BATON ROUGE — Today, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced two co-chairs and appointed members to the Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and several subcommittees.
“It is an honor to serve the citizens of Louisiana on the COVID-19 Health Equity Taskforce," said Co-Chair Dr. Sandra C. Brown, Dean of Southern University's College of Nursing and Allied Health. "I look forward to working with a distinguished diverse group of experts from across the state that are committed to addressing the health disparities that specifically challenge minorities and vulnerable populations in Louisiana not only in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, but in advancing health equity for decades to come."
"I am excited to be able to contribute to this important taskforce," said Co-Chair Dr. Thomas LaVeist, Dean of Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. "Louisiana has for many years been among the least healthy states and the racial disparities seen around the country are as evident here as it is elsewhere. I am particularly delighted that Governor Edwards has prioritized health equity and I am hopeful that we will be able to make a difference for our state."
The task force’s work will begin immediately, and its actions and research will result in improved health outcomes and equity in Louisiana. A statewide Health Equity Dashboard will be created to monitor the progress of the task force.
Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force:
Sandra Brown, DNS, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAANP, FAAN (Co-Chair)
Southern University and A&M Baton Rouge
Dean and Professor, College of Nursing and Allied Health
Thomas LaVeist, Ph.D. (Co-Chair)
Tulane University
Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity, Dean of Public
Health and Tropical Medicine
Earl “Nupsius” Benjamin-Robinson, Dr.H.Sc.
Louisiana Department of Health- Office of Health Equity, Community Partnerships
Deputy Director
Takeisha Davis, M.D.
New Orleans East Hospital
Chief Executive Officer
Rebekah E. Gee, M.D.
LSU Health Care Services
Chief Executive Officer
Corey Hebert, M.D.
Dillard University
Chief Medical Officer / Assistant professor - Tulane and LSU
Theron J. Jackson
Morning Star Baptist Church
Pastor
Raymond A. Jetson
MetroMorphosis
Chief Executive Catalyst
Peter Katzmarzyk, Ph.D
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Professor and Marie Edana Corcoran Endowed Chair in Pediatric Obesity and Diabetes/Assoc. Exec. Dir. for Population and Public Health Sciences, LSU
Kathleen B. Kennedy, Pharm.D.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Dean and Malcolm Ellington Professor of Health Disparities Research Endowed Professorship in the College of Pharmacy
Michael W. McClanahan
NAACP
State President
Orlando McMeans, Ph.D.
Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center
Chancellor
Judy Reese Morse
Urban League of Louisiana
President and CEO
Demetrius Porche, DNS, PhD, APRN, ANEF, FACHE, FAANP, FAAN
LSUHSC School of Nursing – Dean and Professor
President, Louisiana Council of Administration of Nursing Education
Rani G. Whitfield, M.D.
Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group
Family Practice Physician
Gary M. Wiltz, M.D.
Teche Action Clinics
Chief Executive Officer
Sen. Regina Barrow
Louisiana State Senate
District 15
Rep. Dustin Miller
Louisiana House of Representatives
District 40
Task Force Subcommittees
Public and Regulatory Policy
(Provides input relative to policies and laws that impacts health disparities)
Deleso A. Alford, J.D., LL.M.
Southern University Law Center
Professor of Law
Damien Ejigiri, Ph.D.
Southern University and A&M College
Dean and Professor - Nelson Mandela School of Government and Social Sciences
Eric van Holm, Ph.D.
University of New Orleans
Assistant Professor, Political Science
Alma C. Stewart, R.N., M.S
Louisiana Center for Health Equity
President and Founder
Christopher J. Tyson, J.D.
