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EmpowerHer: Women’s Health Initiative

EmpowerHer aims to provide Black women of the African diaspora and their communities with the necessary resources to lead fulfilled lives by addressing health disparities, enhancing access to healthcare, and fostering holistic well-being. Thus, our tag line: Inspiring Black Women, Amplifying Voices, Cultivating Health. 

October 4, 2024
  • 10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Boston University Trustee Ballroom
    One Silber Way (1 Silber Way # 9)
    Boston, MA 02115
  • Contact:
    EmpowerHer staff
  • Price:
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Brighton
  • Event Type:
  • Posted:
2024-10-04T10:00:00 - 2024-10-04T17:00:00

The EmpowerHer Black Women’s Health Conference will convene Black women and allies across multiple sectors to collectively forge a new way forward to address persistent inequities in health outcomes among Black women in Boston.

Our goal is to inform, educate, and engage Black women of the African diaspora in Boston. The conference will feature panel discussions, keynote presentations, and networking opportunities. Our inaugural event will start a broader women's health initiative in Greater Boston.

Black women face higher rates of death from an array of diseases. These include breast cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Black women also experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality during pregnancy than non-Black women. That is why it is vital we start this initiative by centering the health of Black women in Boston.

Register Here

October 4, 2024
  • 10:00am - 5:00pm
  • Boston University Trustee Ballroom
    One Silber Way (1 Silber Way # 9)
    Boston, MA 02115
  • Contact:
    EmpowerHer staff
  • Price:
    FREE
  • Neighborhood:
    Brighton
  • Event Type:
  • Posted:
2024-10-04T10:00:00 - 2024-10-04T17:00:00

Conference Agenda:

Opening Remarks

  • Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health and Executive Director, Boston Public Health Commission
  • Michelle Wu, Mayor of Boston
  • Secretary Kate Walsh, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services
Trailblazers in Health: Wisdom from Black Women Leaders 

Kickstarting the EmpowerHer Black Women’s Health Conference, this fireside chat will feature a candid conversation with pioneering Black women who have made significant contributions to the health sector. These trailblazers will share their personal journeys, insights, and hard-earned lessons from years of leadership and advocacy in public health.  

From navigating systemic challenges to breaking new ground in health equity, these leaders will discuss the importance of resilience, collaboration, and community-driven solutions. Attendees will gain invaluable wisdom on how Black women can continue to drive progress in health care and create lasting impact in their communities. 

Join us for an inspiring dialogue as we honor the legacy of Black women’s leadership in health and look forward to building a healthier, more equitable future together. 

Cervical Health is Reproductive Health 

Reproductive Health is vital to experiencing a fulfilling, safe sex life and is key to a healthy pregnancy.  A healthy cervix is essential to one’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.   This seminar will highlight everything Black women need to know about the critical link between cervical health and reproductive well-being.    Black women are less likely to undergo pap smear screening, have access to quality health care, and experience higher mortality rates when diagnosed with cervical cancer.   Prevention is key. 

This seminar will EmpowerHer to be an expert self-advocate.  Pap smear screening guidelines, prevention strategies, the truth about the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and evaluation and treatment options for cervical cancer prevention will be discussed.  This seminar will inspire by offering effective self-advocacy tools and encourage regular check-ups. You will learn more about optimizing Her cervical health in fifty minutes than you have ever experienced in your doctor’s office visit.  

From Financial Stress to Wealthy Women Success

One’s ability to understand and manage personal finances is crucial for achieving independence, securing a stable future, and realizing personal and professional goals. It is not just about wealth accumulation, but also about breaking free from economic constraints that limit choices and opportunities. The goal is to inspire women to take charge of their financial destinies, make informed decisions, and ultimately lead more fulfilling, prosperous lives. 

The Future of Black Women’s Health: Nurturing Mental Health, Championing Advocacy and Inspiring Change 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs help balance out racial differences in health results. It gives more access to education and important roles to groups who have been left out. As Black women rise in power, they're getting caught up in a demanding work culture called "the grind." This stress can harm their health more than others. It also shows the need to help them handle these challenges. This session wants to help women make smart choices in places where they live, work, and socialize. We'll also learn how to push for better work rules that raise mental health and build strong communities for the future.

Networking Social

5-6 P.M.

