Two Distinguished Speakers Take the Stage at the CBPR May Symposium

This past May, three cohorts of teams in the CBPR Partnership Academy came together in Detroit for a Symposium to discuss their work, both past, present and future. The teams reflected multiple dimensions of diversity including 18 states, and 2 tribal nations, rural, urban, suburban and island communities with 68% from racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in research.  In addition to bringing together diverse attendees from across the country, this past May’s CBPR Symposium also featured two very distinguished speakers: Al Richmond and Abdul El-Sayed.

Al Richmond , MSW, CCPH, Executive Director, Community Campus Partnerships for Health , founding member and past chair of the Community-Based Public Health Caucus and the National Community Based Organization Network , gave the opening keynote address. Several dozen audience members listened with rapt attention as he discussed “Advancing Equity through Authentic Partnerships”.  Commenting on his experience giving the opening address at the 2019 CBPR Symposium, Al remarked, “It was such a blessing to be [at the event] and to hear of the amazing work of the partnerships all across the country. It was a great way to end the academic year, and to focus on new work ahead. In many ways it renewed my faith and resolve to promote partnerships as the true way to address the myriad of intractable challenges in all communities”.

Abdul El-Sayed , MD, PhD, Rhodes Scholar, physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist, gave the closing keynote address at the Symposium. His talk, entitled “The Meaning of the Matter: How We Talk About What We Need to Talk About, and Why It Matters,” enthralled Symposium attendees, staff members, and members of the media alike.   When asked what he hoped people had taken away from his speech, Abdul replied, “When we communicate public health, we have to recognize that our data and empirical evidence are compelling for understanding what we ought to do. However, they’re not always the most useful tool for communicating to folks whom we want to empower through it. We have to be better at telling stories.” When asked why he agreed to come talk to the Detroit URC’s CBPR Symposium, Abdul responded, “The Detroit URC is a critical bridge between the U-M School of Public Health and the Detroit Community that helps empower both toward their vision. As the Health Director in the City of Detroit, I saw firsthand how important it was as an institution.”

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