Health Care

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A collaboration for health equity

The University of Michigan School of Public Health is collaborating with the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the American Cancer Society on a Bank of America-funded program to advance health outcomes for Black, Latino/Hispanic, Asian and Indigenous communities.

Susan Marsiglia Gray, left, and Tasha Akitobi

Better together

Alumnae pair up to help healthcare facilities stay afloat during the pandemic and beyond

Colleagues Susan Marsiglia Gray, MPH ’01, and Tasha Akitobi, MPH ’05, share so much common ground, they practically read each other’s minds. That comes in handy because their federal government workplace, the Provider Relief Bureau, is responsible for $200 billion in COVID relief funding. While their partnership is somewhat new—with only about 18 months of being on the job together—their paths to public health have created deep familiarity.

Oksana Fedorak in a field of sunflowers

Turning to public health in a crisis

Graduate student Oksana Fedorak works to prevent human trafficking in Ukraine

Traditionally, the sunflower is emblematic to Ukraine—but it signifies so much more to the Ukrainian people, and especially Oksana Fedorak. “Our national flower is the sunflower—it means a lot to us and me personally,” said Fedorak, a Master of Public Health student in Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

Head shots of Denise Brook-Williams, Richa Gupta and Bill Manns

Silver linings

Critical knowledge gained from COVID-19 pandemic proves invaluable to alumni

Across the country, the pandemic put stress on the health care system, revealing both its strengths—heroic providers and adaptability in the face of uncertainty—and areas where it must improve. Three Health Services Administration executive-level alumni share their COVID stories and the lessons they learned for the future.

A young person flies a transgender flag

Transgender Young Adults Risk Homelessness, Racism When Moving

Young transgender adults often relocate to cities like San Francisco where they feel safer and have access to adequate health care, but the migration might place them at risk of homelessness, unemployment and racism, say University of Michigan researchers.

A doctor writes on a clipboard

Patient Discrimination during a Health Care Encounter

A new paper looks at patient experiences of discrimination in the US health system, finding that the types of discrimination a person can encounter in a health care setting varies, with 21% of non-institutionalized, English-speaking US adults experiencing discrimination while seeking medical care.