Speakers

Speakers

Melissa Gilliam

Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam became Boston University’s eleventh president on July 1, 2024. Dr. Gilliam is an esteemed and award-winning interdisciplinary researcher in medicine, public health, and the humanities. Dr. Gilliam joined Boston University from The Ohio State University, where she held the Engie-Axium chair and served as executive vice president and provost overseeing 15 colleges and six campuses and the Office of Academic Affairs, including undergraduate education, graduate education, international affairs, diversity and inclusion, external engagement, online learning, and information technology. She placed a keen focus on issues of access, affordability, and reducing student debt. Prior to joining Ohio State, Dr. Gilliam spent the majority of her career at the University of Chicago, where she was the Ellen H. Block Distinguished Service Professor of Health Justice, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology and pediatrics, and vice provost. In the latter role, her portfolio consisted of faculty hiring, faculty development, chair development, and diversity and inclusion. In these roles, she oversaw the Neubauer Family Assistant Professors Program, the Provost Postdoctoral Scholars Program, and faculty awards and recognition. Dr. Gilliam’s scholarship focuses on developing biomedical and innovative interventions to promote adolescent health and well-being. Her research funders have included the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Irving Harris Foundation, and others. Dr. Gilliam is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the American Gynecological Club, and the American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society. She serves on the Board of Governors of Argonne National Laboratories and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Among her many awards and honors, she received the King Arts Center Legacy Award in 2022, was named a Centennial Scholar of the Institute of Medicine of Chicago, and received the Chicago Urban League Innovator Award, the US Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee Service Award, and the Chicago Foundation for Women Impact Award. She has published over 100 articles in her field. A native of Washington, D.C., she is the daughter of the late, world-renowned, abstract painter Sam Gilliam and the pioneering journalist at the Washington Post Dorothy Butler Gilliam, the first Black female reporter hired at the paper. Dr. Gilliam earned her Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Yale University, a Master of Arts in philosophy and politics from the University of Oxford, a Doctor of Medicine from Harvard University, and a Master of Public Health from the University of Illinois Chicago. She completed an internship in general surgery at the University of Chicago and her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University. 

Link to webpage

Headshot of Dr. Rev. Gloria White-Hammond

Speaker for the Opening Fireside Chat Trailblazers in Health: Wisdom from Black Women Leaders

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Headshot of Byllye Avery

Byllye Y. Avery, founder of the Black Women's Health Imperative, has been a health care activist for 50 years. She is a co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need and featured in the PBS’s Makers: Women Who Make America. In the 70’s Avery co-founded two centers in Florida, Gainesville Women's Health Center, and Birthplace.   

Avery has been the recipient of many awards including: The MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant”, Essence Award, Academy of Science Institute of Medicine's Gustav O. Lienhardt Award,  Dorothy I. Height Lifetime Achievement Award, President's Citation  American Public Health Association and UF’s School of Medicine Leadership Award. The Chicago Foundation for Women Ruth Bader Ginsberg Impact Award, MA NARAL Champion for Choice, University of Iowa’s School of Public Health Hansen Award.   

Avery served on the Charter Advisory Committee for the Office of Research on Women's Health of the National Institutes of Health, and a visiting fellow at Harvard School of Public Health.   

She has received honorary degrees from Thomas Jefferson University, State University of New York at Binghamton, Gettysburg College, Bowdoin College, Bates College, Russell Sage College, Simmons University, City College of New York, and UCSF Medal Award.  

Byllye is currently writing her memoir. She and her wife Ngina Lythcott live in Provincetown.   

 

 

Brittne Halford MD, MPH

Dr. Brittne Halford MD, MPH is an Internal Medicine Physician. Originally from Flint, Michigan, she attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) for college. She completed medical school and a Master of Public Health at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.  Currently, Dr. Halford is a dedicated hospitalist in Boston.  Besides her medical pursuits, Dr. Halford is a passionate money coach, empowering early-career women in healthcare to achieve more JOY through personalized money management strategies. She shares her experiences on her YouTube channel and as a co-host of the Wealth Minded MD podcast, including paying off $138,000 in student loans within 3 years while balancing travel, investments, and motherhood. She is also a dedicated wife and mother.  

