Black adolescent and adult women in the U.S. are disproportionately affected by HIV, STIs, COVID-19, intimate partner violence, stigma, and poor maternal and child health outcomes. The impact of these inequities on Black adolescent and adult women can accumulate across the lifespan, undermining their overall health outcomes.


During this three-part collaborative learning series, panelists discussed pressing issues in the lives of Black adolescent and adult women, covering the following topics:

  • HIV Prevention and Care, Including Biomedical Approaches
  • Health Promotion and Wellness
  • COVID-19
  • Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Healthy Relationships
  • Stigma and Racism
  • Psychosocial Determinants
  • Resilience and Self-Care

 

Following the presentations, faculty engaged in a moderated panel discussion. 

Learning Objectives

After participating in the collaborative learning series, participants will:

  • Discuss the unique perspectives of health inequalities on the lives of Black youth-, young adult-, middle-, and older-aged Black women
  • Understand the common socioeconomic determinants associated with lack of access to health care and vulnerability to intimate partner violence in Black women of reproductive age.
  • List the health inequities that drive disparate rates of HIV and STIs among Black women across the life course.  
  • Describe the comorbidities in older Black who are or have experienced menopause.
  • Detail the health care access barriers created by provider bias and stigma
  • Analyze the factors that foster resilience in Black women across the lifespan.

 

Free continuing education credits are available (AMA, AAPA, ANCC, ASWB, CPH, CHES), which are jointly provided by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and HealthHIV. Learn more here.

Session 1: Black Adolescent and Young Women: Sex Positivity and Healthy Relationships

 

Panelists
Yaphet Bryant, PhD
Director of Mental Health Services, Children’s National Hospital

Adrienne Barksdale, MSW, LMSW
Program Coordinator, DC Department of Health, HAHSTA

Moderators
Hanna Tessema, DrPH(c), MPH, MSW
Lecturer, George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public HealthHIV

Lisa Frederick
Capacity Building Manager, HealthHIV

Session 2: Black Women and Sexual and Reproductive Health

Panelists

Oni Blackstock, MD, MHS
Former Assistant Commissioner, Bureau of HIV
New York City Health Department

Kimberly Canady
Love Heals

Moderators
Hanna Tessema, DrPH(c), MPH, MSW
Lecturer, George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public HealthHIV

Lisa Frederick
Capacity Building Manager, HealthHIV

Download Session 2 Slides 

Session 3: Promoting Health and Wellness for Black Older Women
Panelists:
Tonya Taylor, PhD, MS
Assistant Professor, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Department of Medicine

Michelle Lopez
Healthy Aging Specialist, GMHC

Moderators:
Hanna Tessema, DrPH(c), MPH, MSW
Lecturer, George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public HealthHIV

Lisa Frederick
Capacity Building Manager, HealthHIV