The Center for Health Equity Practice (CHEP) plays a pivotal role in assisting public health professionals and related fields in comprehending and addressing health equity, social justice, and social determinants of health. CHEP strives to reduce people’s systemic disadvantages due to race, class, or gender by partnering with various stakeholders to implement programs, conduct research, and support strategies tackling the root causes of inequities. These efforts include workshops, technical assistance, facilitation, and consultations focusing on equity and social justice, specifically targeting poverty, inequality, and the contributing social systems.
Integrated within CHEP, the Center for Detroit Health Initiatives (DHI) focuses on the Detroit Metropolitan Area, promoting health initiatives and implementing prevention programs to address health disparities and social determinants of health. DHI collaborates with partners to develop community-based programs, conduct research, and devise strategies supporting health equity.
Our Expertise
- Technical Assistance and Consultation
- Training and Learning Labs
Community Partnerships
Substance Abuse/Mental Health
Adult and Adolescent Diabetes
Perinatal Health
Project Management
Research and Evaluation
- Group Dialogue and Facilitation
Infant Mortality
Coalition Convening
Physician Organization
We Offer Workshop and Learning Opportunities to Support Any
Organization with Adopting a Health Equity and Social Justice Framework.
In-Person
We offer in-person workshops for
small and large groups led by
facilitation and equity experts.
Virtual
We conduct many virtual learnings to ensure everyone can participate
regardless of their location.
Customized
We provide learning opportunities tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
Project Highlights
The Recovery Friendly Workplace (RFW) initiative was developed in collaboration with MDHHS through a SAMHSA State Opioid Response 3 grant. The program aims to educate employers on ways to support individuals in recovery from a substance use or opioid use disorder and encourage opportunities for employment for job-seeking individuals in recovery. A Recovery Friendly Workplace culture promotes health, safety and wellness for Michigan employers and employees, acknowledges the needs of individuals impacted by substance use, and develops supportive work environments through trainings, and access to resources. The program has been adapted with permission from the State of New Hampshire’s Recovery Friendly Workplace. For more information on the program, benefits, or how to become a designated Recovery Friendly Workplace, please visit https://recoveryfriendlymi.com/
The Michigan Public Health Institute Center for Health Equity Practice (CHEP) in collaboration with the Southeast Michigan Hospital Collaborative (SEMIHC) as primary partners, will increase enrollment in the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) among Black individuals in Metro Detroit. A key component of this workplan includes prioritizing and elevating community voices to impact positive changes to program implementation and addressing health related social needs of people at highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Learn more at Southeast MI Diabetes Prevention Management
The Public Health Infrastructure grant (PHIG) is a landmark investment from the CDC that supports critical public health infrastructure across the United States. Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) is one of the national partners of PHIG, along with ASTHO, NACCHO, and NNPHI. MPHI’s Center for Health Equity Practice (CHEP) in collaboration with Center for Strategic Health Partnerships (CSHP) have an essential role in the development of organizational capacity building to cultivate an equitable, diverse, and prepared public health workforce. CHEP is conducting research to identify gaps and needs of organizations to build a more supportive, transformative public health authority. CHEP is developing best practices and standards for public health governance and leadership. Through the creation and launch of a health equity fellowship program, CHEP is supporting public health’s capacity to recruit, retain, and train a diverse public health workforce that is equipped to center equity internally and in its services. The fellowship program will enhance the infrastructure and competency of public health professionals to address health disparities and social determinants of health. CHEP is scaling up its successful health equity workshop “ADJUST” into a train-the-trainer program to increase access to training offerings for organizations to implement. The ADJUST workshop fosters a culture of equity and inclusion within public health organizations and among their partners and stakeholders. A core value for MPHI and CHEP is to do health equity work through development of authentic relationships and thought partnership. CHEP is bridging and strengthening relationships across spokes to shift power and co-create equitable solutions with communities. This effort will build trust and collaboration between public health agencies and the communities they serve. Through these equity-centered initiatives, CHEP aims to contribute to the PHIG vision of shaping tomorrow’s public health today.
