Community Impact Award
The first MPH Community Award for work on health disparities was awarded at the 2007 University of Virginia Symposium on Race and Society, "Racial Implications of America's Health Care Crisis." The Master of Public Health Program was co-sponsor of this event. Pictured here are (Left to Right): Susan (Syd) Dorsey, Board of Visitors; Wendi El-Amin, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Family Medicine; Woodnard Givens, MPH student; William Knaus, MD, Evelyn Troup Hobson Professor and founding Chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences; and Ruth Gaare Bernheim, JD, MPH, Director of the Master of Public Health Program and Division of Public Health Policy & Practice. Dr. El-Amin and Mr. Givens were the recipients of the award for their work on the Health Depot Program.
Dr. Wendi El-Amin, the director of community outreach for the UVA Center on Healthcare Disparities and a family physician, is one of the leaders of our effort to connect with local communities. "I see myself as a bridge," says El-Amin. She uses every means at her disposal to empower people with the information they need to lead healthier lifestyles and, when they are ill, to take advantage of UVA. She makes presentations to minority community groups, hosts a weekly radio show "Road to Wellness," and writes health articles for the Charlottesville Tribune, an African-American newspaper. She also organized and chairs the UVA Cancer Center Community Health Disparities Advisory Board.
"If the UVA Health System is to make a significant difference in the health of the communities we serve, we must reach beyond the walls of our hospitals and clinics to the churches, beauty parlors, barber shops and neighborhoods where community members gather. By meeting people on their own ground, we can build a true partnership for healthier communities." These words of Dr. El-Amin capture the spirit of public health.