Programs and Events
Minority Women's Health > Programs and Events
Team Leader: Adrienne Smith, PhD, MS, CHES
The Office on Women's Health (OWH) established the Minority Women's Health Panel of Experts
in response to its 1997 conference, "Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Partnerships to Improve Minority
Women's Health." The panel is composed of physicians, clinicians, community advocates, and academicians
working in communities and health settings around the country that serve racially and ethnically
diverse women. The five major ethnic groups (African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian
American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and Hispanic) are represented among the panel members,
who have expertise in a variety of disciplines. The major focus of the panel is to ensure that the
ethnic minority focus is incorporated throughout OWH programs, policies and initiatives by:
- Providing input to and serving as a resource for the United States Department of Health and Human Services' (DHHS)
Office on Women's Health, in support of the OWH's goals to improve the health of women and in the
development of minority women's health initiatives;
- Providing input to the Department/Secretarial initiatives, targeted to enhance the health of minority women in the
United States.
Learn more about the Minority Women's Health Panel of Experts.
Minority Partnerships and Sponsorships
It has been the goal of OWH to provide support to minority and underserved women's-focused conferences,
programs/projects, seminars, and workshops. In relation to the OWH mission to foster partnerships to eliminate
health disparities, this support mechanism works to strengthen the capacity of communities to promotion Women's
health across the lifespan. Supporting minority programs/projects allows the OWH to have a presence at the
community level, and fosters partnerships to deliver health promotion messages in a culturally competent manner.
Support (funding) is granted through professional services contracts and competitive awards to community- and
faith-based organizations, minority-serving institutions of higher education, and small health education non-profit
organizations.
2007 Minority Women's Health Summit
August 23-26, 2007, Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC
Theme: Addressing Disparities, Acknowledging Resilience, Providing Actions for Success
Purpose: This conference is the third conference (1997, 2004) that addresses the unique health issues experienced by
women who reflect disparities in the US population. The goal of this conference is to focus on the unique and often
unrecognized threats to health status experienced by women of color, by:
- Building on the knowledge gained in the previous conferences and uncovering the distinct health issues that women face
daily as they carry out their activities for themselves and their families;
- Acknowledging the powerful women who are community leaders and survivors of disparate conditions; and
- Building on the successful models of care and the innate sense of survival that exists within all populations.
Learn more about the 2007 Minority Women's Health Summit.
Other Federal Programs
The burden of many health problems is especially heavy for minority women. The Department of Health and Human Services has an array of agencies and initiatives that address health disparities in minority populations and work towards reducing this disease burden. Below is a list of these resources. While all resources direct you to information about minority health, you will find a variety of topics, from domestic violence to cardiovascular disease.
 CDC - Office of Minority and Women's Health - The mission of the Office of Minority and Women's Health in the National Center for Infectious Diseases is to assure that the burden and impact of infectious diseases among racial and ethnic minorities and women is acknowledged and addressed through research, surveillance, education, training, and program development. Of major concern are racial, ethnic, and gender health disparities in infectious diseases.
CDC - Office of Minority and Women's Health - Hispanic/Latino Health Initiative - NCID Hispanic/Latino Health identifies areas for future research, intervention, and policy development. In addition, the Hispanic/Latino Health Initiative focuses attention on Hispanic/Latino public health workforce development issues, and supports new and expanded training options. CDC's WISEWOMAN™ - Well Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women Across the Nation - The WISEWOMAN Program consists of 12 CDC-funded WISEWOMAN demonstration projects in states, territories, and tribes. Through these 12 projects, WISEWOMAN provides screening and lifestyle intervention for many low-income and uninsured women. CDC/ATSDR Minority Initiatives Coordinating Committee (CAMICC) - The coordinating committee is composed of representatives from all the Health and Human Services (HHS) departmental minority health initiatives within CDC/ATSDR, and is responsible for coordinating the work of the four minority initiatives. CAMICC provides guidance and policy direction for minority health initiatives and provides leadership in developing and implementing plans to improve minority health nationally. Excellence Centers To Eliminate Ethnic/Racial Disparities (EXCEED) - To understand the causes and factors of these inequalities, the Agency for Health care Research and Quality (AHRQ) has awarded grants to nine "Excellence Centers To Eliminate Ethnic/Racial Disparities" (EXCEED). Each center is investigating a different theme in an effort to identify and eliminate the causes of health disparities.  Healing Shattered Lives: Assessment of Selected Domestic Violence Programs in Primary Health Care Settings - Healing Shattered Lives is designed to encourage primary health care providers to treat domestic violence among their client base and to engage providers, administrators, policymakers and others in a coordinated, community-wide response to domestic violence. HHS Minority Health Initiatives – This web site is a gateway to the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Minority Health initiatives. Indian Women's Health Initiative – This web site provides information to Indian Health Service providers and to consumers about American Indian and Alaska Native access to care, violence against Native women, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, cardiovascular disease, and other health issues. Minority Women's Health Panel of Experts - The Office on Women's Health (OWH) established the Minority Women's Health Panel of Experts in response to its 1997 conference, "Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Partnerships to Improve Minority Women's Health." The panel is composed of physicians, clinicians, community advocates, and academics working in communities and health settings around the country that serve racially and ethnically diverse women. National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) – This center leads, coordinates, supports, and assesses the NIH effort to reduce and ultimately eliminate health disparities. The NCMHD works with the NIH Institutes and Centers and with other Federal agencies and grassroots organizations in minority and in other medically underserved communities to promote minority health. Women & Infectious Diseases - CDC's Office of Minority and Women's Health supports research, education, training, and advocacy to reduce the infectious disease burden among women. The Office works to focus attention on the particular ways infectious diseases impact women, and on the appropriate gender-specific responses for prevention and education. Of particular concern is the impact of infectious diseases on conception, pregnancy, birth, and both maternal and infant mortality.
Content last updated June 1, 2007.
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