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With input from faculty, staff, students and alumni, the inclusive excellence team, led by Associate Dean for Inclusive Excellence Kim Ramsey-White, PhD, MPH, is working to review and update the Inclusive Excellence Action Plan that centers community and collaboration for 2024 and beyond.

Additional highlights from their work this year:

• Worked with Advancement to recruit and engage three new members of the Inclusive Excellence Alumni Board. Mr. Brian Ellerby, Dr. Leandris Liburd and Ms. Makayla Cunningham have all agreed to serve on the board.
• Met with department heads and respective equity and inclusion chairs to assess equity initiatives across the School and established a monthly Equity Co-Chairs Meeting in which all departmental co-chairs doing equity work and affiliated students can discuss initiatives from their own departments and build a community of sharing resources, ideas, and funds across departments and the School at large.
• Resumed Community Conversations after a hiatus from Spring 2021 to Fall 2022.
• Conducted the Fourth Annual Inclusive Excellence Summer Symposium, titled “TAR Heel Approach: Training, Access and Respect to Improve Accessibility in Veteran, International and Disabled Communities.” The training’s goal was to shed light on accessibility issues for underrepresented groups at the School and utilize the units and resources we have at UNC via resource sharing.
• Worked with human resources to build in inclusive training requirements that are tied to HR competencies so that the requirements are more relevant to individual faculty or staff jobs. This allows for people who are at varying levels in their inclusive excellence journey to focus on trainings that are specific to their learning and familiarity with inclusive practices.

Highlights from our work in practice:

• The School has been selected by the CDC to develop a five-year work plan for a Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response coordinating center, to be established in 2024. The work will be for a center in Region 4, which would serve as a resource for training, strategy and technical assistance to public health agencies in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
• The Gillings School has reached out to health department directors in Cumberland, Durham, Halifax and Jackson counties to explore interest in forming a public health partnership hub relationship. “The Hub” is a Gillings initiative to provide high-intensity support and resources for 5-10 years with a limited number of well-defined communities with critical equity opportunities.
• The N.C. Public Health Academic Practice Network is an emerging opportunity for public health program leaders at colleges and universities in N.C. to convene. The Academic Practice Network aims to collaborate on how to better serve public health practice in N.C., further practice training and experience opportunities, and foster a sense of community to advance academic practice work.
• The Practice Advisory Committee brings leaders from public health and other sectors together with Gillings School leaders to create a community of practice and catalyze collaborations, strengthen the workforce, sustain N.C.’s public health infrastructure, exert influence in support of the public health system and identify practice-based research opportunities.
• The newly established Practice Coordinating Committee brings together representatives from across the Gillings School to achieve the practice vision.
• In the next year, our goals include establishing a Public Health Collaborative, integrating student practicum with the community Hubs, formalizing of the Academic Practice Network and creating a work group to support funding.

Stay up to date with strategic plan initiatives using the progress tracker: gillings-projects.unc.edu/practice/plan

The appointment process is anticipated to be complete in time for her to start in November. Lanou’s faculty appointment will be in the UNC Gillings Public Health Leadership Program, where she currently has an adjunct professor appointment.

Lanou currently serves as the executive director of the North Carolina Center for Health and Wellness at UNC-Asheville. The center “works to impact policy, build capacity and ignite community initiatives by working through a web of cross-sector relationships organized around building healthier places throughout the state.”

In addition to this role, Lanou serves as the UNC-Asheville lead for the UNC-Asheville — UNC Gillings Master of Public Health Program, which is a place-based MPH concentration that “centers people and their communities as the catalyst for transforming systems to promote well-being for all.”

Lanou is a tenured professor of nutrition in UNC-Asheville’s department of health and wellness. She also served as chair of that department from July 2014 to January 2020.

Welcome, Dr. Lanou!

In her role, Kajula will use her experiences in global health to educate students on an “ecological model,” which helps public health experts make sense of the social, political and individual factors that influence health behaviors. She will also continue her work in adolescent and reproductive health while collaborating with the Durham County Health Department on ways to engage local communities in public health programs and outreach.

“Moving public health to global health means understanding that we are all the same,” Kajula said. “The goal, whether through teaching or community engagement, is to help people think globally. You don’t always have to start something afresh if somebody else has done it already – you can adapt it to fit your needs.”

Her work at Carolina is also the extension of a decades-long partnership and friendship with Suzanne Maman, PhD, professor of health behavior and associate dean for global health at the Gillings School. The two first began working together on HIV prevention research in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1999. Their collaborations have produced funded research and intervention programs on global health topics that include treatment and prevention of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, intimate partner violence prevention, and adolescent reproductive health – all centralized around regions in Eastern Africa.

“I am thrilled that my friend and colleague, Dr. Lusajo Kajula, is with us on faculty at Gillings for this academic year,” Maman said. “She brings a tremendous amount of experience conducting impactful global mental health research and practice to our school. I am looking forward to the many ways that she will enrich our training, research and practice while she is with us this year and beyond.”

