Events

Upcoming Health Studies Events

Check back for more upcoming events and follow us on Instagram @ur_healthstudies

Past Health Studies Events

Revive!

Health Studies Ice Cream Social

Health Studies Scavenger Hunt

Race, Capital, and the Financialization of Health Politics

Colleen Grogan and Guian McKee explained how the public has been intentionally misled about the true role of government in U.S. health care. The U.S. government has always invested federal, state, and local dollars in public health protection and prevention. Despite this public funding, however, Americans typically believe the current system is predominantly comprised of private actors with little government interference. As both authors revealled, the U.S. has never had a system that resembles a competitive, free-market model. So, before sweeping reform can ever fix America’s broken health care system, we must have an honest discussion about the significant public investment buoying the private sector. This panel also focused on urban hospitals and academic medical centers. The country’s high level of health care spending has allowed such institutions to become vital, if often problematic, economic anchors for communities. Yet this spending has constrained possibilities for comprehensive health care reform over many decades, even after the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010. And the role of hospitals in urban renewal, in community health provision, and as employers of low-wage workers has contributed directly to racial health disparities.

Sponsored by the Department of Health Studies, The Department of Political Science, the Africana Studies Program, and the Business School.

Women's Health in 2023: Family Planning, Health Promotion, & Reproductive Health in the U.S.

This program on women’s health, led by Dr. Terri Page, DNP, of Virginia Women’s Center and Dr. Nicole Karjane, MD, in the department of obstetrics & gynecology at the VCU School of Medicine, provided UR students the chance to learn more about the role of nurse practitioners and OBGYNs in women’s health. The event also provided a forum for the discussion of women’s health and reproductive health rights and needs in the U.S. from both medical and public health perspectives.

Sponsored by the Department of Health Studies, Pre-Health Studies, the Gottwald Speaker Series, and WGSS.

Where We Live Matters: Equity, Health, and Housing

The Department of Health Studies welcomed Mariah Williams, M.U.R.P, a University of Richmond alum, to campus for her talk: 'Where We Live Matters: Equity, Health, and Housing.'

Sponsored by the Gottwald Speaker Series, Africana Studies program, and the Department of Health Studies.

Department of Health Studies Ice Cream Social and Photo Scavenger Hunt

The Department of Health Studies hosted an ice cream social and photo scavenger hunt for all interested students, minors and majors. The two new faculty members in the department were featured guests.

Dr. Courtney Blondino earned a PhD in Epidemiology from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021 and an MPH from the University of Kentucky in 2017. She worked as a management consultant for several years after earning her doctoral degree. Her research focuses on mental health, substance use, and health behaviors.   

Dr. Margaret Tait earned a PhD in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration from the University of Minnesota in 2023 and an MPH from Johns Hopkins University in 2017. She previously worked for AmeriCorps VISTA and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Her research focuses on how news and social media shape perceptions of U.S. health policy. 

The department has moved to a new office suite on the ground floor of Richmond Hall (Richmond G21) that includes workspaces for student researchers.  Students interested in contributing to research projects are welcome to reach out to any full-time HS professors to discuss potential opportunities for involvement in their investigations.