This inaugural symposium will focus on increasing skills and capacity for health and social service providers to meet the needs of medically underserved communities. Medically underserved communities have faced poor health outcomes for decades and the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 has brought those disparities into greater focus. The event features talks by regionally known health disparities experts; a panel discussion featuring a conversation with patients who experience racism, sexism, homophobia, classism and transphobia; and a presentation focused on racial and ethnic inequity in healthcare by the President and CEO of The Health Gap, a Cincinnati based non-profit with a mission to eliminate health inequity.

Featuring

Renee Mahaffey Harris is a committed advocate for the underserved and marginalized populations in Greater Cincinnati and the region. She started her journey in eliminating health disparities with the Health Gap in 2008 and is now the President and Chief Executive Officer. Harris leads The Health Gap in its mission to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities through advocacy, education, and community outreach. During her tenure at The Health Gap, Harris has co-led the creation of the Food Desert Task Force, jointly implemented the City of Cincinnati Health In All Policy, and launched several groundbreaking community-based health initiatives including the Black Women’s Health Movement.

Before joining The Health Gap, Harris held executive leadership roles in the private sector including her tenures as Vice President of Community Development with PNC Bank and Director of the Greater Cincinnati Local Initiative Support Corporation. In the public sector, Harris worked in leadership roles with former Ohio Secretary of State Sherrod Brown and former Congressman Charles Luken.