Dear Closing the Health Gap Community:



Black History Month is a time to honor the incredible contributions of Black leaders who have shaped our communities—including those who have transformed the field of health and medicine. From Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, who performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries, to Henrietta Lacks, whose immortal cells revolutionized medical research, Black health pioneers have paved the way for lifesaving advancements. At the Center for Closing the Health Gap, we’re spotlighting these trailblazers all month long. I encourage you to visit our Facebook page at ClosingtheHealthGap to learn more about these inspiring individuals and their lasting impact.

Have a safe and blessed week ahead!

Renee Mahaffey Harris

President & CEO

Cincinnati Healing Arts: 5 Ways Poor Posture Impacts Your Daily Life

Maintaining good posture isn’t just about looking confident; it’s essential for your overall health and wellness. Here are five unexpected ways slouching might be taking a toll on you—and how Cincinnati Healing Arts can help.

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Queen City 5K 10 Year Anniversary - $25 Early Bird Special

Registration is open for Queen City 5K! This year's event will take place on July 26, 2025 at 1 Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, OH 45202, and we can't wait to see you there!

Whether you're an experienced runner or just starting out, this is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself, meet new people, and have fun! We can't wait to see you at the starting line!

Click here to sign up.

American Heart Association and NNPA team up to discuss changing the future of cardiovascular health

The American Heart Association (AHA) partnered with the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) to host a dialogue on addressing health disparities that Black Americans face and transforming the future of health in their communities. The symposium, which took place virtually on Feb. 13, marked the first time a major corporation selected the Black Press for an exclusive broadcast on a critical health initiative. 

Media and health leaders, including Dr. Regina Benjamin, the 18th U.S. surgeon general and founder of the Bayou Clinic; Dr. Keith Churchwell, president of AHA; Dr. Benjamin Chavis, president and CEO of NNPA; and April Ryan, senior White House correspondent and Washington Bureau chief for BlackPressUSA.com; led the conversation. Heart health is a significant issue in the Black community. According to the AHA, Black adults represent more than 50 percent of heart failure hospitalizations among U.S. adults under age 50. 



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The Inaugural World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

On Jan. 30 to Feb. 2 for the first time, The World Congress on Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities convened in St. Lucia. The event was hosted by the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities and the Connecticut Imhotep NMA Society. The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering at UConn was also a sponsor of the event. The World Congress was the brainchild of Dr. Cato T. Laurencin at UConn who also served as chair of the meeting. Additional sponsors of the event included the National Medical Association, the St. Lucia Medical and Dental Association, the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute, and the government of St. Lucia. The scientific sessions were opened by The Honorable Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister of St. Lucia.

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City aims to tackle life expectancy gap, health disparities with new Live Long and Well Agenda

A new report released by the Boston Public Health Commission this month marks the next step in its first population health equity agenda, which is aimed at reducing life expectancy gaps in the city.

Under the campaign, called the Live Long and Well agenda, the city is looking to target overdose deaths, cardiometabolic diseases and preventable cancers — conditions that disproportionately affect communities of color and that the commission has identified as the leading causes of premature death in those communities of color. In that work, said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, the city’s health commissioner, the key to addressing those gaps lies beyond actions to treat individual cases of heart disease or cancer but, instead, looks to the broader societal factors that impact health — things at a community level.

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Connecting the Dots: How the Sloan Lab Maps Health Disparities

After completing her undergraduate degree, Dr. Chantel Sloan found herself in genetic epidemiology. During her PhD, she realized that she was more interested in the broader driving factors of the diseases she saw than the genetics of the diseases alone. Her mentor connected her with the geography department where Sloan fell in love with mapping data. She now combines this passion with her epidemiology skills as a professor in the Department of Public Health.

The lab’s main focus is to train students on epidemiology, specifically looking at how location impacts health. Sloan delves into many infectious diseases but concentrates her efforts primarily on respiratory diseases like COVID-19, the flu, or RSV. Sloan also compiles mapping projects for public health issues. Anything from opioid rates in wastewater to driving distances in the Navajo Nation, Sloan can map it. For example, a current project seeks to determine how homeschooled health practices differ from those taught in public school environments. The homeschool group is rarely studied, and statistics like their vaccination rates are often underreported. Once all the data is collected, Sloan and her students will map this group’s health trends.

Click here for the article.