This program consists of four weekly training sessions per cohort. To date we have trained 9 cohorts – roughly 225 staff members.
The ADJUST workshop was tailored to dovetail with Environmental Health and Environmental Justice, while attending to workforce development within the DEH. The training is dialogue-based and seeks to illuminate racism, classism, and other types of oppression as root causes of health inequity. It is part of a larger effort to transform public health practice within a social justice framework. This workshop introduces participants to health equity core concepts, illuminating how racism, classism, and other types of oppression are root causes of health inequities. Experienced co-facilitators lead these dialogue-based, interactive sessions to explore strategies that advance equity in public health practice.
Understanding the size and needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) communities is essential for pursuing justice and ensuring access to quality healthcare for this group. This requires accurate and affirming data collection on the sexual orientations and gender identities of people receiving medical-related services such as primary care, health department programs, or other social-related services. There are not many widely accepted best practices for asking questions about sexual orientation and gender identity data. Because of this, there is very little consistency and training across the US when it comes to SOGI data collection. The Center for Health Equity Practice in the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) worked with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) to develop a set of best practices for local health departments and other public health agencies to guide their SOGI data collection efforts. This work included an extensive literature review of existing practices and changes, current policy mandating expanded collection of SOGI data, and research on the factors that make LGBTQ+ individuals more comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation and gender identity in care settings. Other pieces of the work included convening a work group, an environmental scan of current practices and challenges in various local health departments across the US, and interviews with LGBTQ individuals. A portion of the guide incorporates these recommendations from members of the LGBTQ+ community based on personal experiences across various service delivery settings to center their voices in this work.
The Emergency Preparedness project at MPHI highlights the importance of workforce capacity-building, research, and deep collaborations to address the needs of aging and aging people with disabilities in Michigan. Aging and aging people with disabilities (A/APWD) or adults 65 years old and over are often referred to as a single group. Still, they are part of a diverse population with a wide range of needs, particularly when facing natural disasters, pandemics, or other life-threatening everyday situations. Unfortunately, most A/APWD and their families do not have an emergency preparedness plan, which makes them vulnerable before, during, and after an emergency, even more so if they have a chronic condition or disability.
The Center for Health Equity Practice works closely with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), the Michigan State Independent Living Council (MiSILC), and other disability and aging specialists in developing person-centered emergency preparedness plans. Specifically, this project supports professionals working with the A/APWD populations. Through research and conversations with collaborators, CHEP coordinates and spearheads the production of emergency preparedness toolkits for health and disaster professionals to use with clients during meetings or as they coach clients in developing individualized plans relevant to their needs. In addition to producing toolkits, CHEP develops training materials and implementation and outcome evaluation strategies to gauge toolkit effectiveness and contribute to broader initiatives that support health professionals in bringing emergency resources closer to those who need them.
Trinity Health’s Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) The Transforming Communities Initiative (TCI) is a community partner and health system collaborative bolstered by the distribution of financial resources and technical assistance. It brings together Trinity Health, its Regional Health Ministries (RHMs), community-based organizations, and residents to advance health and racial equity. CHEP serves as a technical assistance provider working directly with the Northeast Philadelphia TCI community through the following activities: providing TA on integrating a racial equity lens through the TCI project and supporting and facilitating cross-site capacity building and multi-sector collaborative development.
Supporting families is a priority of Michigan’s public mental health system, as evidenced by the Family Support Subsidy Program (FSSP). Michigan’s philosophy is that children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, like all children, need loving and enduring family relationships. The policy of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) is that children should be supported to live with their families. If an out-of-home placement becomes necessary, it should be temporary and time-limited with a goal of family reunification whenever possible or, for some children, adoption. Permanency planning practices within Michigan’s public mental health system have supported this guiding principle by enabling families to keep their children out of institutional settings and other out-of-home placements.
