An illustration of more than 50 human faces, depicting a variety of genders, races and religions

Community Inclusion and Health Equity

Working to improve health equity across Hampton Roads by facilitating community engagement and feedback.

Woman speaking to small group

Our Mission

To engage and amplify community voices in research, clinical care, education and administration at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University with the goal of improving health equity in Hampton Roads.

Guiding Principles

Two hands shaking

Trust

Acting in a way that promotes trust and builds relationships.

Three people and a handshake in the foreground

Respect

Recognizing that community wisdom complements and strengthens scientific knowledge.

A rounded chat icon

Advocacy

Promoting equity in all we do.

A small stack of documents and a magnifying glass

Transparency

Being completely open about the intent, decisions, and outcomes related to our work.

Two people figures

Inclusiveness

Creating and sustaining a welcoming and supportive environment for all communities.

Heart symbol

Humility

Embracing the need to assess our biases to ensure that community beliefs, values, and experiences are honored.

A human head with a lightbulb inside of it lighting up

Strengths-based

Affirming community strengths.

A person with their arm around another person

Relationship-oriented

Building bi-directional and sustainable relationships prioritizing community-identified needs and interests.

The Hampton Roads Community Collaborative

Another initiative is the Hampton Roads Community Collaborative, which builds trust and promotes transparency by giving the community the chance to offer feedback and offer guidance about activities at Macon and Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, particularly those that affect  vulnerable or under-resourced communities.

Internal Collaborative

CIHE’s Internal Collaborative develops structure and processes required to ensure activities at Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University address stated community needs and reflect institutional goals and values.

The group also provides institutional feedback on the Hampton Roads Community Collaborative and shares input on support for community engagement efforts offered across Brock Virginia Health Sciences (e.g., infrastructure and programmatic support). The Internal Collaborative also takes up other issues related to community, inclusion and health equity.

  • Paul F. Aravich, Ph.D., Professor of Pathology & Anatomy
  • Heather M. Barker, Research and Community Outreach Manager, EVMS Research
  • Robert C. Bernstein, MD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
  • Bruce Britton, MD, Professor, Family & Community Medicine
  • Amanda K. Burbage, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Medical and Health Professions Education
  • Prachi P. Chavan, MD, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Professor, Joint School of Public Health
  • Ashley Gregory, DHSc, MPH, CHES, Director of Program Outreach and Impact for Community Health, Education, and Training
  • Paul T. Harrell III, Ph.D, Associate Professor, Pediatrics: Community Health and Research
  • Matthew C. Herman, M.P.H., CHES, Associate Director for the M. Foscue Brock Institute for Community & Global Health
  • Tanya K. Kearney, Ph.D., MPA, Director of HIV/AIDS Resource Center
  • Janet K. Kempf, Ph.D, ATR-BC, LPC, Assistant Professor, Counseling & Art Therapy, M.S.
  • Christopher J. Mazur, Program Administrator, Medical Student Research, Medical Student Research
  • Julius O. Nyalwidhe, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Microbiology & Molecular Cell Biology
  • Henri Parson Patten, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
  • Amy C. Paulson, M.P.H., Director of Consortium for Infant & Child Health
  • Luisel J. Ricks-Santi, Ph.D., Senior Associate Vice President, Community Health, Education, and Training
  • Mary J. Riddle,  Administrative Secretary, Program Outreach and Impact, Community Health, Education, and Training
  • Brynn E. Sheehan, Ph.D., Director of Research and Infrastructure Service Enterprise
  • Brett J. Sierra, D.H.Sc., M.P.H., Assistant professor in Public Health
  • Etta Vinik, MA Ed, Department of Medicine
  • Glenn A. Yap, Ph.D., M.B.A., M.S., Assistant Professor, Public Health  

    Leadership Committee

    CIHE’s Leadership Committee provides oversight and guidance of initiative. Committee members also disseminate information to the campus and external community.