Read full article at go.unc.edu/kajula-think-globally

“If there is something to improve, I aim to improve it,” she said, “whether that be processes, visualizations, surveys, reports, quality, systems or even connections among School units. It’s best when people can work in teams where we each contribute our own expertise and connect the dots to influence change and improvement. Perfection is continuous improvement. Creating that culture is my ultimate goal.”

SABI’s mission is to serve as a key resource to support the School’s core mission and strategic initiatives. The team provides substantive, accurate and understandable data, information and services to all Gillings units and external stakeholders to support strategic planning, evaluation and decision-making across the school. Their data analysis is vital in continuous quality improvement: a process that involves understanding which questions leadership should be asking – and answering – in order to make processes or people within the School work together more efficiently. In addition, the SABI team has created and maintained more than 100 Tableau dashboards and administers the school wide surveys to help the people at Gillings to make data-driven decisions.

“When I was a child, I wanted to be a doctor to heal people,” she reflects. “But I later found I did not have the courage to deal with blood and human lives. In high school, I realized that math and science were my favorite subjects, and I fell in love with data. Now, with my data scientist skills and leadership, I contribute to health by helping our School to prepare future and current public health leaders.”

Lima-Rojas is convinced that people could have a better quality of life if they are informed and make the right decisions. “I always want to encourage people to live better, maybe acknowledging our flaws first and then motivating and reflecting to change our minds to help each other. And this is the same path we follow when analyzing data: identify issues and then propose solutions. The changes for good in our inner circles will impact public health.”

She joined the Gillings School in 2015 after earning her master’s degree in business analytics and her doctoral degree in chemical engineering from the University of Tennessee. Her love of music rivals her love of quality improvement, and when she’s not at work, she can be found singing in the Duke University Chapel Choir or singing, teaching and leading different projects at her home church.

Joseph Ibrahim, PhD, Alumni Distinguished Professor of biostatistics, recognizes the importance of making sure UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health students are well-equipped and marketable so they can make a greater impact in the community. He brings this philosophy into his classroom and his approach to mentorship.

“The name of the game is impact,” Ibrahim said. “What attracts students to biostatistics is not only the connections of clinical trials with applied areas — as well as academic areas — but the potential impact that they can have in the field.”

Pushing students further

UNC Gillings’ Department of Biostatistics is a world leader in statistical research and practice for the purposes of improving public health, progressing biostatistical education and advancing the profession. Ibrahim is determined to support every student in their journey to become successful leaders.

Real-world application is one way Carolina biostatistics students gain the experience needed to become notable in the field. Students get hands-on experience by participating in the methodological and collaborative research conducted by faculty. Aside from being able to work with local entities on research projects that are shaping the future of biostatistics, as the director of graduate studies in the Department of Biostatistics, Ibrahim is in a unique position to help students achieve their goals.

“I love giving advice to students on the best courses to take, a trajectory for finishing on time or working in a particular research area,” said Ibrahim.

Working as a graduate research assistant under Ibrahim, Xinxin Chen, who is seeking a Doctor of Philosophy in biostatistics, knows biostatistics is an incredible force in the scientific community and believes Ibrahim is preparing her for a successful future in the industry.

“What I find interesting in the biostatistics field is the ability to apply statistical knowledge to tackle real-world challenges and make a direct impact on health care and medicine,” Chen explained. “Professor Ibrahim’s mentorship has played a crucial role in shaping my interest in Bayesian statistics and preparing me with a solid background in statistical theory.”

Chen emphasized the tremendous impact Ibrahim has made on her education and even shared that his research was one of the reasons why she chose the biostatistics program at Carolina.

“In the courses I have taken with him, he explained the complex statistical concepts and methods clearly and presented a bigger picture of the topic, as well as how it could be applied to research,” Chen said. “He has also been very supportive and responsive during my work as a graduate research assistant, providing insightful suggestions and resources for solving problems encountered in our research projects.”

Through her work with him, Chen has also acquired a deeper understanding of the field and improved her research and writing skills, which she said will be beneficial for her future career.

For over three decades, with 20 years at UNC-Chapel Hill, Ibrahim’s commitment and rigorous training have led students to esteemed roles in global pharma and biotech firms like Merck, Amgen, and Pfizer. Many have also advanced in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and tech giants including Apple.

Read full article at go.unc.edu/ibrahim-beyond

Samuel Baxter, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management

Dr. Baxter’s research addresses men’s health, cardiovascular disease prevention, and place-based disparities. He uses community-engaged research and ecological approaches to identify and interrupt adverse psychosocial and environmental influences on health. Dr. Baxter has expertise in applying quantitative methods and community-engaged research approaches to work with racially diverse populations across various community settings.

