the Johns Hopkins University and the Evergreen House Foundation, nine other symposia have occurred intermittently to date. This free event is made possible by The Evergreen House Foundation.
SPEAKERS
Kamila A. Alexander, Ph.D., MPH, RN, is an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. Her research focuses on the effects of trauma and violence on sexual, mental, and reproductive health outcomes among adolescents and young adults. Alexander uses health equity and social justice lenses to examine the complex roles that structural determinants such as intimate partner violence, societal gender expectations, and limited economic opportunities play in the experience of intimate human relationships. Her research stems from over 10 years of public health nursing clinical practice in domestic and international communities. She is recognized for her scientific leadership as a member of the inaugural cohort of Betty Irene Moore Fellowships for Nurse Leaders and Innovators.
Letitia Dzirasa, MD, joined Baltimore City government as the Commissioner of Health in March 2019. Her special interests include obesity management and prevention, trauma informed care in children and adolescents, and expanded use of technology to improve health outcomes. Prior to joining the Health Department, Dr. Dzirasa worked at Fearless Solutions (Fearless), a Baltimore-based digital services firm that builds custom software solutions for local and federal government clients. In her role at Fearless as Health Innovation Officer, Dr. Dzirasa was responsible for managing the Healthcare IT portfolio for the company and provided clinical subject matter expertise to HIT projects. Dr. Dzirasa also has close clinical ties to the Baltimore community, having trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in pediatrics and having worked as medical director for school based health and quality at Baltimore Medical System from 2013-2016. In addition to holding a B.S. from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in biological sciences, Dr. Dzirasa graduated from Meharry Medical College, summa cum laude, in 2007. She lives in downtown Baltimore with her husband and son.
Deborah Gross, DNSC, MS, RN, is the Leonard and Helen Stulman Professor in Mental Health and Psychiatric Nursing at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing. She also holds joint appointments in the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Bloomberg School of Public Health Department of Mental Health. Gross’ research focuses on developing, testing, and scaling behavioral health interventions that support families raising young children in low-income communities. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her work, including the President’s Award from the Friends of the National Institute for Nursing Research and induction into the Sigma Theta Tau International Researcher Hall of Fame.
China Boak Terrell is is CEO of American Communities Trust (ACT), a position she has held since 2016. After open heart surgery prompted her to confront her mortality, Terrell decided to switch careers from corporate law to community building. Prior to joining ACT, Terrell served as a corporate lawyer leading multi-million dollar transactions; business developer; liaison and adviser to agency heads, elected officials, and corporate leadership team members; and General Counsel for the District of Columbia’s legislative committee on human services. Since joining ACT, Terrell has overseen development of the Baltimore Food Hub on a 3.5-acre campus in East Baltimore, as well as the pilot site for Last Mile Park, an eventual ecological and public art trail that will integrate the Broadway East and Eager Park communities. Terrell holds a BA in International Relations from the Johns Hopkins; a JD, magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School; and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. She is a member of the bars of Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Minnesota. Terrell is happily married to an economics and politics journalist. Together they have an exquisite three-year old and live in the great city of Baltimore.
PARTNERS
21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University
The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) at Johns Hopkins University is the campus hub for research, teaching, and outreach related to urban economic growth and urban quality of life. Through rigorous data analysis and policy evaluation, our center focuses on how to align the incentives of the private sector and federal, state, and local governments to unlock the full potential of cities including Baltimore, U.S, and international cities.
Evergreen Museum & Library
Evergreen Museum & Library is housed in a Gilded Age mansion surrounded by 26 acres of gardens and woods. The museum is home to a renowned collection of fine and decorative arts, rare books, and manuscripts assembled by two generations of Baltimore’s Garrett family (1878-1952). Though originally constructed in 1858, Evergreen was drastically expanded and altered by the Garretts to accommodate their eclectic collections, gradually transforming from a sleepy country villa into a hub for contemporary musicians, writers, and artists.
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
The mission of the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing is to improve the health of individuals and diverse communities locally and globally through leadership and excellence in nursing education, research, practice, and service. The academic rigor of our programs, the extraordinary nursing scholarship of our faculty, and our reputation for shaping nursing graduates who are leaders in their profession have positioned us as one of the top nursing schools in the U.S.
Johns Hopkins University Women's Suffrage Centennial
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment that gave U.S. women the right to vote, Johns Hopkins University engages the community to educate, explore, and raise awareness about this momentous occasion. In partnership with several Baltimore cultural institutions, we will offer public events, seminars, and exhibitions that inform and at times challenge our understanding of the history of the 19th Amendment and its effect on female empowerment today.