Link to Webpage

Liza Swedarsky

Dr. Liza Swedarsky is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Health Vows. She is a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist and is fellowship trained through the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopists (AAGL) specializing in outpatient gynecology, minimally invasive surgery and chronic pelvic pain.   She has over 26 years of clinical experience consciously facilitating healing and safe spaces for women.  She serves as a faculty member in the Division of Urban Health at Brigham and Women’s and Faulkner Hospitals and is also a clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School.  She has dedicated her career to serving in Boston’s neighborhoods and community health centers since 2006 to guarantee access to convenient, advanced gynecologic care, outpatient procedures, and the full spectrum of surgical services including laparoscopic and robotic surgery.   

Dr. Liza feels the service aspect of clinical care, “doctoring,” and patient interactions are key and foundational.  She recognizes true transformation, self-care, and change begins in the mind.  She teaches women to take charge of their unique journey in achieving optimal health and longevity and offers supportive spaces in her carefully crafted workshop series.  She pioneers programming to eliminate health disparities and inequities recognizing women need mindfulness techniques, self-empowerment and self-advocacy strategies, and health education so they can better navigate complex health care systems and interactions with their doctors. She created and facilitates the Health Vows Program to Promote Health Equity and Conscious Living by targeting individual behavioral changes.  The workshop series runs for seven consecutive weeks and empowers women to honor seven Health Vows.  Her vision has been supported by the Mass League of Community Health Center’s Special Projects Grant and she was awarded a Brigham Care Redesign Incubator and Startup Program (BCRISP) award in support of the Health Vows Program. 

Dr. Liza also serves as the Physical and Mental Health Co-Chair of the Boston Alumnae Chapter (BAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and is the content creator and facilitator of the Women’s Health Early Detection Series in the areas of Breast Health and Cervical Cancer Screening and Prevention.  The Physical and Mental Health Committee aims to educate and empower African American and BIPOC women living in Boston to increase awareness of disease burden, prevention strategies, and heighten health literacy.  As a result of the committee’s impactful programming, Boston Alumnae Chapter received a 2024-2025 Community Empowerment Grant from the Delta Research and Educational Foundation.   

When enjoying personal time Liza loves to study metaphysics and is an avid reader.  She engages in a daily meditation practice and yoga.  She believes in exercise as form of self-care.  She is an explorer and loves to travel.    She prefers a wardrobe filled with color and cannot resist boots and jackets.  Food, film, dance, art, and live music are among her first loves.  However, she is most in love with her two teenage children.   

Link to Webpage

Nieisha Deed

Nieisha Deed is a powerful emerging voice and leader in the mental health and wellness space in Boston and is working fiercely to advocate for mental wellness in Boston’s Black community. She is the visionary and creator behind PureSpark. As a person living with bipolar disorder, Nieisha understands all too well how important access to holistic support services and community are to one’s mental wellness. As a Black woman, Nieisha is a community builder and disruptor in the mental health and wellness space. She is dismantling the walls of silence by raising awareness about mental illness and wellness, not just through PureSpark, but with speaking engagements and facilitated events, where she shares her personal story as a Black woman living with a mental Illness. Because the Black community has historically been left out of the conversations about mental health and wellness, Nieisha feels that it’s vital to share her personal experience and voice with her community. Through her leadership, Nieisha shatters the shame around mental illnesses, creates access to mental health support, and shows us that healing is possible. 

Link to Webpage

Nolen

Born and raised in Southern California, Dr. LaShyra “Lash” Nolen is a writer, healer, and physician activist. She is a primary care internal resident physician at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital where her work centers increasing access to medical care for marginalized populations, antiracism in medical education, and the creation of reparatory public policy frameworks. A leading voice for health equity, her work has been featured in the New England Journal of Medicine and Teen Vogue, among others. Dr. Nolen is the founding executive director of We Got Us, a youth and student-led grassroots community empowerment project with the mission to increase access to education and healing for marginalized communities. She has served as a member of the White House Health Equity Roundtable and is an advising editor for Harvard’s Perspectives in Primary Care medical journal.  

Dr. Nolen attended Loyola Marymount University with a B.S. in Health and Human Science. After graduation, she was selected as a Fulbright Scholar and served as an AmeriCorps member. She graduated cum laude from Harvard Medical School where she became the first Black woman elected as student council president. She also obtained her masters in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School of Government where she was a Center for Public Leadership Fellow and Harvard Presidential Public Service Fellow. 

