NIMHD Welcomes Harvard Commonwealth Fund Fellows
The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) hosted its annual site visit with the fellows from the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Minority Health Policy at Harvard University on Mar. 16. The visit was held in person at NIMHD’s offices at Democracy Plaza for the first time since 2019. (The last three visits were virtual due to the pandemic.)
The one-year fellowship is designed to prepare physicians, particularly those from underrepresented populations, to advance health equity through innovative public health policies, practices and programs. Each year, fellows go on site visits to obtain first-hand experience with problem-solving and policymaking processes in public health management. This year’s other site visits included the HHS Office of Minority Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
NIMHD Director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable highlighted the institute’s initiatives to promote workforce diversity and discussed directions for future research, emphasizing the need for intersectionality in research studies, multi-level approaches and better understanding of the different mechanisms underlying health disparities.
The fellows also heard from staff across NIMHD representing extramural and intramural research divisions, along with legislation and communications areas about their roles in advancing the science of minority health and health disparities.
Dr. Aubrey Miller, deputy director of scientific coordination at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, presented on the NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative and efforts focused on environmental health equity.
The site visit ended with an open discussion about panelists’ experiences working in federal government to address public health needs.—Gina Roussos