The meeting kicked off with a community provider-academic exchange on: “Advancing Health Equity among Immigrants: Local and Global Challenges and Opportunities”. Leading the discussion were Dr. John Ruffin, Founding Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and Dr. William Vega, Provost, Professor and Director of the University of Southern California Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging. The keynote addresses were followed by a panel discussion with community leaders who specialize in providing services to South Florida’s immigrant populations. Sharing their experiences and insights on immigrant health were the heads of Hispanic Unity of Florida, the Refugee Health Assessment Program, the Jay Weiss Institute of Health Equity, and the UM School of Law Immigration Clinic.
In the afternoon session, the Scientific Advisory Board and El Centro’s faculty reviewed and presented the latest scientific advances of El Centro, a comprehensive research initiative continuously funded at the school since 2007 by the NIH/NIMHD Centers of Excellence Program. The Scientific Advisory Board plays an integral role in guiding the direction of El Centro, and is responsible for providing state of the science expertise that informs El Centro’s progress and direction. At the annual meeting, board members receive progress reports and are asked for their feedback, guidance, and collaboration on the status of ongoing studies, manuscripts under preparation, and new grant application initiatives.
