The Center for Public Health Initiatives at NSU, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Health Equity, hosted the Creating Healthy and Equitable Communities Conference on Oct. 25-26, 2023, at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. 

The two-day conference brought together public health professionals, community leaders, researchers, health care providers and students to examine the social, environmental and systemic factors that shape health outcomes across Virginia’s communities. Sessions explored a range of critical topics, including the use of data to identify health disparities, cross-sector strategies to address the drivers of health, Alzheimer’s disease in BIPOC communities, health challenges facing people with disabilities, Virginia’s health workforce pipeline and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Keynote speakers included Ruth Thomas-Squance, Ph.D., MPH, co-executive director of the Build Healthy Places Network, and Dr. David R. Spiegel of Eastern Virginia Medical School. The conference concluded with a session on building inclusive communities led by Jacquie Johnson, director of professional development at the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.