Women’s health seminar on Sept. 27 strives to improve access to cancer detection and control programs

Women’s health seminar on Sept. 27 strives to improve access to cancer detection and control programsSeptember 16, 2008Michele Barrettmibarret@syr.edu

In an effort to impress upon women in the local community the important role they must play in health advocacy, the Department of Health and Wellness in Syracuse University’s College of Human Ecology is taking a leadership role in a women’s heath seminar titled “Designing Health Legacies Through Partnerships.” The seminar will be held on Saturday, Sept. 27, at 9 a.m. at the Bethany Baptist Church, 149 Beattie St., Syracuse.

Sandra Millon Underwood, professor of nursing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, will be the event’s featured speaker. She specializes in developing strategies and interventions to improve access for minority, economically disadvantaged and medically underserved populations to evidence-based cancer detection and control programs. Underwood has published several scholarly articles related to cancer and health disparities.

“We want women to realize they have a critical role to play in their families, agencies, churches and communities when it comes to health advocacy,” says Luvenia Cowart, professor of practice in the Department of Health and Wellness. “Taking a proactive approach to health and wellness and understanding the need for improved access to care are critical steps we want people to embrace through this event.”

This event is sponsored by the College of Human Ecology’s Department of Health and Wellness, in partnership with the Genesis Health Project, which is made possible by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and Wegmans Food Markets. The Genesis Project is a multiyear, community-based program working to improve the health of African American and other minority families.

Registration is required for the event. For more information, contact (315) 637-0881. Attendees are asked to bring new books for youth aged 5?17 that include topics such as health, wellness and healthy lifestyles. All book contributions, coordinated through Syracuse University’s Literacy Corps, will benefit community-based organizations in underserved areas.

About the College of Human Ecology at Syracuse University

The College of Human Ecology is dedicated to excellence in professional academic education and integrates Scholarship in Action as a philosophy and method in all of its degree programs. The college brings together a rich history of academic programs whose signatures of social responsibility and justice join new and evolving majors reflective of educating global citizens whose leadership can — and does — change the places and peoples where they live and work.

Previously known as the College of Human Services and Health Professions until it was renamed in 2007, the College of Human Ecology hosts seven departments with strong roots in Syracuse University history. They are the Child and Family Studies; Health and Wellness; Hospitality Management; Marriage and Family Therapy; Nutrition Science and Dietetics; Sport Management; and the School of Social Work.