The Family Support Subsidy Act, Public Act 249 of 1983, was the beginning of a major shift of Michigan’s mental health resources and services toward supporting, maintaining, and establishing permanent family relationships for children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. The FSSP provides vital monetary support for families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to assist with the extraordinary expenses associated with raising them.
Children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities often need lifetime support for daily activities such as walking, feeding, or dressing. Often, they have both mental and physical impairments and require 24-hour care. As a result, the families of children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities incur many expenses that other families do not. The FSSP recognizes that these families have unique needs; it empowers them to decide what is needed to support their child’s care, and it allows children to stay at home and out of residential placements.
The Equity in Action series is a collective of workshops that are designed to help public health professionals move from equity concepts to equity practices. Since 2021, The Center for Health Equity Practice has facilitated the Introduction to Equity in Action workshop in the series. This workshop introduces participants to core health equity concepts and illuminates how racism, classism, and other types of oppression are causes of health inequities. The workshop is divided between two half day sessions to give participants ample time to explore the concepts presented. Our team of facilitators guide participants through interactive and engaging content that spark insight on where to advance health equity across public health. Equity in Action has provided the opportunity for public health professionals across the nation to come together and build relationships to improve the health and well-being for all.
The Family Support Subsidy Act, Public Act 249 of 1983, was the beginning of a major shift of Michigan’s mental health resources and services toward supporting, maintaining, and establishing permanent family relationships for children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities. The FSSP provides vital monetary support for families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities to assist with the extraordinary expenses associated with raising them.
Children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities often need lifetime support for daily activities such as walking, feeding, or dressing. Often, they have both mental and physical impairments and require 24-hour care. As a result, the families of children with severe intellectual and developmental disabilities incur many expenses that other families do not. The FSSP recognizes that these families have unique needs; it empowers them to decide what is needed to support their child’s care, and it allows children to stay at home and out of residential placements.
Keoshia Banks, MPH, CHES
Project Manager
Keoshia Banks serves as a Project Manager in the Center for Health Equity Practice (CHEP) for the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). Keoshia holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan and a MPH from Drexel University. Additionally, Keoshia is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Keoshia has had the opportunity to work in different areas of public health. For example, she has worked at a federally qualified health center working to provide education and resources to pregnant moms and their families. Additionally, she has worked for a school-based health center teaching reproductive health and mobilize youth to create their own school-wide health initiatives. In all of her opportunities the thing that drives her passion is knowing that she can contribute initiatives creating lasting impact.
Annalie Campos, PhD, GISP
Research Scientist
Annalie Campos, PhD, GISP is a Research Scientist with the Center for Health Equity Practice at Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). Her role primarily includes project oversight and support for research, evaluation, and technical assistance projects related to public health and health equity. She is passionate about data-driven and collaborative problem-solving to address spatial inequalities using mixed methods. Annalie has held roles in both the nonprofit and academia with experience in research and evaluation works ranging from lead poisoning to education of individuals with disabilities to civic engagement and the role of social capital on community health outcomes. She also enjoys teaching courses on methods, cultures, planning, and urban studies. Annalie has a Ph. D. in Geography from Michigan State University with a specialization in Urban Social Geography, a Master of Science in Resource Development and Urban Studies, and a Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness with major in Business Management. She is a certified Geographic Information Systems professional who enjoys finding meaning in unfamiliar and peculiar patterns and distributions of various phenomena on the Earth’s surface.