Natalicio H. Serrano, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Health Behavior

Dr. Serrano’s research focuses on creating equitable and sustainable environment and policy strategies for physical activity promotion and chronic disease prevention. He utilizes a systems approach to understand inter-related factors and sectors (such as transportation, planning and housing) impacting or being impacted by environment and policy strategies for physical activity. He is particularly interested in understanding and addressing issues related to neighborhood development, racial and economic segregation, gentrification, and displacement. Prior to joining UNC, Serrano was a postdoctoral fellow at University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Health Research and Policy.

Kristin Z. Black, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor of Maternal and Child Health

Dr. Black is committed to utilizing community-based participatory research, mixed methods and racial equity approaches to understand and address inequities in reproductive health and chronic disease outcomes. Her research merges three key components. First, she explores the connections between reproductive health, maternal health and chronic diseases and whether these outcomes differ by race/ethnicity or other social identities. Second, she focuses on understanding what individual-and systems-level factors may hinder or facilitate birthing people’s journey through maternal healthcare services. Third, she is committed to transforming research into action by engaging community stakeholders in implementing and sustaining interventions that tackle health inequities and structural racism.

Shakia T. Hardy, PhD

Assistant Professor of Epidemiology

Dr. Hardy is a cardiovascular disease and social epidemiologist. Her research focuses on identifying social and behavioral determinants of hypertension and cardiovascular disease across the life course, developing interventions to increase health equity, and evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of interventions.

Hardy is currently funded by a K01 grant to develop a peer support intervention to lower blood pressure among Black adolescents. She is also co-principal investigator of the “Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension by Addressing barriers to Nutrition and physical activity” (EPIPHANY) study, a cluster-randomized church-based trial testing a peer-led intervention to prevent hypertension in rural, Black adults.

Our media relations practice continues to grow, as does our team. As the number one public school of public health, we have a responsibility to show empathy for our community by understanding the health of our state and our region, taking action to improve health. Trends in higher education communications continue to evolve, and we must remain current and our content must remain accessible by highlighting local, regional and global needs. The new challenges of AI and mis- and disinformation present a new level of complexity in our efforts to provide accurate information.

Finally, one of the ways we foster understanding is through our public health communications fellowship, which has doubled in size to four master’s students. Through the fellowship, we aim to address the challenges inherent in successful public health messaging by building a pipeline of graduates, well-versed in communications tactics and strategies.

What’s your role in public health?

I’m an alumnus of the Gillings School and the district health director for the Coastal Health District of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). I am responsible for overseeing DPH activities for eight counties in southeast Georgia, and I also serve as the chief executive officer of the boards of health for those eight counties.

Can you describe your focus area in one sentence?

As the district health director, I don’t have a specific focus. Our district has more than 30 DPH programs that cover a wide variety of issues — the investigation of infectious disease outbreaks, HIV services (through our Ryan White clinic), food service ratings for restaurants, emergency preparedness (e.g., for hurricanes), beach water testing and advisories, regulation of body art (tattoos and piercings), rabies prevention and animal bites, and the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program — just to name a few. In my academic role as a professor of community medicine at the Mercer University School of Medicine, my focus is on health equity. I have a specific interest in health care for the homeless, harm reduction, and the prevention of HIV and hepatitis C infection using population-level approaches.

What brought you to public health?

Honestly, UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health did. After I completed my family medicine residency, I began taking classes part-time as a way to improve my understanding of epidemiology and enhance my critical appraisal of scientific literature. I took an elective on health disparities with Dr. Vijaya Hogan, and I was hooked. I ended up getting UNC’s Interdisciplinary Certificate in Health Disparities and then graduating with a Master of Public Health degree in 2014.

Since then, I’ve been steadily gravitating closer to public health. In all my clinical experiences after public health school, I was always thinking about how to address the underlying issues or fix the systemic causes that had created the health problems in question. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was invited to become a member of the Health Equity Council for the Georgia DPH, and this exposed me to the true range of everything that public health covers.

When our state’s commissioner called to tell me that our district health director was retiring and that I should apply for the job, it was a no-brainer.

Please share a career pivot in public health

As I mentioned, the pandemic was a huge moment for my full pivot toward public health. The clinic that I was working for — JC Lewis Primary Health Care Center — is a federally designated Healthcare for the Homeless site. We were tasked with providing testing services, vaccination and personal protective equipment for people experiencing homelessness.

That was when I saw first-hand how team-based, interdisciplinary work can address not just medical issues but also the social determinants of health. Through collaborating with community members, social workers, community advocates and the local homeless authority, I experienced some of the most meaningful work of my life. I still loved caring for individual patients, but I felt that I could have a larger impact by addressing the root causes of health issues.

Who are you when you’re at home?

I’m a husband and a father of three. I run, on average, 25-30 miles a week, and I’ve been thrilled that my other four family members have all fallen in love with running since the beginning of the pandemic. I love being outdoors — especially running with my kids on the weekends — and I also love doing triathlons. I’ve completed three Half Ironman triathlons (1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike, 13.1-mile run), and I hope to complete a Full Ironman triathlon (double those distances) before I turn 50. That means I have less than four years to go!

Read more interviews in The Pivot series at sph.unc.edu/comm/the-pivot