The Power of Connection to Advance Public Health

The Power of Connection

Summit Overview

On November 7, 2023, the Bloomberg American Health Summit convened public health practitioners, policymakers, community organizations, and Bloomberg Fellows from around the country in Baltimore to explore uncommon connections and partnerships that are advancing health and equity across the country.

Speakers included public health officials, leaders from state and federal health agencies, faculty from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, journalists, and representatives from community organizations. Sessions covered strategies for preventing overdose deaths, ways to improve the U.S. food system, solutions to improve the youth criminal justice system, and public health approaches to violence prevention.

Two research projects led by Bloomberg School faculty were also featured. The first, focused on improving safety for communities across the country by narrowing traffic lane widths, was led by Shima Hamidi, PhD, Bloomberg Assistant Professor of American Health. The second project focused on how Violence Reduction Councils, a diverse set of stakeholders including criminal justice, social service, public health, and community organizations, can reduce violence in cities. This work was led by Cassandra Crifasi, PhD, MPH, associate professor, and Mallory O’Brien, associate scientist, at the Center for Gun Violence Solutions. 

Highlights from the event and a link to the livestream of the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Initiative are below. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to see more and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date with the Initiative. 

 

“In what I hope is a paradigm shift, we are seeing the country at large, and Baltimore specifically, break down traditional organizational silos. I believe this intentional shift will better allow us to collectively and collaboratively create innovative solutions to address the social determinants of health.”

Letitia Dzirasa

Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health, and Human Services in Baltimore City

Watch the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit

“Poverty is both a cause and a consequence of unmet behavioral health needs. If we can start to address these needs earlier, we can also address the issues of poverty. We need interagency coordination to ensure the continuum of care is available for all children and their families.”

Laura Herrera Scott

Secretary of Health for Maryland

Additional 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit Videos

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General

Welcome to the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit

Associate Director for the Bloomberg American Health Initiative Michelle Spencer and Bloomberg American Health Initiative Director Joshua Sharfstein welcome audiences and provide an overview of discussions to come at the Bloomberg American Health Summit 2023.

General

Keynote Address from Dr. Letitia Dzirasa

 

Dr. Letitia Dzirasa, Deputy Mayor of Equity, Health, and Human Services for the City of Baltimore delivers a keynote address at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Adolescent Health

The Granny Project: Bridging the Gap to Address Food Insecurity

Joni Holifield, Ganita Wallace, Breyanna Dabney, and Amaya Murillo discuss how collaboration between older generations and young people in Baltimore is increasing access to healthy food and preserving family recipes for years to come. 

Adolescent Health

Rethinking the Juvenile System: A Focus on Youth Disconnection

Karen De Sa and Imhotep Simba discuss youth disconnection in the United States. 

Environmental Challenges

Protecting Disadvantaged Communities from the Health Impacts of Climate Change

John Balbus delivers a keynote address discussing the health impacts of climate change on marginalized communities across the globe.

Environmental Challenges

Structural Racism and the Environment

 

Charles Lee and Michelle Mabson discuss structural racism and the environment at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

A Call to Action for Missing and Murdered Black Women

 

Lakeisha Lee and Tiara Willie discuss the epidemic of missing and murdered Black women in the United States at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Federal Efforts to Eliminate Gender-Based Violence

Rosemarie Hidalgo delivers a keynote address at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Violence

Social Media and Teen Gun Violence

Desmond Upton Patton and Antonio Moore discuss the intersection of social media and teen gun violence in America at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

General

Laura Herrera Scott Keynote Address

Laura Herrera Scott, Secretary of Health for the State of Maryland, delivers a keynote at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

General

Leveraging Traditional Systems to Deliver Non-Traditional Solutions to Improve Health

Acting Director of CMS, Dora Hughes, delivers a keynote address at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Addiction & Overdose

We are the Medicine: Culture, Creativity, and Reclaiming the Movement We've Built

Sam Rivera, executive director of OnPoint NYC, delivers remarks at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Addiction & Overdose

The Overdose Epidemic in Indigenous Communities

 

Philomena Kebec and Clinton Alexander discuss the overdose epidemic in indigenous communities at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Addiction & Overdose

Bringing Evidence to Policymakers in Harm Reduction

 

Professor Susan Sherman and Jessica Johnson discuss harm reduction strategies at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Food Systems for Health

How Cities and States are Advancing Food Policy

 

Rachel Arndt, Jenny Schrum, and Kate MacKenzie discuss how cities and states are advancing food policy at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

Food Systems for Health

Connecting Food Systems and Climate Change

Michael Grunwald delivers a keynote address at the 2023 Bloomberg American Health Summit.

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Supporting a New Generation of Public Health Leaders Across the Country

The Bloomberg Fellows Program provides world-class public health training for individuals engaged with organizations tackling critical challenges facing the United States.

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