Linda Gordon, MS, MA, MPH
Associate Director
Linda Gordon is the Associate Director of the Center for Health Equity Practice at the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). She is a health equity practitioner with a commitment to advancing equity, social justice, and cultivating anti-oppressive public health praxis. She is a public health leader with over 20 years of experience across a range of contexts. In her current role she supports all programmatic operations, business development, and strategic visioning, leads a team of health equity consultants, and designs and delivers a range of capacity building initiatives on the topics of systems change and health equity. Additionally, she is the lead on several health equity initiatives throughout the state of Michigan and nationally. Before joining MPHI, Ms. Gordon was the Assistant Director of Michigan State University’s Master of Public Health Program, where she co-lead the accreditation effort, was an instructor, and directed both the capstone and practicum experiences for students. During her time with MSU, she co-designed and co-lead a community-based participatory research program in Ghana, West Africa, in addition to leading programs in both Brazil and Costa Rica. In addition to teaching, Ms. Gordon has participated in health research on a range of topics including: clinical care, mental health, water & sanitation, nutrition, ethics, and health disparities. She has expertise in health equity, racial inequities in health, structural and cultural dimensions of health, global public health, community engagement, applied social research methods and design, program evaluation, facilitation, and curriculum development. Ms. Gordon has earned an M.S. in Applied Social Research from Florida State University, an M.A. in Medical Anthropology from Michigan State University, and a Master of Public Health from Michigan State University and is trained in the Technology of Participation method of facilitation.
Phillip Barnhart (He/Him), MFA, MALS, MA
Senior Health Equity Consultant
Phillip Barnhart (he/him) MFA, MALS, MA has been a member of the MPHI staff since August of 2021. Prior to that he served as Program and Events Manger at the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic Violence for three years, after completing a year of service as an AmeriCorps VISTA in the Flint Public Schools, and Program Manager of an AmeriCorps program: Flint Recovery Corps during the Flint Water Crisis. He is currently enrolled in an MPH program and a PhD program where his research focuses on the relationship between Public Art and Public Health. His areas of interest include serving the aging population, serving people experiencing homelessness, domestic violence/sexual assault/human trafficking, navigating precarity and equity through climate change, and LGBTQ+ populations. He is also a Lecturer II at the University of Michigan – Flint where he teaches courses in Cultural and Critical theory at the graduate level.
Vanessa Fry, MPH
Senior Health Equity Consultant
Vanessa Fry (she/they) is a white, queer, lover of public health! That love of public health and deep curiosity about the world led them into focusing on health equity and contributing to a world that values and respects all. Currently, they work as a Senior Health Equity Consultant with the Michigan Public Health Institute’s Center for Health Equity Practice. Vanessa’s work focuses on building relationships and creating spaces for dialogue and learning to dismantle white supremacy and other forms of oppression. Their focal point is in understanding whiteness and LGBTQ+ experiences. Vanessa has supported public health professionals, healthcare staff, and others on the importance of exploring anti-oppression as individuals, as organizations, and in the larger cultural context. Ultimately, they strive to support growing care for ourselves and others so that we all have the opportunity to thrive. Vanessa holds their BA in sociology and psychology, as well as an MPH from Michigan State University. In their free time, you can usually find them reading a book (or three), being out in nature, thinking about and eating delicious food, dancing around the house with their spouse, or snuggling their dogs Ryleigh, Dani, and Rose!
Jordan X. Evans, BA
Health Equity Consultant
Jordan X. Evans is a Health Equity Consultant. His career and work focus on creating and reclaiming power in Black communities, specifically with youth. He has coordinated, led, and partnered with community partners on townhalls, forums, people’s assemblies, and rallies to reclaim power. His skills include community outreach, event planning, facilitation, media correspondence, and relational organizing. Mr. Evans earned a B.A. in History with an emphasis on the Modern Civil Rights Movement and a double minor in Political Studies and Black Studies from Saginaw Valley State University.
Patty Orvis
Administrative Program Coordinator
Patty Orvis, the Centers Administrative Program Coordinator is a graduate of Davenport University. She has been with MPHI for 14 years providing financial and administrative support. Years of experience in a diverse atmosphere coupled with historical knowledge allows her to provide valuable support to the center’s development and success.
Kristin Nelson-Garcia, MA
Health Equity Training Manager and Senior Project Coordinator
Kristin Nelson-Garcia is the Health Equity Training Manager and Senior Project Coordinator and at the Center for Health Equity Practice with the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) and manages the health equity consultation team. She has a background in maternal and infant health as well as chronic disease prevention focusing on cardiovascular health, physical activity and nutrition with several years of project management experience. Kristin has coordinated several multi-site public health initiatives across the State of Michigan around training and education and program evaluatinon. She currently serves on a Farm to Early Care and Education advisory committee to help center committee activities around health equity. Kristin has earned her M.A. in Health and Risk communication from Michigan State University and is trained in Technology of Participation facilitation methods and strategic planning.