Her work has earned her the honor of being named a Forbes “30 Under 30” Leader in Healthcare, a 2024 U.S. Public Health Service Excellence in Public Health awardee, the 2020 National Minority Quality Forum’s youngest “40 under 40 Leader in Minority Health”, among other honors. 

Link to Webpage

Porsha Picture

Writer, Poet

 

 

 

 

Headshot of Amaka Ubaka

Amaka Ubaka is an Emmy award-winning journalist. She anchors 7NEWS Today in New England and 7NEWS at Noon. She joined 7NEWS as a reporter in May 2016. 

Amaka is Nigerian-American and her name means “beautiful” in one of the many languages spoken in Africa’s most populous country. She was named one of Boston Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2022 and received an honorary doctorate degree from Regis College in 2023.  

Before arriving in Boston, Amaka was a reporter in Orlando, Florida where she covered many stories that received national attention. She also worked as a reporter in Omaha, Nebraska and landed her first on-air job in Redding, California. 

Amaka loves meeting new people, learning their stories and being involved in the community. She enjoys using social media in a creative way to inform viewers while also showcasing her personality in an engaging way. She spends much of her free time as an emcee for charity events including Project Hope, YWCA Cambridge, International Institute of New England, West End House, The One Mission Buzz Off, Rosie’s Place, BMA TenPoint and the Igbo Organization of New England. She is also a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. 

A Florida native, Amaka has fully embraced living in New England! When she’s not on the anchor desk, you’ll find her in the gym, hiking, watching sporting events or traveling. 

She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Miami. 

nicole

Nicole Obi is the President & CEO of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts (BECMA) whose mission is to drive economic equity and prosperity for Massachusetts to achieve inclusive growth through advocacy, programming, and strategic partnerships that enable Black-owned businesses and Black communities to thrive. She joined BECMA in 2020 as the Vice President of Member Experience & Engagement. She previously spent 12 years at Fidelity Investments, parting ways with the firm as Vice President of Customer Strategy & Engagement in 2018. She was also CEO of her own strategic consulting firm, Enterprise Advisors, after co-founding two venture-backed startup firms. She earned two master’s degrees from MIT’s Sloan School of Management and the Department of Urban Studies Planning. Ms. Obi currently serves on several boards and committees, including the The Alliance for Climate Transition (formerly NECEC), the Environment League of Massachusetts, the MassHire State Workforce Development Board, the Intensive Community Program of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Browning the Green Space, the Women’s Foundation of Boston, the Governor's Advisory Council on Black Empowerment, the Boston Local Development Corporation (BLDC), as well as Longfellow Investment Management’s Board of Advisors. Ms. Obi was recently appointed to the New England Aquarium Board of Trustees and as the Chair of Massachusetts Supplier Diversity Office’s Diverse and Small Business Advisory Board. She is also a member of the Boston Chapter of the Links, Inc 

Michele Brown

Michele Courton Brown is the chief talent equity officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. She is responsible for the organization’s diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging strategies and initiatives as well as for developing sustainable and innovative career pathways for its 4,200 associates.  Previously, she served vice president of business development and managing director of Zaffre Investments at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.  Michele was the chief executive officer of Quality Interactions, which provides cultural competency training for the healthcare industry. Michele served as founding president of the FleetBoston Financial Foundation, which contributed over $25 million annually to charitable endeavors. Michele graduated from Boston University and completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Michele is the first woman chair of YouthBuild Global, a Trustee and Chair of the Board of Advisors at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and Vice Chair of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston.   She is the chair emeritus of Health Resources in Action. 

 

Petrina Martin Cherry is the Vice President of Community Engagement & External Affairs at Boston Medical Center Health System, where she leads community program development, particularly around the hospital’s efforts to increase health care equity, economic mobility, workforce development in the life sciences, diversity and inclusion and address social determinants of health. She has done significant advocacy work creating community-based programs to bring awareness to Sickle Cell Disease, BMC’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout, promote mental health and wellness in communities, to reduce recidivism and influence successful reentry and to build equity instead of charity in previously red-lined communities.  

