The 15th annual Dorothy Hussain Distinguished Lectureship will focus on the disparities in women’s health and infant mortality.
The free, public lecture, hosted by The University of Toledo College of Nursing, will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 27, in Collier Building Room 1000 A/B on the Health Science Campus. Attendees can also connect virtually, via WebEx.
Dr. Carmen Giurgescu, associate dean of research at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing and an expert in women’s health, will be the keynote speaker for the event.
Individuals can register to attend the in-person event and the virtual presentation through the College of Nursing website.
Dr. Carmen Giurgescu, associate dean of research at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing and an expert in women’s health, will be the keynote speaker for the event.
Giurgescu will discuss social determinants of health and birth outcomes among African American families. Her research, developed from her 15 years of clinical practice as a labor and delivery nurse and women’s healthcare nurse practitioner, has been pioneering in identifying and understanding fundamental social factors that contribute to high rates of preterm birth in Black women.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, preterm birth rates were 50% higher among Black women than among white or Hispanic women in 2020. A preterm birth occurs when a baby is born before 37 weeks.
“We are honored to have Dr. Carmen Giurgescu as our keynote speaker,” said Dr. Eileen Walsh, senior associate dean for academic affairs and research in the UToledo College of nursing. “She is an expert nurse clinician and researcher with an incredible track record of research support from the national institutes of health to address factors that affect infant mortality.”
Other panelists include:
• Kimberly Toles, minority health program coordinator at Toledo-Lucas County Health Department;
• Duane Herron, maternal and child health supervisor and director of Lucas County Healthy Start at the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department; and
• Holly Myers, assistant professor and director of Innovative Technologies and Interprofessional Education at the UToledo College of Nursing.
The lecture is named after the late Dorothy Gladys Hussain, whose professional career spanned 32 years as a staff nurse and critical care nurse at the former Medical College of Ohio Hospital. She was known for patient advocacy and championing patients’ rights.