Fayana Richards, MPH, PhD
Senior Health Equity Consultant
Fayana Richards is the Senior Health Equity Consultant in the Center for Health Equity Practice at the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). She is a medical anthropologist and public health professional with expertise in gerontology, caregiving, race/ism, biomedicine, and health inequities. She earned an MPH and PhD in Medical Anthropology from Michigan State University. Prior to MPHI, Fayana served as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Center for Health Equity Research at UMass, Amherst and as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Memphis.
Stephanie Steere, BA
Senior Financial Analyst
Stephanie Steere, BA (She/Her) is a Senior Financial Analyst for the Center for Health Equity Practices (CHEP). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interpersonal Communications from Western Michigan University. Stephanie has over 20 years of financial management experience working in healthcare as a medical biller/coder, accounts payable, and department manager. Stephanie uses her expertise to assist her team with forecasting, budget development, financial reporting, and other financial tasks. In her spare time, Stephanie enjoys singing, traveling, camping, and spending time with family and friends.
DaSha Stockton, MA
Senior Research and Evaluation Specialist
DaSha Stockton, is a Senior Research and Evaluation Specialist with over a decade of experience working in educational and cognitive psychology related fields. More recently, her work has focused on projects addressing systemic inequities that promote disparities in education and a lack of access to quality health care. She develops measurement tools and employs various evaluative methods that focus on assessing the embodiment of and changes in attitudes, thoughts and beliefs around health equity and systemic racism. Many of these constructs are created through the integration of education and cognitive psychology theories with developmental evaluation principles (e.g. using visual cueing and video story capture to make surveys more accessible while considering differences in reading comprehension). Afterall, everyone’s voice should be heard! She also dabbles in evaluating community-based, participatory-oriented education and empowerment programs. Ms. Stockton has extensive experience in designing, executing, analyzing, and disseminating data in meaningful and thoughtful ways. Prior to joining MPHI, Ms. Stockton served as a Project Coordinator and Researcher / Statistician for the Cognitive Development Lab in the College of Education at Michigan State University. She worked on a series of projects that sought to uncover how children (preschool through middle school) learn and apply mathematical concepts. Specifically, acquisition of place value concepts through the use of Base-10 manipulatives, spatial manipulation and visual recognition, as well as incorporating standardized assessments with self-generated tools. She created and disseminated findings to research and non-research-oriented audiences (i.e., peer-reviewed journals, superintendents, teachers, parents / care takers, and the students she worked with). She continues to act as a consultant on similar projects and others that investigate how children learn how to read. Collectively her current and past experiences have led to her being well‑versed in complex statistical analyses that include multivariate statistics, classification methodologies, pattern recognition, and HLM and computational modeling, to name the favorites. She also employs discourse analysis, social network analysis, and spatial mapping whenever possible. She enjoys learning from others, alone time, photography, painting and spending time with her daughter Emma and Emma’s cat, Arya. Find her on LinkedIn.
Jiah-Rebekah Israel, MPH
Research Assistant
“Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution.”-Unknown
Jiah-Rebekah Israel is enthusiastic researcher, who strives to improve health equity through community engagement, evaluation, and advocacy work. At CHEP, she supports various research, and evaluation projects focused on health equity. She also assists with training projects, evaluation planning, and grant writing proposals as well as stepped in to assist with project management activities and conducted many literature reviews and environmental scans.
