This webinar will explore how structural policies shape pediatric health disparities and what is possible in 2025 to advance health equity. Reflecting on parallels between our current climate and discourse with what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr captured in his book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?, the presenters will examine the ethical consequences of inaction and the opportunities for transformative change.
Attendees will leave with the knowledge and ethical rationale to advocate for policy change that prioritizes racial justice and health for all children.
Learning Objectives: After this webinar, attendees will be able to:
- Describe policy levers within multiple sectors that influence racial and ethnic pediatric health inequities.
- Communicate the role of healthcare professionals in advocating for policy change during a critical time.
- Critically reflect on the ethical implications of prioritizing community over chaos & action over inaction.
- Advocate for policies that align with health justice and equity.
This is an event of the Office of Academic Clinical Affairs (OACA), hosted by the Center for Bioethics, and co-sponsored by the following U of MN Units: Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity, School of Public Health; Center for Race, Indigeneity, Disability, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, College of Liberal Arts; Department of Pediatrics, Medical School; College of Pharmacy; Medical School; Program in Health Disparities Research, Medical School; School of Dentistry; School of Public Health; School of Nursing; Center for Global Health and Social Responsibility; Rural Health Research Center; Business Advancement Center for Health (BACH), Carlson School of Management.
Speaker(s)
Monique Jindal, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Northwestern University and Lurie Children's Hospital. Dr. Jindal is an internal medicine and pediatrics primary care provider and health equity researcher whose mission is to advance health equity for systemically oppressed communities by addressing racism directly. Her research specifically focuses on the perpetrators of racial oppression including clinicians and seeks to develop community-driven interventions that reduce and mitigate the impacts of such harm. She completed an academic research fellowship including a Master's in Public Health at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has over eight years of experience in racism curriculum development and implementation. She was also the PI for the first systematic review summarizing the relationship between police contact and the health and well-being of Black youth, which received national attention from outlets such as NPR. Given her innovation and experience in the intersection of racism and health, she was recently asked to lead the authorship teams for 2 commissioned manuscripts: one for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) on access to healthcare and structural racism and another through The Lancet on policies driven by structural racism that impact child health. Given her expertise, she has been tapped by the American Academy of Pediatrics for several articles, book chapters, and national convenings to address racism and child health and well-being. She was recognized by the National Minority Quality Forum as one of the 40 under 40 Leaders in Health Equity. Dr. Jindal is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center combined Internal medicine-pediatrics residency and a former chief resident for the med-peds program. She now has a dual appointment at Lurie Children's and Northwestern Memorial Hospitals where she continues her research in racial health equity, serves as director for the health equity scholars program and provides care for both children and adults.
Nathan T. Chomilo, MD, FAAP, FACP, is the Medical Director for the State of Minnesota’s Medicaid & MinnesotaCare programs and practices as a General Pediatrician with Park Nicollet Health Services/HealthPartners. He was previously tapped by Governor Tim Walz to serve as the State of Minnesota’s COVID-19 vaccine equity director and as a Senior Advisor on Equity to the Minnesota Commissioner of Health. He is the Chair-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Section on Minority Health Equity and Inclusion and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Medical School. He has been recognized by the City of Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights as a 2019 History Maker at Home recipient, Minnesota Physician which named him a one of the 100 most influential health care leaders in 2020 and 2024, and the Aspen Institute which selected him to be an Aspen Ascend Fellow in 2022. He was a committee member and co-author of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s 2024 report Launching Lifelong Health by Improving Health Care for Children, Youth and Families and is a member of The Lancet’s Commission on Antiracism in Solidarity. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Medical School and combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics residency, is a former University of Minnesota Pediatric Chief resident. Dr. Chomilo’s work centers on marginalized communities in health policy so that we can dismantle racism in health care & provide children & families an equitable opportunity for health & well-being. He also works to understand and demonstrate how physicians and health systems can be accountable for producing racial & health equity.