Petrina’s work has successfully elevated the health equity work of BMC with our State and local government officials, corporate partners, and community leaders. She was appointed by Mayor Walsh in 2020 to the City of Boston’s COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force and was appointed to Governor Maura Healey’s Council on Black Empowerment. Most recently, Petrina was appointed to the Mass Cultural Governing Council and The Boston Foundation’s (TBF) Board of Directors. Petrina serves as the Co-Chair of the Women’s Forum for the National Association of Healthcare Executives (NAHSE) and sits on the board of trustees for The Urban League of Eastern MA (Emeritus), The Boys and Girls Club of Boston, the Boston Arts Academy (BAA), ArtsEmerson at Emerson College, and the Advisory Board of the American Hospital Association. She earned a B.A. from the University of South Carolina and an M.B.A. from Georgia State, J. Mack Robinson School of Business.  

EmpowerHer Inaugural Awards:

  • Dr. Rebecca Crumpler Pioneer Award: the Lead with Crumpler award was named in honor of Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first Black woman in the U.S. to earn an M.D. She became a doctor in 1864 and published a book of medical advice for women and children in 1883.    

    Recipient: 

    Tiffany Vassell, R.N., Labor and Delivery Nurse | Maternal Health Advocate  

    Neighborhood Birth Center 

  • Emerging Leaders Award: the Emerging Leaders Award will be awarded to a youth or upcoming leader in the community who is making great strides and a leader in the work.  

    Recipient: 

    Shavel’le Olivier, MS, Executive Director, Co -Founder Consult LeLa 

    Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition 

  • Champions of Change Award: the Champions of Change Award will be awarded to an organization advancing the great work of women and girls in Boston. 

    Recipient:

     Lakenya Rivers, Founder and Executive Director 

     FAMILY Movement Inc. 

Resources

Resources
  • InnoPsych - InnoPsych works make therapists of color easier to find in the community. Their work helps people start businesses focused on wellness. The goal is to make it quicker and simpler for people of color to connect with a therapist who understands them. 

  • The LoveLand Foundation - The Loveland Foundation is dedicated to helping communities of color, especially Black women and girls. They team up with others to help these women and girls get the therapy they need to feel better. 

  • Therapy For Black Girls - Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. 

  • PureSpark - PureSpark seeks to cultivate the kind of mental wellness culture and uses social media and our web interface to provide resources and daily coping mechanisms that would otherwise be out of reach for someone who is unfamiliar with the mental wellness system.  

  • Dee Dee’s Cry - DeeDee’s Cry provides resources on suicide prevention and loss and mental health education. DeeDee’s Cry supports families impacted by suicide. DeeDee’s Cry aims to create a space where conversations begin to lift the stigma on suicide and mental health among Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.  

  • We Are Better Together Warren Daniel Hairston Project (WAB2G) - WAB2G connects and heals women and girls affected by homicide and incarceration to prevent the cycles of violence and victimization. They aim to create a world where the cycles of trauma and violence are broken within families, and communities are actively engaged in healing.

  • Roxbury Presbyterian Church: Social Impact CenterRoxbury Presbyterian Church: Social Impact Center - The Cory Johnson Program helps people in urban areas deal with post-traumatic stress. It's a safe place where people can share experiences, learn about trauma, get help to feel better and find support for their mental health.  

  • The Osiris InstituteThe Osiris Institute -  The Osiris Family Institute prioritizes providing top-tier treatment within a supportive environment conducive to healing. Their array of mental health services is tailored to suit your specific needs, including:

    • acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)

    • cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), and

    • dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).

  • Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL) – We connect people to mental health treatment and substance use in Massachusetts. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. Call/Text 833-773-2445 for help.  

  • National Maternal Mental Health Hotline – The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides 24/7, free, confidential support before, during, and after pregnancy. Call/Text for 1-833-852-6262 help. 

  • BlackLine – BlackLine offers the black LGBTQ+ community support, counseling, and report mistreatment services. They focus on affirming the experiences of those most affected by systematic oppression. Call 1-800-604-5841 for help.  

  • 988 - The 988 Lifeline is there all day, every day to give free and private help to people who are struggling. They offer resources to prevent crises and help from professionals. Call 9-8-8 for help.

Funding

This conference was supported by funds made available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Center for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, under NH75OT000058. The content of this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of or endorsement by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

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