Caira Boggs (She/Her/Hers), DHed, MCHES
Director
Dr. Caira Boggs has worked in the community health field with high risk/high need populations for the past 19 years. She is currently the Director of the Center for Health Equity Practice at MPHI. Caira previously directed and managed Healthy Community Coalitions and Community Health Prevention programs focusing on health disparities and social determinates of health for Michigan’s largest Health System for the past 9 years. Additionally, she has contributed as Public Health and Community Health faculty at local and remote universities for the last seven years. Caira is a Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES) and Certified Intrinsic Health Coach. She holds a Doctorate in Health Education from A.T. Still University, Masters of Exercise Science in Health Science from Oakland University, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Movement Science from Bowling Green State University. Caira has worked in the health and wellness industry with occupational health and worksite wellness at Detroit automotive manufactures plant and a Michigan based baby food manufacture. She is an advocate for healthy living at any age with a research focus on social determinates of health.
Andrell Sturdivant (She/Her/Hers), MSW
Project and Outreach Specialist
Andrell Sturdivant is the Project and Outreach Specialist at MPHI. She provides support to the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC). This position serves as SEMPQIC’s communication liaison to help connect SEMPQIC with the community facilitating two-way dialogue and feedback. Establishing information in order to understand community needs and promote appropriate community outreach—this may include surveys, interviews, and other means to determine opportunities for collaboration and improvement. She recruits participants and organizations to participate in projects and initiatives. Previously, she worked for the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit. While there, she helped lead various programs including their Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, as well as the Rise, Sister, Rise Therapeutic Support group. In over 20 years of experience, Andrell has worked to helped the community to receive care and support. Much of this is also reflected in her volunteer work for many different organizations, helping to mentor individuals in building self-esteem, developing spiritual gifts, and ministering to the physically disabled.
Nicki Gabel (She/Her/Hers)
Program Manager
Nicki Gabel is a Program Manager at Michigan Public Health Institute and oversees the Southeast Michigan Alliance for Addiction-free Communities (SEMAAC) collaborative which brings together a broad coalition of healthcare, government, business, and nonprofit organizations to fight substance abuse. Nicki also manages events and programs that educate the community on important topics in healthcare. She has 20-years’ experience in various areas of project management, events, and fundraising. Nicki is married, has two daughters, and enjoys anything and everything outside, hiking, traveling, and working out to counteract her cooking and baking habits.
Lisa Braddix (She/Her/Hers), MPH
Program Manager
Lisa Braddix is a Program Manager at the Michigan Public Health Institute where she oversees projects that seek to eliminate health disparities in marginalized populations and fosters organizational collaboration to improve the health of communities throughout southeast Michigan. Lisa also serves as the Chairman for the Michigan Cancer Consortium Health Equity Committee, Co-chairman of the Healthy Pontiac We Can! Coalition and Co-Chairman for the Wayne State University Center for Health Equity and Community Knowledge in Urban Populations Community Advisory Board. She has spent several years working in community health and is passionate about issues related to health disparities and health equity.
Lisa is a health enthusiast and a Certified Group Fitness Instructor through the Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). She is the Founder and CEO of Glow Up Fitness, LLC, a newly created fitness company empowering women and girls to adopt fitness as a life skill and as a cultural norm to practice through all stages of life and to pass down through generations.
Lisa is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and a graduate of The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Sciences and has a Master of Public Health Degree from the University of Michigan. She has also earned a graduate certificate in Non-Profit Management from Eastern Michigan University.
Andrell Sturdivant (She/Her/Hers), MSW
Project and Outreach Specialist
Andrell Sturdivant is the Project and Outreach Specialist at MPHI. She provides support to the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC). This position serves as SEMPQIC’s communication liaison to help connect SEMPQIC with the community facilitating two-way dialogue and feedback. Establishing information in order to understand community needs and promote appropriate community outreach—this may include surveys, interviews, and other means to determine opportunities for collaboration and improvement. She recruits participants and organizations to participate in projects and initiatives. Previously, she worked for the Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit. While there, she helped lead various programs including their Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program, as well as the Rise, Sister, Rise Therapeutic Support group. In over 20 years of experience, Andrell has worked to helped the community to receive care and support. Much of this is also reflected in her volunteer work for many different organizations, helping to mentor individuals in building self-esteem, developing spiritual gifts, and ministering to the physically disabled.
