Bernard Guyer, MD, Lecture Series
Special Public Health Grand Rounds -
Fall Dr. Bernard Guyer Lecture Series
Keynote Speaker: Dorcey L. Applyrs, DrPH, MPH
Presentation: "Are Black Women Safe Giving Birth: The Hard Truth of How Racism and Discrimination Perpetuate Disparities in Maternal Mortality"
The day also featured a panel of area experts on maternal and child health and a performance from Pillsbury House Theatre's interactive theater ensemble "Breaking Ice."
Thank you to all who attended and participated in the meaningful conversation throughout the day. A recording of the keynote presentation, as well as the panel discussion will be posted here in the coming days.
About Dr. Applyrs
The Honorable Dorcey Applyrs, DrPH, MPH, has built a personal and professional life in the City of Albany devoted to improving the quality of life for residents. She currently serves as Albany's Chief City Auditor. After being appointed to this position on January 1, 2020, she was elected to serve in this capacity in the historic 2020 election. Prior to serving as Chief City Auditor, Applyrs served on the Albany Common Council representing the City's First Ward. She was elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017. During her second term, Applyrs served as Chair of the Public Safety Committee. She moved to Albany in 2003 to pursue graduate-level education and since has earned a master's degree and a doctorate in public health from the University at Albany School of Public Health. She is highly engaged with the Albany community. Applyrs served as Vice President for Community Health Initiatives with the Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region. She currently serves as a board member for Eleanor's Legacy, Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, Local Progress, Community Foundation for the Greater Capital Region, Park Playhouse and the Egg. Applyrs is also a member of the Albany County Board of Health.
Applyrs has been acknowledged for her strong leadership and commitment to advocating for others. She was named 40 under 40 by the Albany Business Review, Young Alumni of Excellence by UAlbany, 2017 Women and Girls Ambassador by Girls Inc. of the Capital Region, 2023 Resourceful Woman of the Year by the YWCA and “ Saint of the Month” by the Capital District YMCA. Applyrs has been featured on the cover of HerLife New York Magazine and honored by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand with the 2017 Off the Sidelines Equality Advocate Award. Applyrs resides in Albany with her loving and supportive husband Don-Lee and two daughters, Noble and Nile.
Expert Panel on Maternal & Child Health
Candice Lucas, EdD, MBA
Panel Moderator
Lucas is the senior vice president for Equity and Advocacy at the Urban League of Rochester. With 20 years' experience addressing the needs of underserved Rochester residents, she has developed and led initiatives aimed at promoting equity and improving health outcomes for historically marginalized communities. She served as the lead staff for the Commission on Racial and Structural Equity and continues to oversee implementation of its recommendations.
Elizabeth Bostock, MD, PhD, MS, FACOG
Bostock is executive medical director for OBGYN at Rochester Regional Health, where she works to bring health and wellness to the women of our communities. She has been on a journey to lift up women and improve the health of our community for the last 26 years. Bostock is passionate about health equity, community engagement, and creating medical paradigms that enable all women to engage in healthcare in an informed way.
Sherita Bullock
Bullock has been Healthy Baby Network’s (HBN) executive director since 2019. Affectionately known as "The Baby Lady," her work centers on Black families and the racial disparities surrounding pregnancy. Inspired by her own birthing experience, she accepted a position at HBN in 1997 and progressed to the executive director role.
Twylla Dillion, MBA, PhD
Dillion is a transformational leader and the president & CEO of HealthConnect One, advancing maternal health equity through community-based solutions. With expertise in measurement, evaluation, and health policy, she leads national initiatives, including efforts to expand access to doula care and improve birth outcomes. She collaborates with diverse partners, including the NIH Improve Program and the Maternal Health Training and Resource Center, driving impact through strategic partnerships and innovative public health strategies.
Jackie Dozier
Dozier is the director of Community Health & Well-being at Common Ground Health. She supervises the organization’s community health & well-being team and leads the development and execution of work plans based on research, data and best practices. She has more than 20 years' experience in providing programs for vulnerable populations and in eliminating barriers to positive health and outcomes. Dozier is involved in numerous professional organizations, including being a founding member of The Black Agenda Group, convener of Black Girls/Latina Girls Matter Workshops and A Call to Women of Color, Black Women’s Leadership Forum, and executive board member of Bring on Your Dreams, Inc., among others.
Ann Dozier, PhD
Dozier is a doctorally prepared nurse who currently serves as professor and chair of Public Health Sciences at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry. Her 45-year career in Rochester includes serving as a healthcare administrator, educator, researcher and evaluator. Specific to maternal child health, for the past 20 years she has conducted research and evaluation in lactation and breast/chestfeeding funded by NIH, CDC and New York State. She also serves on the US Breastfeeding Committee.
Danielle Jones, LMHC
Jones is a licensed mental health counselor and doula with a certification in Perinatal Mental Health. She is the owner of Place of Wisdom, where she focuses on providing mental health and wellness services to mothers and their families. Danielle is passionate about all things motherhood and giving back to her community.
Eva Pressman, MD
Pressman is the Henry A. Thiede professor and chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. Her career has focused on the care of patients with complicated pregnancies, teaching students, residents and fellows to become the next generation of care providers, and researchers to improve pregnancy outcomes.
