Academic Health Collaborative event to 'Build Culture of Health'

The health of an individual or a community is about much more than fighting disease or infection. Our overall health is determined, in part, by access to social and economic opportunities, such as the level of education or economic standing of a community, and the resources and supports available in our homes, neighborhoods and local governments. Improving these social determinants of health is key to “Building a
Culture of Health” in Rhode Island.

The University of Rhode Island Academic Health Collaborative will tackle such key determinants of health during a continuing education conference at at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick on Nov. 5, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. The conference offers health professionals an opportunity to earn continuing education credits while learning about and discussing in-depth the social determinants of health that impact patient care in Rhode Island and beyond.

The one-day conference, “Building a Culture of Health: Tackling Key Social Determinants to Promote Wellness in Rhode Island,” will include an introduction to the social determinants, as well as 30-minute
presentations given by faculty members in physical therapy, pharmacy, dentistry, social work, nutrition and nursing. Volunteers will participate in a live simulation of a case conference, including an interdisciplinary team meeting to examine how biases can impact care and determine how to overcome such biases.

Speakers include:

• Susan B. Hassmiller, RN, PhD, FAAN, Senior Adviser for Nursing, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
• Anita Jacobson, PharmD, Clinical Associate Professor, URI College of Pharmacy.
• Craig Kauffman, MD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
• Sarah Pullen, DPT, MPH, CHES, Associate Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine.
• Maya Vadiveloo, PhD, RD, Assistant Professor, Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences, URI College of Health Sciences.
• Suzy Barcelos Winchester, MA, MSW candidate – Rhode Island College of Social Work; Research Associate/Program Manager, Academic Practice Partnership, URI College of Nursing
• Samuel Zwetchkenbaum, DDS, MPH, Chief of the Oral Health Program, Rhode Island Department of Health.

The conference is supported by funding from the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services Healthcare Workforce Transformation Program with the goal of fostering a culture of health in
Rhode Island. The conference is geared toward a spectrum of health professionals, including dieticians, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, physicians, psychologists, social workers and any other professionals on the front line of health care. Continuing education credits are available.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is located at 801 Greenwich Ave., Warwick. Click here for more information and to register, or contact Mary-Jane Kanaczet, director of the URI College of Pharmacy Office of Continuing Professional Development, at mj@uri.edu.