Jocelyn Levin, MPH
Project Manager
Jocelyn Levin, MPH is a Project Manager for Centers of Health Equity Practice (CHEP) at Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI) where she is responsible for overseeing development, implementation, and facilitation of health equity and social justice in public health programing. She is committed to bridging the gap between the scientific, medical, and governmental communities by focusing on the identification and removal of systematic barriers that produce poor health outcomes. She holds a Master of Public Health degree from Wayne State University School of Medicine with a concentration in health policy and community-based programing. Serving the Detroit community for the past 7 years, she has held roles in both the non-profit and governmental sectors. She most recently served as a Public Health Advisor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the Detroit quarantine station. As the Detroit Medical Lead for Detroit Medical Center (DMC) hospitals, she partnered with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to guarantee that patients admitted to DMC received Medicaid insurance coverage for their hospital stay and outpatient care. She has experience working with non-profits such as The Youth Connection and Make Your Date where she delivered crucial resources to the most vulnerable groups through research-based and data-driven solutions.
Britney Tipler, MPP
Health Equity Consultant
Britney Tipler serves as a Health Equity Consultant in the Center for Health Equity Practice for the Michigan Public Health Institute. Britney received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policy from Michigan State University and later obtained a Master of Public Policy degree shortly after. Her areas of interest include education, health, youth advocacy and reformative justice practices. Prior to starting her role with MPHI, she worked collaboratively with institutions, legislators, and nonprofits to bring awareness to social issues that impact overlooked and underserved communities. She is passionate about advancing the lives of others and bringing awareness to factors that impact an individual’s ability to maximize their wellbeing.
Michelle Ratchford, BA
Health Equity Consultant
Michelle Ratchford serves as a Health Equity Consultant in the Center for Health Equity Practice (CHEP) for the Michigan Public Health Institute (MPHI). Michelle holds a B.A. in Global Studies in the Arts and Humanities from Michigan State University. She has worked in nonprofit spaces with focuses on art education, food access, and restorative justice practices in Greater Lansing communities. Her areas of interest include community health, art, facilitation, mediation, and building community across difference.
Ebony Reddock, PhD, MPH
Senior Evaluation Consultant
Ebony Reddock, PhD, MPH, is a Senior Evaluation Consultant with the MPHI. She is a long-time evaluation professional with deep experience partnering with community organizations and philanthropy. She completed her PhD and MPH training at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education. She is also a sought-after workshop facilitator with a focus on community-based research and evaluation and culturally responsive, equitable, participatory, and creative approaches to program implementation and evaluation.
Dr. Reddock recently completed a LEEAD (Leaders in Equitable Evaluation and Diversity) Fellowship, an evaluation “post-doc” for PhD-trained scientists interested in furthering their expertise in culturally responsive and equitable evaluation. LEEAD is part of Expanding the Bench, an initiative established by Annie E. Casey and administered by Change Matrix, to increase the number of BIPOC-identifying evaluators in her profession. She also recently completed a Michigan Equitable Evaluation Collaboratory, a year-long community of practice hosted by the Equitable Evaluation Initiative and funded by the Michigan Health Empowerment Fund.
Dr. Reddock has had the honor of leading several evaluation projects that have benefitted Southeastern Michigan, including an evaluation of the first three rounds of Kresge Innovative Projects: Detroit and a portfolio of culturally-responsive evaluations funded by the Community Foundation of Southeastern Michigan under the RISE for Boys and Men of Color initiative.
She also sits on the board of the Michigan Association for Evaluation, Michigan’s professional evaluation association and an affiliate of the American Evaluation Association. Dr. Reddock serves on the board of Urban Neighborhood Initiatives, a Southwest Detroit community and youth development organization. Their mission is to work with communities in urban neighborhoods to build safe and thriving environments where people want to live, work, and play.
