21PHirst Signature Webinar Series
About
The 21PHirst Signature Series is an annual webinar, seminar, and talk initiative that virtually connects various thought leaders from New Jersey, across the United States, and around the world with the Rutgers School of Public Health community.
The series - developed to support the school’s core foundational areas of education, research, and community engagement - is guided by the principles of social justice and health equity, which inform the initiative’s annual theme.
Upcoming/Recent Speakers
Public Health Workforce Development
Kaitlan Baston, MD, MSc, DFASAM, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health
Tuesday, October 1, 2024 | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PDT)
We’re thrilled to kick off our 2024-2025 21PHirst Signature Series with Dr. Kaitlan Baston! Dr. Baston is a leader in public health, with a remarkable career dedicated to improving health outcomes for underserved populations.
Brian C. Castrucci, DrPH, President and Chief Executive Officer, de Beaumont Foundation
Thursday, November 14, 2024 | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Dr. Castrucci is the president and chief executive officer of the de Beaumont Foundation. He is an epidemiologist, public health practitioner, and fierce advocate for the public’s health.
Shan Mohammed, MD, MPH, FAAFP, Clinical Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Educational and Student Initiatives, Bouvé College of Health Sciences
Tuesday, January 28, 2025 | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT (9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. PDT)
Dr. Mohammed is the founding director of the Master of Public Health Program in Urban Health and from 2007-2017 oversaw the program in areas of educational policy development, curricular design, public health workforce development and recruitment/outreach to public health professionals.
Contact
For additional information or questions related to the series, contact the Office for Marketing and Communication.
Reproductive Justice (2023-2024)
Jennifer Reich, PhD, Professor, University of Colorado Denver (watch)
Diana Greene Foster, PhD, Professor, University of California, San Francisco, 2023 MacArthur "Genius" Fellow
Khiara Bridges, JD, PhD, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
Environmental Justice (2022-2023)
Debra Furr-Holden, PhD, Dean and Professor, NYU College of Global Public Health
Shawn M. LaTourette, Commissioner of Environmental Protection New Jersey
Melissa Miles, MA, Executive Director, New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance
Leah Thomas, Eco-communicator and Environmentalist, Green Girl Leah
COVID-19 Lessons Learned (2021-2022)
Oxiris Barbot, MD, Pediatrician; Former Commissioner, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Watch Dr. Oxiris Barbot's talk:
Operationalizing Health Equity During a Crisis
Pamela Fessler, Former NPR News Correspondent; Author, Carville’s Cure: Leprosy, Stigma, and the Fight for Justice
Jonathan Holloway, PhD, President and Professor, Rutgers University.
Watch Dr. Jonathan Holloway's talk:
Mapping Value: Structural Racism and Health Consequences
Laura Magaña, PhD, MS, President & CEO, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health.
Watch Dr. Laura Magaña talk:
Dismantling Racism in Academic Public Health: An ASPPH Framework
Paschal Nwako, PhD, MPH, Health Officer, Camden County, New Jersey.
Watch Dr. Paschal Nwako's talk:
Poor Health Outcomes Among Minorities During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is this a surprise?
Barbara Rimer, DrPH, MPH, Distinguished Professor and Dean, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
Watch Dr. Barbara Rimer's talk:
Ending Racism from Inside a School of Public Health
André Sayegh , MA, Politician and Mayor, Paterson, New Jersey.
Watch André Sayegh's talk:
A 94% Vaccination Rate: Here’s How We Did it in Paterson
Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, PhD, PNP-BC, FAHA, FAAN, Helen F. Pettit Professor of Nursing, Columbia University School of Nursing
2020-2021
Linda Alexander, EdD, Chair, Diversity, and Inclusion Section, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health
Amanda Graham, PhD, Chief of Innovations, Truth Initiative.
Watch Dr. Amanda Graham's talk:
Tobacco Cessation During a Pandemic
Thomas LaVeist, PhD, Dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University.
Watch Dr. Thomas LaVeist's talk:
From Exposure to Vaccination: The Role of Structural Racism in COVID-19Inequities
Judith Persichilli, RN, BSN, MA, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health
Whitney Pennington Rodgers, Journalist and Media Personality.
Watch Whitney Pennington Rodgers' talk:
Ali Rowhani-Rahbar, PhD, Bartley Dobb Professor for the Study and Prevention of Violence, University of Washington.
Watch Dr. Ali Rowhan-Rahbar's talk:
2019-2020
Till Bärnighausen, PhD, ScD, Alexander von Humboldt University Professor, Director of the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Katherine Eban, Author and Journalist, Bottle of Lies