5K Walk/Run Marks National Minority Health Month

To celebrate National Minority Health Month, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities held its inaugural Minority Health 5K Walk/Run at NIH on Apr. 12. With more than 400 registered participants and a sunny day, the lawn in front of Bldg. 1 was packed with exercise enthusiasts. 

National Minority Health Month, celebrated in April every year, is an effort to raise awareness about health disparities that continue to disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minority populations. 

NIMHD director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable helped get the crowd charged up and provided insight about the need to promote minority health awareness. “We need you to be a part of this effort, to start conversations that can change your life and the lives of others,” he said. “It is our responsibility as members of the NIH family to create awareness of minority health disparities and help lead change.” 

Also on hand for the occasion was Radm. Peter Kilmarx, assistant surgeon general and deputy director of the Fogarty International Center. He shared news about the Surgeon General’s Call to Action on Walking and Walkable Communities and encouraged attendees to participate in Take the Stairs, a Public Health Service officers’ campaign. 

The inaugural 5K walk/run, cosponsored by the Office of Research Services and R&W, helped renew NIH’s commitment to reducing health disparities. With a success in the books, NIMHD hopes to make the 5K an annual event.