Conversations in Equity Posts

Conversations in Equity is a collection of blogs dedicated to increasing the awareness of health inequities. We share stories on how partnerships help address health disparities to ultimately achieve our vision of ensuring all people have an opportunity to live as healthy as possible.

Mission Possible: A Year in Review

As a long-time scientist and physician, I’ve treated patients in a range of environments – from U.S. cities and military bases, to sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in 2010. Throughout those experiences, I saw firsthand the impact that health disparities could have on health outcomes. That’s why – even Read More >

January 2, 2019 by Dr. Robert R. Redfield, Director, CDC and Administrator, ATSDR4 Comments

Health Equity

Mission Possible: Reducing Disparities in Preterm Births in the United States

In 2001, a woman was transported to a Georgia hospital in preterm labor. She delivered a baby boy at 34 weeks gestation, six weeks before her due date. However, before this baby’s early birth, she was given medications to help her baby’s lungs mature more rapidly, and to slow down the labor. After her baby Read More >

November 1, 2018 by RADM Wanda Barfield, M.D., M.P.H., FAAP3 Comments

Health Equity, Preventive Care, Women's Health

Mission Possible: Science to Action – Reducing Health Disparities

Nestor, a young man from El Salvador, was born with HIV but did not learn about his infection until he was a preteen. Arianna is a transgender woman living in the southern United States; she has been living with HIV since 2006. Anthony, who lives in New York, has been living with HIV for 23 Read More >

October 26, 2018 by Hazel D. Dean, ScD, DrPH (Hon), FACE2 Comments

Health Equity

Mission Possible: Preparing and Responding to Disasters through a Health Equity Lens

It was September 2017, and like many others, I was watching as Hurricane Maria moved across the Atlantic Ocean heading towards the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Having been part of the recent responses to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I was all too aware of the potential for devastation, especially for the most vulnerable Read More >

September 6, 2018 by Amy Wolkin, DrPH, MSPH, Vulnerable Populations Officer, CDC's Office of Public Health Preparedness and Response11 Comments

Emergency Preparedness and Response, Health Equity

Mission Possible: Achieving Health Equity through Inclusive Public Health Practice

This month, we recognize the 28th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the most comprehensive federal disability rights law that helps to ensure equal access. On a beautiful spring morning, with the air crisp and the sun gently beaming down a father gathers a backpack of daily essentials and maneuvers his wheelchair towards Read More >

July 26, 2018 by Allison Hoit Tubbs, MS, CHES, Project Coordinator, NCHPAD1 Comment

Health Equity

Mission Possible: Too Heavy a Burden: Thoughts on the Impact of Violence Disparities Experienced by African Americans

Two boys running together on street with sun back light, toned image

I have fond childhood memories of spending Saturdays riding my bike purposefully through my neighborhood. There was nothing better than a sunny day that created the canvas for the perfect adventure-stopping at the library to check out a new book, getting a fresh pastry from the local bakery, and venturing across the neighborhood to walk Read More >

June 11, 2018 by Kameron J. Sheats, Ph.D.3 Comments

Health Equity, Injury Prevention

Mission Possible: Protect Yourself From Secondhand Smoke

One in five employed U.S. adult nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke at work, and exposure is higher among certain racial and ethnic groups, including American Indians/Alaska Natives. Wouldn’t it be great if all American employees enjoyed a smokefree workplace? I often think about this as director of CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. At Read More >

May 22, 2018 by Corinne Graffunder, DrPH, MPH3 Comments

Health Equity

Mission Possible: Treat Me Right

In the fall of 1999, in preparation for the launch of The National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States, I was asked to draft a letter to the survivors of the U.S. Public Health Service Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, or the Tuskegee Study as it is usually Read More >

April 19, 2018 by Jo A. Valentine, MSW2 Comments

Health Equity

Mission Possible: Celebrating Women’s Strength and Persistence

Over the weekend, I attended a women’s day event. The event’s speaker shared a personal story about her mother’s near fatal car accident and how on the day of the accident the doctors tried to prepare her family for the worst. Her mother’s prognosis for survival was bleak and if she survived, she would Read More >

March 30, 2018 by Pattie Tucker, BSN, MPH, DrPH1 Comment

Health Equity, Women's Health

Mission Possible: Addressing Health Disparities in Heart Disease and Stroke Outcomes

As the leading killer of Americans, heart disease and its associated behavioral causes are distributed throughout our country. Even so, some groups of people are more affected than others. Poverty and lack of education have long been associated with poorer health status and heart disease is no exception, occurring more frequently among people with lower Read More >

February 26, 2018 by Ursula Bauer, PhD, MPH and Betsy L. Thompson, MD, MSPH, DrPH9 Comments

Health Equity, Preventive Care