Talk to Address U.S. Health Disparities

04/04/2014 

An awarded SUNY Cortland scholar on health, will discuss the prominent contributors to wellness disparities in the U.S., challenges in addressing these problems, and what is needed to eliminate them, on Tuesday, April 8, at the College.

Professor of Health Bonni C. Hodges will address “From Chain of Infection to Polymer of Disparities: Health (In)Equity in the 21st Century” at 4 p.m. in Brockway Hall Jacobus Lounge. A reception will follow at 5 p.m.

The events comprise the annual lecture of the SUNY Cortland chapter of the national interdisciplinary honor society Phi Kappa Phi. The talk and reception are free and open to the public.

According to Hodges, the tremendous advances in medicine that occurred from the late 19th century through the 20th century improved the health and wellbeing of populations across the world, but not equally. Today, social factors determine, perpetuate and reinforce health disparities across groups of the population.

Using examples from her work in community and school health, Hodges will discuss the prominent contributors to health disparities in the U.S., challenges in addressing these disparities, and what is needed to eliminate them.

Bonni C. Hodges

Hodges, who earned a 2007 Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service and a 2005 Chancellor’s Research and Scholarship Recognition Award, is currently on sabbatical from her role as Health Department chair.

Since joining the College in 1992, she has established a solid track record of campus and community service, focused in substantive and transformational change to improve the health, wellbeing and quality of life of children, college students, community residents and her SUNY colleagues.

On the statewide level, Hodges has served as an academic advisory board member of the SUNY Youth Sports Institute and as a member of the New York State Department of Health’s Public Health Educator Continuing Education Committee. She is a past research chair of the New York State Federation of Professional Health Educators.

A participant in national and regional organizations in her field, she organized sessions in the 2005 American Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance national conference.

Hodges is an effective grant-writer and the author of a book and many articles in peer-reviewed journals. She has made numerous professional presentations at the state, regional, national and international levels.

A native of Wayland, Mass., Hodges earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education/Athletic Training from Ithaca College, a Master of Science in Exercise Science from Northeastern University and a doctorate in health education, with concentrations in research and evaluation/adolescent health, from University of Maryland at College Park. Before entering academia, she was an athletic trainer in Westfield, Mass., and a program director for the Office of Residence Life at Boston University.

Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines. Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, there are chapters on more than 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. The SUNY Cortland chapter celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2014-15.

For more information on the talk, contact Hodges at 607-753-4225.

For more information on Phi Kappa Phi, contact Scott Anderson, chapter president, at 607-753-5547, or visit the national website at www.phikappaphi.org.