National Minority Health Month, April 2015
Commemorated every April, National Minority Health Month marks the ongoing effort to reduce health disparities and improve the health status of minority populations. National Minority Health Month received support from the U.S. Congress in 2002, with a concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 388) that “a National Minority Health and Health Disparities Month should be established to promote educational efforts on the health problems currently facing minorities and other populations experiencing health disparities.” The resolution encouraged “all health organizations and Americans to conduct appropriate programs and activities to promote healthfulness in minority and other communities experiencing health disparities.”
2015 marks the 100 year anniversary of the establishment of Negro Health Week by Booker T. Washington in 1915 to the National Minority Health Month public health program we promote today.
This year's theme, “30 Years of Advancing Health Equity; The Heckler Report: A Force for Ending Health Disparities in America,” commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health (also known as the Heckler Report). This theme reflects our collective efforts to accelerate momentum towards achieving a nation free of disparities in health and health care and the ways in which the Heckler Report has served as a driving force for the monumental changes in research, policies, programs and legislation to advance health equity.
The NIH will commemorate National Minority Health Month with several events:
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Fireside Chat: A Conversation with Valerie Jarrett
Dr. Francis S. Collins, NIH director, talks with Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama and assistant to the President for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement.
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April 14, 2015, 2:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Masur Auditorium, NIH Clinical Center, Building 10
*This event will be videocast.
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Afro-Caribbean Dance - Kompa for Exercise! (in collaboration with the NIH Recreation and Welfare Association)
“Kompa” or “Compas” is a modern méringue musical genre in Haiti with European and African roots. Like salsa and mérengue, Kompa is danced with a partner, and for female followers movements involve a hip sway. After a brief discussion of the history of Kompa dancing in Haiti, the instructor will teach the fundamentals of Kompa dancing for exercise, including a warm-up, workout, and cool-down. No partner necessary.
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April 16, 2015, 12:00 - 12:45 p.m.
Building 31 - Patio
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NIH Minority Health Promotion Day
Health Disparities Science Café
Effectively Communicating and Disseminating Science to Inform Public Health Policy Guest speaker: Mr. Kweisi Mfume, principal investigator of the Health Policy Research Consortium, an NIMHD Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center Program, and former U.S. Congressman and President and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The science café is an event that brings science to the public in an informal and engaging setting.
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April 30, 2015, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
NIH Clinical Center atrium lobby, Building 10
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Health Promotion Exhibit Display
NIH Institutes and Centers; NIH Clinical Center Office of Patient Recruitment; HHS Office of Minority Health Resource Center; Center for Health Equity, University of Maryland; NIMHD Research Center On Latino Immigrant Refugee Health Disparities, George Washington University; and the Health Policy Research Consortium will provide health promotion, health education, and programmatic materials.
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April 30, 2015, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
NIH Clinical Center atrium lobby, Building 10
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For information on programs, initiatives and resources related to minority health and health disparities, or to learn about activities at the NIH and across the HHS bringing awareness to and highlighting efforts toward the advancement of health equity during National Minority Health Month, visit the following links:
NIH Institutes and Centers
Center for Information Technology (CIT)
Center for Scientific Review (CSR)
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
Fogarty International Center (FIC)
National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS)
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR)
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Articles on cancer health disparities:
- Common Myths about Cancer and Cancer Health Disparities
- Take Action to Decrease Your Cancer Risk - Obesity and Its Role in Cancer Health Disparities
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
NIH National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
National Library of Medicine (NLM)
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Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) Minority Health Month Webinars – April 2015
Fighting fire with fire: Using implicit means to combat implicit bias - Register Now
Wednesday, April 22, 2015 – 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Presenter:
Mimi Victoria Chapman, Ph.D., UNC, Chapel Hill
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Transnationalism, networks and culture: Implications for health and behavior - Register Now
Wednesday, April 29, 2015 – 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Presenters:
Linda Susan Sprague-Martinez, Ph.D., Boston University, Charles River
Rosalyn Negrón, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts, Boston
Dr. Carlos Eduardo Siqueira, ScD, MD, University of Massachusetts, Boston
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OBSSR Panel Discussion: Social inequalities in health - Register Now
Friday, May 8, 2015 – 3:00 - 4:00 p.m
.Natcher Conference Center, Balcony B
National Institutes of Health Campus, Bethesda, MD
Presenters:
Ann Morning, Ph.D., New York University
Dorothy Roberts, J.D., University of Pennsylvania
Jo Phelan, Ph.D., Columbia University
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HHS Offices of Minority Health
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Behavioral Health Equity
Health Resources and Services Administration, Office of Health Equity
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, The CMS Health Disparities Pulse Resource Center
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Minority Health and Health Equity
HHS Operating Divisions
Administration for Children and Families
Administration for Community Living
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
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Page updated Jan. 12, 2024
