Sapientia et Doctrina Lecture – 21st Century Community Health: The Intersection of Social Work and Public Health

Mary Bassett, MD, MPH, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, is a nationally recognized leader and expert on urban public health. Dr. Bassett approaches public health in an expansive way, recognizing that environment; family; and community – social determinants – have as much of an impact on health outcomes for individuals as traditional disease factors. As such, Dr. Bassett’s lecture to the Graduate School of Social Service community will focus on the critical role social workers, in conjunction with other professionals; play in communities to promote health and well-being. Dr. Bassett will focus on why preventive solutions to disease are cost-effective and humane, and how social workers are key to that type of approach.

In addition, Dr. Bassett is a champion for social justice for poor and minority communities. She has used her position as Commissioner to highlight the health disparities that plague many low-income people and communities. She has explicitly focused on educating the public about how phenomena like gun violence and substandard housing must also be considered public health issues and how that framework can help shift the paradigm of political and policy responses to those issues.

LMSWs and LCSWs will receive 2 Continuing Education Hours (CEH) for this event.

AGENDA

6:00pm – 6:10pm Arrival and Registration
6:10pm – 6:20pm Welcome, Dean Debra McPhee and Rev. Joseph M. McShane, S.J.
6:20pm – 6:30pm Medal Ceremony
6:30pm – 7:30pm Lecture and Q&A
7:30pm – 8:00pm Cocktails and Hors d’oeuvres