Health Inequity in Memphis and Beyond

Featured speakers will be Dr. Duane T. Loynes Sr. (Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Africana Studies, Rhodes College), Dr. Kristie Lipford  (Visiting Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Health Equity Program, Rhodes College), and Jenny Bartlett-Prescott (Chief Operating Officer, Church Health). The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Jennifer Hitt-Mayo (Associate Professor and Director of Nursing Program, Christian Brothers University ).

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC: PLEASE REGISTER IN ADVANCE

Dr. Duane T. Loynes Sr.
“Paying the Price of Blackness: Health Inequality and the Black Memphis Community”
Dr. Duane T. Loynes Sr. is an Assistant Professor of Urban Studies and Africana Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee. His research and teaching are situated at the sweet spot where race, philosophy, religion, culture, and justice intersect. Dr. Loynes also teaches ethics courses for the Life Program at Rhodes and is a faculty member of the college’s new post-baccalaureate certificate in Health Equity. Dr. Loynes is currently researching the fractured relationship between Black communities and law enforcement, and the complex dynamics of anti-Black state violence in the United States. He also trains healthcare professionals and pre-med students on developing practices to minimize the role that implicit bias plays in framing the patient-provider relationship.

Dr. Kristie Lipford
“A Critical Assessment of the Health Implications of Single Motherhood: Memphis and Beyond”
Kristie Lipford, PhD is a medical sociologist with 8 years of combined experience in disparities research and academic medicine. Currently, she is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Health Equity and Urban Studies Programs at Rhodes College in Memphis, TN. Her research broadly examines health services in urban hospitals and the psychosocial and cultural determinants of health in urban and minority populations. Lipford’s past studies have highlighted the role of medical mistrust and medical discrimination on African American health behaviors. Her most recent work focuses on women’s health and the integration of birth doulas in hospital-based maternity care.

Jenny Bartlett-Prescott, MS 
“Addressing Health Disparities at Church Health”
Jenny Bartlett-Prescott serves as Chief Operating Officer at Church Health of Memphis, TN, the largest privately-funded, faith-based health clinic in the United States.   In her role, she oversees all Church Health clinics: medical, dental, behavioral health, physical rehabilitation and eye care, in addition to nutrition programs. She also oversees the Healthcare Advisory Team (HAT), which facilitates the MEMPHIS Plan, Church Health’s small business health coverage program, and the Faith and Health Ministry team, responsible for congregational engagement and health ministry publications. To support strategic partnerships, clinical operations and quality improvement, she oversees research, measurement and reporting systems to ensure close monitoring and continuity of care.  Jenny has over 20 years of experience in providing healthcare to the uninsured of Shelby County.  In 2019, she received the Memphis Business Journal Healthcare Heroes award for Administrative Excellence.   She completed her master’s degree in epidemiology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center and her bachelor’s degree from Rhodes College.