Meet the Winners of the 2018 RWJF Award for Health Equity

The RWJF Award for Health Equity recognizes and celebrates individuals who have successfully implemented system changes related to the social determinants of health. In this video, Cathy Malone, program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation introduces us to the winners of the 2018 Award. Here we meet nine individuals who are taking on the difficult work of systems change. Yolo Akili Robinson explains the connection between social justice and health and stresses the need for mental health training for all those who deliver care. XinQi Dong positions culture at the center of his work that focuses on the psychosocial well-being of older Chinese people. Alma McCormick discusses her work with researcher Suzanne Held and their highly effective approach to addressing the root causes of disparities impacting the Apsáalooke people. Teresa Spitznagel explains an innovative health care model that addresses isolation, re-hospitalizations, and the frequency of emergency room visits among seniors. Angela Settle discusses her game-changing mobile dental clinic to deliver services to the underserved in West Virginia. Sharon Conard-Wells and Angela Bannerman Ankoma speak to how they leverage social capital to help the West End of Providence, Rhode Island realize its vision through the Sankofa Community Initiative. Becky Tuttle points to how transportation is transformative in addressing “food deserts” and other structural barriers to health equity. Cante Waste Win Zephier makes evident the importance of traditional healing practices in addressing personal, intergenerational, and historical trauma experienced by Native American youth.