The American Journal of Public Health is hosting a virtual State of the Public Health Union address on the theme of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all policies including prevention, reproductive rights, environmental justice, and occupational safety and health.

Guest speakers will elaborate on some of their expectations for public health workers and policymakers in the coming years to protect and improve our nation’s health. Speakers include:

• Adam Kader – Adam served as Arise Chicago’s worker center director for 14 years before becoming public policy director in 2021.
• Allison Berry – Allison serves as the public health officer for both Clallam and Jefferson counties in Washington state. Berry has been Clallam County’s public health officer since 2018, and she was appointed by the Jefferson County Board of Health in 2021.
• Osprey Orielle Lake – Osprey is the founder and executive director of the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International, working nationally and internationally to build women’s leadership, climate justice, resilient communities, and a just transition to a decentralized, democratized clean energy future.
• Michael E. Bird – Michael is a Santo-Domingo/KEWA Pueblo Indian from New Mexico with more than 30 years of public health experience with Native American populations in the areas of medical social work, substance abuse prevention, health promotion and disease prevention, HIV/AIDS prevention, behavioral health, and healthcare administration.
• Thomas A. LaVeist – Thomas A. LaVeist is dean and weatherhead presidential chair at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana where he focuses mainly on the development of policy and interventions to address race disparities in the health field.