NIMHD Hosts Walk/Run/Roll 5K for Minority Health Month

By Seppideh Sami

A large group of racers begin their run on a downhill slope in front of a large brick building.

Racers start their run in front of Bldg. 1 on NIH's Bethesda campus.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Walkers, garbed in a variety of clothing from business casual to scrubs, cross a street with the supervision of a police officer.

Overcast skies did not dim enthusiasm for the annual 5K.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Pérez-Stable speaks into a microphone at a wooden lectern. A large brick building fills the background.

NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo J. Pérez-Stable greets the crowd.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

A woman in a dark blue hoodie gestures as she addresses a crowd.

Capt. Tarsha Cavanaugh, principal deputy director, DHHS Office of Minority Health, offers inspiration to racers.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Runners take the final uphill slope toward the finish line.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

A woman in a red shirt and white ball cap applauds from behind a wooden lectern.

NIMHD’s Kelli Carrington cheers on the event.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Two women twirl long, colorful ribbons beneath an overcast sky.

Ribbon dancers celebrate the race.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Participants celebrate the finish.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

A group of participants stretch their arms in a guided warm-up.

Photo: Chia-Chi Charlie Chang

Several hundred NIH’ers gathered Apr. 11 on the front lawn of Bldg. 1 on the Bethesda campus to participate in the NIH Minority Health Walk/Run/Roll 5K event.

Sponsored by the National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities (NIMHD) and the Office of Research Services (ORS), the event is held annually in observance of National Minority Health Month (NMHM). Its goal is to raise awareness about the importance of improving the health of racial and ethnic minority communities and reducing health disparities.

Race participants and volunteers came from more than two dozen institutes, centers and offices, and included NIH staff from sites on Democracy Blvd. and other workplaces. NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable and guest speaker Capt. Tarsha Cavanaugh, principal deputy director of the HHS Office of Minority Health, offered inspiration to the crowd. Then, at noon, participants raced in solidarity to support the public health observance.

The 2024 NMHM theme, “Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities and Connections,” aimed to raise awareness about the need to provide quality, equitable and respectful care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, economic and environmental circumstances, and health literacy levels. This year’s theme focused on topics critical to advancing health equity among minority populations—social determinants of health and cultural competency and humility.