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Consortium for Health Education, Economic Empowerment and Research Hosts Events

at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

to Recognize ‘National Minority Health Month’

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Memphis, Tenn. (April 14, 2010) – The Consortium for Health Education, Economic Empowerment and Research (CHEER), led by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC), is hosting two special events in April in observance of National Minority Health Month.  CHEER, a community-based health disparities research center, will offer seminars on April 23 and 27 to discuss new approaches in addressing health disparities (poor health outcomes prevalent among vulnerable populations such as minority groups).  Interested Memphians and health care professionals are invited to attend.  The hour-long events begin at noon and take place at the UTHSC Student-Alumni Center, 800 Madison Avenue.

On Friday, April 23, in conjunction with the UTHSC Black Graduate Student Association, CHEER will host Rani Whitfield, MD, a board-certified family physician in Baton Rouge, La., committed to advancing innovative methods for improving minority health.  Dr. Whitfield will present "H2D and Health Disparities," a discussion on how he uses hip hop music to reach minority citizens for the purpose of explaining health disparities and communicating culturally appropriate health messages.  The highly sought-after lecturer considers hip hop music a global language and has become nationally known as “Tha Hip Hop Doc” or “H2D.”  For more information on H2D, visit www.h2doc.com.

 On Tuesday, April 27, CHEER is honored to present, "The Mayor’s View on The Med and Health Disparities," a seminar led by Joe Ford, interim mayor of Shelby County, Tenn.   Mayor Ford will discuss his view of the funding challenges at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis and how the facility plays a role in Shelby County’s strategy for addressing health disparities.

“We are excited about sharing the ideas of these dynamic speakers with the community,” said Shelley White-Means, PhD, CHEER’s executive director.  “This is our time to implement the vision of CHEER and discuss various ways to attack the problem of adverse health outcomes among certain citizens.”  The CHEER partners are UT Health Science Center, LeMoyne-Owen College, the Memphis-Shelby County Health Department, Memphis Housing Authority, First Baptist Church Lauderdale and its separate non-profit initiative, Mustard Seed, Inc.  

For event details, contact Brandi Franklin, PhD, CHEER project manager, at 901-448-1982.  For more information about CHEER, visit www.uthsc.edu/CHEER.  April is designated as National Minority Health Month by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.   Visit http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/ to view related events around the nation.

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  UTHSC has additional colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy plus an Allied Health Sciences unit in Knoxville, as well as a College of Medicine campus in Chattanooga.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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