Health Equity in Action

Graphic showing the silhouettes of several figures with a sunrise behind them.

A Virtual Summit sponsored by the Social Responsibilities Round Table


Speakers from across the country explored the role that libraries, public systems, institutions, and community partnerships play in promoting health access, literacy, justice, and equity. Topics include the intersection of health with other basic needs, like housing and food; institutions and domains, such as education and government; and specific populations, like immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and older adults.

 

Sessions 

Wednesday Schedule     |     Thursday Schedule

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 

Helping Libraries Understand their Role in Promoting Community Health

Recording

  • Public Library Participation in Community-Based Health Coalitions - Noah Lenstra, Professor, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Library & Information Science Program
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • Native Tongue: The Public Library’s Role in Assisting Health Care Professionals with Community Health Advocation - Larry Daniels, Library Manager, Durham County Library
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • Public Libraries: Health Literacy and Health Equity Partners Hidden in Plain Sight - Gail McCray, MA, MCHES, Faculty - Morehouse School of Medicine
     

What Matters to Autistic Students in School Libraries?

Recording

From Data to Action: How Open-Source Health Data Platforms Democratize Research and Empower Community Advocacy

Recording

  • Kim Cinco, User Experience Engineer and Product Manager, Health Equity Tracker, Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Benjamin Hammond, Senior Software Engineer and Team Lead, Health Equity Tracker, Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine
    Explore the data
    Where to start
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     

Beyond Access: Addressing Social Isolation and Mental Health in Underserved Older Adults Through Community-Based Engagement

Recording

  • Iulia Bradeanu, MS3, Morehouse School of Medicine
     

Culturally-Rooted and Community-Focused Initiatives to Support Black and Indigenous Maternal Health

Recording

  • Daysha Gunther, Community Evaluation Coordinator, Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services
  • Lacey Warrior, Program Manager, Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services
  • Tiara Davis, Contra Costa California Abundant Birth Project Program Manager 

Hummingbird Indigenous Family Services: Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
 

Information Access, Health, and Safety in the Age of Targeted Legislation

Recording

  • Resisting Censorship of Trans Health Care Information - Heath Umbreit, Adult Services Librarian at the Morrill Memorial Library
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • “What Part of You Did You Have to Destroy in Order to Survive in This World?” How Anti-LGBTQ Legislation Impacts our Youth - Dr. Mirandy Li, MD, PhD, Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics
     
  • Data Governance and Digital Infrastructure for Addressing Contraceptive Care Deserts - Kaylisa Estes, LMSW DHAc, Morehouse School of Medicine
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • Connecting Healthcare Providers and Patients with LGBTQIA+ Health Resources in NYC - Daniel Delmonaco, Ph.D., MI, Reference and Instruction Librarian, Levy Library, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
    LGBTQIA+ Resources for Health Professionals
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     

How Inequitable Access to Care in Jails and Prisons Undermines Community Health

Recording

  • Health Equity and Carceral Settings: A Panel Discussion on the Professional and Lived Experiences with Members of the Formerly Incarcerated People's Performance Project: 
    - Mark McGoldrick, retired Assistant Public Defender, Alameda County, CA; current Co-Director, Formerly Incarcerated Performance Project
    -Tylon Sizemore, Formerly Incarcerated People's Performance Project Performer and Intensive Case Manager with No Violence Alliance (NoVA) Program 
    -Scott Schell, Formerly Incarcerated People's Performance Project Performer and Jail Manager / Post Release Coordinator with Resolve to Stop the Violence Program 
    -Pharaoh Brooks, Formerly Incarcerated People's Performance Project Performer and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Director, Oakland DreamCenter 
     
  • Medical Neglect in Carceral Settings: Breaking Down the Walls to Healthcare Access 
    - Christine Mitchell, ScD, Health Instead of Punishment Program Director at Health in Partnership
    - Wayland "X" Coleman, Founder & President of Coalition X Abolition, Incarcerated Organizer Deeper Than Water Coalition
    - Michael L. Mauney, II, Boston College School of Social Work Graduate Student, Community Activist and Organizer

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Thursday, April 30, 2026

Disability Justice 101

Recording

From Research to Reciprocity: Enhancing Access to Library Services

Recording

Strengthening Training and Awareness to Better Serve All Community Members

Recording

  • Library-Social Work Partnerships - Leah Topek-Walker, DSW, LCSW-R and Margaret Ann Paauw, PhD, LCSW
    Resource List
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • Our Patrons Aren't the Problem: Library Workers and the Toxic Drug Crisis - Kendra Cowley, Graduate Research & Engagement Librarian at the University of Wyoming & Margaret Sullivan, Associate Professor, Florida State University
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • Make Me Wanna Holla: Libraries, the Unhoused, and Mental Health Justice in Public Spaces - Dr. Renate Chancellor, Associate Professor & Associate Dean for Access, Ethics, and Belonging at the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University & Christopher Stewart, Professor of Library and Information Science, St. John's and Syracuse Universities and Director of Restorative Care & Social Emotional Learning (SEL), MCIP Foundation
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     

Transformation of Ukrainian Public Libraries into Mental Health Hubs During War

Recording

Community-Based Initiatives to Bridge Health Equity Gap

Recording

  • Medical Legal Partnership as a Path to Health Equity - Matthew Hulse, Executive Director, Contra Costa Senior Legal Services
     
  • Stony Brook Medicine Healthy Libraries Program (HeLP) - Sunny Chung, Health Sciences Librarian, MLIS AHIP, Stony Brook University and Becca Nolder, MSW/MPH, Program Coordinator, Healthy Libraries Program, Stony Brook University
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     
  • In Conversation: A Health Advocate Speaks Truth About Advancing Black Maternal Health Equity - Ophelia Morey, MLS, Associate Librarian, Health Sciences at Abbott Library, University at Buffalo, and Rev. Diann Holt, Founder and Executive Director, Durham’s Maternal Stress-Free Zone
     
  • Libraries as Lifelines: Impact of Social Workers in a Library System - Chloe Kilcrease, LMSW, Community Resources Specialist at the Central Arkansas Library System
    Presentation Slides | Screen Reader Slides
     

Centering Lived Experience through Partnerships, Storytelling, and Innovative Programming

Recording

 

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