Panel: Black Health: San Francisco

Due to current concerns around the omicron surge, this program is now offered as a **virtual program only**. It is not being held in person. Thank you for your interest and understanding.

Join a panel of San Francisco health experts for a candid discussion around where our Black communities are health-wise and what we can do collectively to move forward. Hear learned lessons from 2021 around COVID, chronic disease, mental health and behavioral health. Participants will walk away with personal and community health goals for 2022. 

Panelists include Tinisch Hollins, Executive Director, Californians for Safety and Justice; Malcolm John, MD, MPH, Medical Director of Health Equity and Co-Chair of Health Equity Council, UCSF Health; Monique LeSarre, PsyD, MA, Executive Director of Rafiki Coalition; and Renee Navarro, MD, PharmD, Vice-Chancellor of Diversity and Outreach, UCSF. Moderated by Brittney Doyle, MPH, Founder of WISE Health.

Watch on YouTube.

Dr. Ayanna Bennett joined DPH in 2016 as the newly formed Director of Interdivisional Initiatives., supporting initiatives that combine the resources of the department, including research, education, community engagement and healthcare delivery. This includes long-term population based initiatives like the Black African American Health Initiative which seeks to address the health disparities that burden San Francisco’s African American residents.

Tinisch Hollins has over two decades of professional experience in community organizing, guiding government systems and informing public policy to make social change. 

Hollins serves as the Executive Director of Californians for Safety and Justice (CSJ), one of the nation's most effective criminal justice reform agencies. CSJ works to reduce wasteful jail and prison spending and advance common-sense public safety solutions that address the root causes of crime and achieve long-term safety. In June 2020, she co-founded SF Black Wallstreet, an organization committed to preserving Black culture and building economic power in San Francisco.

Dr. Malcolm John is an expert in infectious diseases, is director of the UCSF HIV/AIDS Program, one of the most comprehensive HIV and AIDS treatment programs in the country. In addition to his work at UCSF, John is an HIV consultant for Larkin Street Youth Services in San Francisco.

John's research addresses molecular and immunologic components of diseases associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) in HIV-infected patients, particularly among African Americans. He also studies differences in HIV care and outcomes among African Americans.

Dr. Monique LeSarre is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of delivering healing and equity-oriented solutions to complex problems facing the Bay Area in the non-profit, clinic and higher education sectors. LeSarre is the Executive Director at Rafiki Coalition for Health and Wellness, whose mission is to reduce health inequities and increase wellness in San Francisco’s Black/African American and marginalized communities.

Renee Navarro creates and maintains a diverse university environment where everyone has an opportunity to excel. Navarro collaborates with faculty, staff and students to develop and carry out a strategic plan for diversity and inclusion at the campus—and in the recruitment and retention of faculty, students, trainees and staff. Navarro works closely with other senior administrators to address issues of diversity that cut across faculty, student, staff and operational lines. Navarro will serve as a campus expert on diversity goals, act as the campus spokeswoman for best practices and establish and lead an advisory group. Navarro is especially looking forward to establishing a campus-wide multicultural center to provide space and resources that support inter-professional collaboration among UCSF faculty, staff, trainees and students for outreach, recruitment and diversity education programs.

Brittney Doyle is the founder of WISE Health, a public health consulting company that specializes in developing community engagement strategies designed to address barriers associated with the health inequities found in under-served communities. Doyle’s efforts focus on advancing strategies related to increasing free health services, preventing HIV and addressing health behaviors such as social isolation and care coordination on local levels. 

WISE Health provides services within housing sites, homeless shelters, community centers, churches and wherever there is a need for a community health impact. Doyle collaborates with community organizations, government agencies, health clinics and academic institutions to ensure that these populations are reached where they work, live, play and pray. She is passionate about developing innovative, interactive and effective healthy experiences that will appeal to diverse communities of all ages. 

Connect 

WISE Health SF - Website | WISE Health SF - Instagram 

Brittney Doyle - Twitter