Gospel Run hosts convening of 50+ clergy to discuss the Mayor’s 4-year plan for health equity in Chicago

January, 2017 –  Health equity in Chicago and on the national stage was the focus of a recent convening of Pastors and faith leaders produced by Gospel Run and sponsored by the Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern University.  

The keynote speaker for the event was Dr. Julia Morita, Commissioner for the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Dr. Morita was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in 2015 and launched Healthy Chicago 2.0- a 4-year initiative to advance health equity by focusing on social determinants of health.     

“The faith community has always played a central role in public health, and it’s important to bring Pastors to the table as shareholders in the public health agenda,” says Shaan Trotter, Director – Office of Equity and Minority Health at the Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern University.      

Convening topics also included the implications of changes afoot on the national healthcare landscape, including the future of Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative and the change in Presidential administration.     

“We are seeing unprecedented shifts in public health – in Chicago and in the US,” says Nyasha Nyamapfene, Gospel Run Founder. “Chicago has declared, for the first time, that health equity is the centerpiece of its public health agenda for the next four years.  At the same time, ongoing changes in national healthcare policy could have tremendous implications for our most vulnerable populations.” 

In addition to Commissioner Morita, other speakers at the convening included:  

• Pastor Otis Moss III from Trinity United Church of Christ, 
• Dr. Robert Winn of the University of Illinois Cancer Center, 
• Dr. Phil Greenland of Northwestern University, 
• Dr. David Ansell from Rush University Medical Center   

This event was held on January 31stat the downtown Chicago campus of Northwestern University.        

Link to NBC Coverage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7n2sGPBFHk