Health Equity Speaker Series to Celebrate 5 Years of CSJD

Kenmore, WA – The Center for Social Justice and Diversity (CSJD) at Bastyr University celebrates its fifth year this Fall Quarter! The Center, together with the Bastyr’s Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, is beginning a Health Equity Speaker Series that will include presenters from varying disciplines. The event will commence on October 23rd in a conversation centered around “What is Health? The Need for Health Equity.” The inaugural guest speakers include Daniel K. Church, PhD, Bastyr University President Emeritus, and Maxine Hayes, MD, MPH, FAAP, former Washington State Health Officer. The event is free and open to the public.

Health Equity is the concept that everyone deserves and should have a fair opportunity to attain their full health potential. Equal access to health care remains a key barrier to providing quality care to all patients. Bastyr’s speaker series will highlight the differences in access to preventative and curative health care for diverse populations and will focus on solutions that create opportunities for health equity in the U.S. as well as globally. 

“We are excited to kick off our Health Equity Speaker Series with Dr. Church and Dr. Hayes, two renowned experts in the fields of health care,” said Center for Social Justice and Diversity Director, Daniel Rosen, PhD. “Equal access to quality care is one of the most critical issues facing the health care community.”

The speaker series is part of the CSJD Student Leadership Certificate Program, thus is spearheaded by a two-person student team. Naturopathic medical resident Dr. Gena Poling (MPH ’18, ND ’19), and naturopathic medical student Paula Mitchell have co-led this project from the moment of inception.

“We are excited to be making this happen and we hope to have as many people in attendance as possible,” says Mitchell. “Our hope is that through this series, more people will better understand and think more critically about this issue.”

Bastyr’s Center for Social Justice and Diversity was established in 2014 and was named after President Emeritus Dr. Daniel K. Church upon his retirement from the University in June of 2015. Among numerous programs, the Center offers training in restorative practices, a Student Leadership Certificate Program, the CSJD Research Lab, and the Michelle Eustache Human Library Project. The Center also hosts weekly Real Talk Community Circles around pertinent social justice concepts and monthly dialogue groups for students of color, students who identify as LGBTQIA, and those interested in challenging white privilege. Additional events, such as visits from student groups, guest speakers and celebrations, are scheduled throughout the year.

CEUs for the Health Equity Speaker Series will be available for NDs, MDs and LMHCs licensed in Washington State for a processing fee of $20. Registration for CEUs will be available onsite.