Tracy R. Webber, DNP, CNM, MPA, FACNM
Webber is the director of the Midwifery Group in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at URMC. She has worked as a registered nurse and certified nurse midwife in various hospitals. Dr. Webber is very interested in women’s healthcare initiatives and examining healthcare inequities, Black maternal health disparities, and the history of Black midwives in the United States, dating back to enslavement. She was inducted as a Fellow in the American College of Nurse-Midwives in May 2023.
Questions? Email CenterforCommunityHealth@urmc.rochester.edu or call (585) 602-0801.
Acknowledgement: This lecture is endowed by Brewster C. Doust, MD, and presented by the Center for Community Health & Prevention.
ACCREDITATION - The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
CERTIFICATIONS
The University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
The University of Rochester Center for Nursing Professional Development is accredited with distinction as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. This offering provides 1.0 nursing contact hours. An evaluation must be completed within 30 days and attendance is required for at least 90% of the activity.
University of Rochester Medical Center, Center for Experiential Learning is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0005. This activity is approved for 1.0 Social Work continuing education hour(s). Attendance at the entire program is required (no partial credit can be awarded).
University of Rochester Medical Center Department of Psychiatry is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0117. This course has been approved for 1.0 contact hours. Attendance at the entire program is required (no partial credit can be awarded). In addition, this session qualifies for professional ethics. A New York State licensee is responsible for complying with New York State laws, rules and regulations.
University of Rochester Medical Center, Center for Experiential Learning is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists #MFT-0107.
Strong Memorial Hospital, Strong Recovery is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0250.
Past Lectures
Dr. Moreland-Capuia is the founder and director of the Institute for Trauma-Informed Systems Change at McLean/Harvard, assistant professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, and affiliate clinical associate professor of Psychiatry at OHSU School of Medicine. She is an expert in trauma-informed systems change and has trained over 250 unique systems spanning not-for-profit organizations, education, criminal justice, healthcare, and government(s) (state, federal and international) in trauma-informed practices, approaches and systems change.
Watch her presentation: "Building Trauma-Informed Organizations and People: Why Healing Must Be the Way Forward
Dr. LaForce served as the Physician-in-Chief at The Genesee Hospital in Rochester from 1987 to 1999. Following his time in Rochester, Dr. LaForce oversaw all aspects of the USAID-funded Child Survival Project. From 2001-2012, he directed the Meningitis Vaccine Project, a partnership between the World Health Organization and PATH that developed, tested, licensed, and in 2010, introduced a new and affordable Group A meningococcal conjugate vaccine in Sub-Saharan Africa. This vaccine has eliminated Group A meningococcal infections wherever it has been introduced and as of December 2017, over 280 million Africans have received the vaccine. A video recording of Dr. LeForce's lecture "A Vaccine Meets a Strategy: Eliminating Epidemic Meningitis from Sub-Saharan Africa" is available, as well as her 2018 slide presentation.
Dr. Peipert is the Clarence E. Ehrlich Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Indiana University School of Medicine. He was the Principal Investigator of a large prospective study, the Contraceptive CHOICE Project, which recruited 9,256 women and successfully followed them for 2-3 years for contraceptive effectiveness, satisfaction, and continuation rates. Other studies conducted by Dr. Peipert include: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development-funded randomized trial of a computer-based intervention to encourage dual method contraceptive use to prevent unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and a randomized trial of therapy for pelvic inflammatory disease (PEACH Study). Dr. Peipert’s research interests are family planning, sexually transmitted infection prevention, and public health. Watch the recording of Dr. Peipert's talk, "The Importance of Long-Acting Reversible Contraception."
Dr. Iton is Senior Vice President of Healthy Communities at The California Endowment, the state’s largest, private health foundation. His primary focus is on the foundation’s 10-year Building Healthy Communities: California Living 2.0 initiative; the goal of which is to create communities where children are healthy, safe and ready to learn. Published in numerous public health and medical publications, Iton is a regular public health lecturer and keynote speaker at conferences across the nation. He earned his B.S. in Neurophysiology, with honors, from McGill University, his J.D. at the University of California, Berkeley’s Boalt Hall School of Law, and his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. A video recording of this lecture is now available, as well as the 2015 slide presentation.
Bernard Guyer, M.D., M.P.H.
Bernard Guyer, MD, MPH, now retired, was the Zanvyl Krieger Professor of Children’s Health Emeritus in the Department of Population, Reproductive and Family Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. A physician trained in both preventive medicine and pediatrics, Dr. Guyer served for seven years as director of the state Maternal and Child Health program in Massachusetts, and for five years as a CDC medical epidemiologist with national and international service. He has chaired or been a member of both state and national committees on childhood injury prevention, outreach for prenatal care, infant mortality, and Medicaid.
This lecture is endowed by Brewster C. Doust, M.D., a University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry graduate, in honor of Dr. Guyer’s significant contributions to research in understanding the early origins of disease processes and the life course consequences. It is presented in partnership with the URMC Center for Community Health & Prevention and the Departments of Medicine, Public Health Sciences, and Pediatrics.
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