Aislinn Langley, MA
Research Associate
Aislinn Langley (she/they) is a Research Associate with the Center for Health Equity Practice, where she supports research and evaluation work focused on promoting health equity. Before coming to CHEP, Aislinn researched disordered eating, gender-based violence, health outcomes for trans and gender diverse individuals, and racial equity for young people in the Greater Lansing area. Completing her degrees in Psychology (BS) and Program Evaluation (MA) and serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA during the COVID-19 pandemic had a strong impact on Aislinn that strengthened her commitment to work in public health. Within CHEP, she continues to hone her technical skills in the service of promoting health equity in ways that are systematic, creative, and inclusive.
Workshops
These dialogue-based sessions are led by trained co-facilitators and seek to illuminate racism, classism, and other types of oppression as root causes of health inequity. The workshop consists of two consecutive days followed by a third day 1 – 2 weeks later. Over the course of the three days, participants:
- Learn language and conceptual frameworks that enable them to engage in difficult conversations about oppression and unearned privilege as experienced in the United States and focus on practical analysis and application of health equity concepts to real-life scenarios.
- Explore the meaning of cultural identity across groups.
- Begin to understand the necessity and value of addressing racism and other forms of oppression explicitly as root causes of health inequity.
- Practice analyzing case studies in a social justice/health equity framework.
- Identify potential avenues and opportunities for advancing health equity through one’s work and personal life.
The workshop employs each of the following as catalysts for dialogue:
- The lived experience of participants.
- Language constructs that help illuminate oppression and privilege in American society.
- Practical analysis and application of health equity concepts to real-life scenarios.
In facilitating dialogue on subjects that may be uncomfortable for some participants, workshop leaders take great pains to ensure that 1) the point-of-view of the workshop is transparent from the outset, and that 2) disagreement with that point-of-view is welcomed and encouraged as part of the process of coming to terms with cultural forces that normally discourage a frank discussion of racism, other types of oppression, and their impact on the public’s health.
The workshop cohort must be a minimum of 15 people and a maximum size of 25.
For more information about our Health Equity and Social Justice Workshop please email: chep@mphi.org
Learning Labs
With the rising awareness that health equity is important, there are at least two challenges that public health professionals face. The first is developing a clear understanding of what the term means. The second challenge is to determine how to intentionally focus on health equity in our daily work. It is common in discussions about health equity to hear references to using a ‘health equity framework’ – but it is just as common for people to not know what that means in both form and content. The Learning Lab sessions are designed to provide a definition of the concept and guide work groups through a process they can use to act intentionally and strategically to advance health equity within their work.
Learning Lab sessions are a total of 16 hours of contact time spread across five meetings with group work in between the sessions. Typically there are 3 or more weeks between sessions. The five areas of focus include:
- Session 1 – where have we been, where are we going? (Review of key concepts) – 2 hours
- Session 2 – where we are (analysis of organizational assessment data) – 4 hours
- Session 3 – what can we do? (Identifying ideas for potential projects) – 3 hours
- Session 4 – what will we do? (Developing specific project plans) – 3 hours
- Session 5 – commitment to action (presentation of plans to key partners) – 4 hours
The Learning Labs include an additional 6 hours of contact time for 3, 6, and 12 month follow up accountability sessions. Each follow up meeting is two hours in length. For more information about our Health Equity and Social Justice Learning Labs please email: chep@mphi.org
Consultation Services
CHEP staff used Technology of Participation (ToP) and other proven facilitation methods to support organizations and communities that want to put equity and social justice principles into practice. For example, we provide assistance with strategic planning, designing and facilitating staff retreats, developing and delivering Board learning opportunities, and creating and implementing projects. In all of these areas, CHEP staff help our clients and partners ‘do’ equity in ways that are informed by their own specific community and organizational context.
For more information about our Health Equity and Social Justice Consultation Services please email: chep@mphi.org
Location & Info
Center for Health Equity Practice
2501 Jolly Rd.
Suite 180
Okemos, MI 48864
Ph: 517-324-8311
Fax: 517-324-6027
chep@mphi.org
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