PUBLIC Version

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Description
You are cordially invited to NAHSE St. Louis Chapter's 7th Annual Health Disparities Symposium. This year our topic is “Infant Mortality: St. Louis' Third World Problem.” Our speakers will discuss the current state of infant mortality in St. Louis and tactical plans to improve outcomes from healthcare, community and political perspectives. This is a very timely topic given the growing focus on the circumstances that impact the health of mothers and babies locally and nationally. Please see the event details below:

Agenda:

7:30am- 8:00am– Registration, Breakfast, & Networking
8:00am- 8:45am- Opening & Keynote Presentation
8:45am- 9:25am- Panel Discussion/ Q&A Session
9:25am- 9:30am- Closing Remarks

Key Note Speaker:

Kendra Copanas, Executive Director of Generate Health

Kendra Copanas has overseen health-related nonprofit organizations focused on improving the health of vulnerable women and children for more than 23 years. She serves as the executive director of Generate Health which mobilizes and inspires the St. Louis region to advance racial equity in pregnancy outcomes, family well-being, and community health.

Much of her work has focused on creating greater equity in health access for women and children, supporting maternal mental health services for expectant and new mothers, and reducing the region’s alarming infant mortality rate. She has been instrumental in leading FLOURISH St. Louis, a communitywide initiative made up of many sectors tackling complex systemic issues in St. Louis, such as access to prenatal care and transportation, that will enable more babies to thrive. In addition, she was responsible for securing more than $7 million in federal funding for home visiting programs for mothers and launched Missouri’s first Fetal Infant Mortality Review report to uncover how the region can address the most prevalent and preventable causes of infant mortality.

Panelists:

Brittany "Tru" Kellman, Founding Director of Jamaa Birth Village

Brittany “Tru” Kellman is a Women’s Health Holistic Practitioner with certifications as an Aromatherapist, Reiki Healer and Yoga instructor. Since 2008, she’s traveled around the world sharing her gifts of natural health and the path to an empowered birth. In 2015, she became a Perinatal Health provider (Doula, Childbirth Educator, Sexual and Reproductive Health Counselor and Breastfeeding Peer Counselor), Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Doula Educator and American Heart Association instructor. She is currently a student of Midwifery working toward the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential through the Midwives College of Utah, in which she’s set to graduate in April 2019. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of Jamaa Birth Village, a nonprofit dedicated to increasing accessible and affordable midwifery and doula care for marginalized communities and people of color, in an effort to combat racial disparities and mortality in maternal health. She currently resides in Ferguson, Mo. in the greater St. Louis area and enjoys reading books, hiking and camping, exploring libraries and bookstore cafe’s in her spare time. Her career goals are to ensure that the St. Louis area has a comprehensive birthing village to support people of color, normalizing breastfeeding and empowered births, while restoring the health of St. Louis urban families one birth at a time.

Cora Faith Walker, Missouri House of Representatives 74th District

Representative Cora Faith Walker, a Democrat, represents part of North St. Louis County (District 74) in the Missouri House of Representatives and was elected to her first term as a State Representative in November 2016. Representative Walker is a licensed attorney who has extensive experience with working on crucial issues such as Medicaid expansion and health reform and came to the legislature with a reputation as an expert in the field of health law and public policy. 

As a legislator, Representative Walker is committed to fighting for justice and equity in the areas of health, early childhood education and development, criminal justice, and jobs and the economy. She has been able to advance her work not only through legislation she has filed, but also through her service as a member of the House Health and Mental Health Policy Committee and the House Children and Families Committee. Both committees play vital roles in addressing the issues that Representative Walker has championed in the committee process and on the floor of the House. Representative Walker is also a member of the House Administration and Accounts Committee, the Joint Committee on Life Sciences, and the MOHealthNet Oversight Committee.

Ellie Brent, MPH, Director of Child-Maternal Health at March of Dimes--Kansas & Missouri

Ellie Brent is the Director of Maternal-Child Health at the March of Dimes for Kansas and Missouri. As part of the organization leading the fight for the health of all moms and babies, Ellie is responsible for the development and execution of the Kansas and Missouri state plans to address inequities in maternal and birth outcomes and reduce premature birth. In her role, she collaborates and fosters partnerships with key stakeholders at both the local and state level to support intervention implementation and catalyze systems change strategies that improve the health of moms and babies. She has worked in various public health settings in her career, gaining insight from private, non-profit, and government sectors. Ellie holds a Masters of Public Health, with an emphasis on Health Promotion Sciences, from OU College of Public Health.

Eve Colson, MD, MHPE, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Program Evaluation at Washtington University School of Medicine

Dr. Colson oversees the development of a program of evaluation to inform and supporst the development and improvement of our educational programs along the full continuum of education (UME-GME-CME) at Washington University School of Medicine. She works closely with other units and individual faculty to promote the scholarship of education across the School of Medicine. Dr. Colson is also a Professor of Pediatrics and conducts educational research as part of her role as Associate Dean.

Previously, Dr. Colson served on the faculty at Yale School of Medicine, where she served as Clerkship Director in Pediatrics, Director of the Curriculum of Clerkships, Director of the Interprofessional Longitudinal Clinical Experience curriculum component, and Chief of the Section of Education for the Department of Pediatrics. As a Macy Foundation Faculty Scholar, Dr. Colson also helped to create a longitudinal experience for students at Yale, incorporating clinical work and interprofessional exposure early into their early medical education. In addition to her leadership in medical education, Dr. Colson’s career has also focused on mixed methods research, newborn care, and infant mortality.

We look forward to seeing you all at this year's event!