National public health expert Georges Benjamin proposes healthy communities as pathway to health equity

Georges Benjamin, M.D., executive director of the American Public Health Association, on January 30, 2013 addressed students, faculty and staff at the Ludcke Auditorium on ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Portland Campus on “Building Healthy Communities: A Pathway to Health Equity.â€

The event was part of ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ’s annual celebration of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. who at one time said, “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.â€

For this to happen, Dr. Benjamin said the nation must demand accountability from all stakeholders including clinical practitioners, public health practitioners, business, media and the general public. He said leaders have a special responsibility as resource allocators and policy makers, improving health by creating safer communities where all people have access to places to buy healthy foods, and participate in healthy activities like walking.

The event was hosted by ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ's Office of Multicultural Affairs & Diversity and InterProfessional Education Collaborative.

About the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ

The ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.