LSU Law Center
Newman Trowbridge Distinguished Professor of Law
Nursing
(Provides input from the group that comprises the largest percentage of health professionals in the healthcare workforce)
Alicia Bates, PhD, NP-C, CDE
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Assistant Professor, FNP Program Director
Mary Meg Brown, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC
Grambling State University
Associate Dean and Professor - School of Nursing
Leanne Fowler, DNP, MBA, APRN, AGACNP-BC, CNE
LSU Health New Orleans School of Nursing
Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing
Director of NP Programs, Coordinator of AGACNP Concentration
Tavell L. Kindall, APRN, FNP-BC, DNP
Loyola University, Adjunct Instructor
St. Thomas Community Health Center
Nurse Practitioner and Director
HIV Prevention and Treatment Center
Cindy Schneider, MSN, RN
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Assistant Professor
Kathleen Tate, EdD, MSN, MBA
Associate Professor of Nursing, Northwestern State University
Jeanine S. Thomas, PhD, MSN, RN
Associate Dean of Nursing and Allied Health, South Louisiana Community College
Medical Community
(Provides significant contributions in the medical field relative to COVID-19)
Kristi L. Anderson, PhD
LSUHC-Lafayette
Director, Graduate Medical Admissions
Raynando L. Banks, MD
Baton Rouge General Mayo Clinic Care Network
Family Medicine
Keith Ferdinand, MD
Tulane University
Gerald S. Berenson Chair in Preventative Cardiology
Robert Maupin, MD
LSUHC-New Orleans
Associate Dean of Diversity and Community Engagement
Health Disparities and Research
(Provides research and data regarding the disparities aligned with COVID-19)
Connie Arnold, Ph.D.
LSUHSC- Shreveport/Feist-Weiller Cancer Center
Professor of Medicine
Terry C. Davis, Ph.D.
LSUHC-Shreveport/Feist-Weiller Cancer Center
Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics
Margarite Echevveri, Ph.D.
Xavier University
Educational Coordinator in Health Disparities, Cultural Competence and Diversity at the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education
Peter Fos, Ph.D.
Dillard University
Professor of Health and Wellness and Health Equity Researcher
Faye Grimsley, PhD, CIH, MSPH
Xavier University
Head, Department of Public Health
Dr. Amy Lesen
Dillard University
Associate Professor of Biology and Researcher
Rhoda Reddix, Ph.D.
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
Associate Professor, Director of Service Learning, specialization, health disparities: community engagement and service
Daniel Sarpong, Ph.D.
Xavier University
Director of the Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education, Endowed Chair of Health Disparities and Professor of Biostatistics in the College of Pharmacy
Lisa VanHoose, PT, PhD, MPH
University of Louisiana at Monroe
Associate Professor and Program Director in the Physical Therapy
Data and Analytics
(Provides expertise in the analysis of relevant data which will add to the work of the committee)
Ziad Ashkar, MD, MPH
University of Louisiana-Lafayette
Director - Louisiana Center for Health Innovation and Chair in Health Informatics
Jacqueline Harris, Ph.D.
Grambling State University
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Simone Rambotti, Ph.D.
Loyola University
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Community Outreach and Engagement
(Provides input on community outreach and extension activities, especially in lower socioeconomic parishes with high incidence rates)
Shelina Davis, MPH, MSW
Chief Executive Officer
Louisiana Public Health Institute
Tina B. Granger, MSW, LMSW
Nicholls State University
Sociology Program Coordinator / Instructor
Catherine G. Haywood
Director
Louisiana Community Health Workers Outreach Network, Inc. (LACHON)
Rudy Macklin, BS
Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
Bureau of Minority Health Access
Tiffany Netters
504HealthNet, Inc.
Executive Director
Dereck J. Rovaris Sr., Ph.D.
Louisiana State University
Vice Provost for Diversity and Chief Diversity Officer
Taskforce Administration
Ray L. Belton, Ph.D.
Southern University System
President-Chancellor
Kim Hunter-Reed, Ph.D.
Louisiana Board of Regents
Commissioner
Kimberly Lewis Robinson, JD, MPA
Louisiana Department of Revenue
Secretary
Katara Williams, Ph.D.
Southern University System
Chief of Staff
Adren Wilson, Ph.D.
Office of the Governor
Deputy Chief of Staff
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