Addressing Health Inequality
Panel Timing and Registration
- Session 2 (1-2:15PM)
- Altschul Atrium
- Registration Link
Panel Description
Social and economic inequities shape access to and experiences of healthcare, resulting in stark health disparities in our society that are predicted to increase as our population becomes more diverse and income inequality rises. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, questions on the sources and meaning of these inequities have taken a central place in our public discourse, and confronting health disparities remains an important component of careers in healthcare. In this panel, Barnard graduates in both clinical and non-clinical roles will discuss the ways in which they have shaped their careers to address health inequities from a variety of perspectives. Attendees are invited to learn from panelists' experiences and to consider ways in which their own future careers may address these pressing issues.
Health Inequality Panel Participants
Dr. Wright is a consultant rheumatologist in New York City. She earned her undergraduate degree from Barnard College and her medical and doctorate degrees at the NYU School of Medicine, where she served as Clinical Associate Professor of Medicine. In 2014, Dr. Wright founded the Association of Women in Rheumatology (AWIR) which has since grown to over 40 local chapters throughout the United States as well as a growing number of international members in more than 70 countries. Dr. Wright has served as the President of AWIR since its inception. Dr. Wright has been recognized as a Woman in Motion by the Arthritis Foundation, the American College of Rheumatology, the American College of Physicians and the Global Health and Living Foundation. Dr. Wright lectures extensively at national and international conferences on rheumatic diseases, with a special focus on Rheumatology, the impact of Equity and Gender on Rheumatology Healthcare providers and patients.
Career Advice:
Be open to learning from multiple sources and about multiple topics. These learnings will help you uncover your talents and strengths. Focus on becoming the best YOU, not the career YOU!
Alexandra Ingber, MPH is currently the Director of Clinical Integration, Population Health at Mount Sinai Health Partners/ Mount Sinai Health System. Alex leads a team focused on value-based care, improving quality of care delivered, and patient outcomes. This includes concentrating on clinical operations, care standardization and chronic disease management, and physician engagement. Outside of Alex’s career, she loves to spend time hiking/camping, taking her dog to the park, and exploring different museums.
Career Advice:
Explore your varied interests, even if these interests seemingly do not relate directly to your career path. All of these passions are driven by a common thread, all you need to do is tie them together and tell a 'story' about how these interests support you on this career path.
Cynthia Cabral, Ph.D. (pronouns: they/she) is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Brooklyn, New York, treating adolescents and adults presenting with depression, anxiety, trauma, self-harm behaviors, and substance use concerns using a collaborative, client-centered approach that incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI) frameworks. Dr. Cabral received their doctoral degree from St. John’s University, where their research fellowship focused on the assessment and treatment of trauma in racial/ethnic minority communities throughout Western Queens. They have provided clinical treatment to adolescents in day treatment settings with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders, adolescent survivors of physical and sexual abuse, and students in school-based settings with a variety of mental health concerns using evidence based, trauma-informed, and culturally competent treatment interventions.
Career Advice:
Trust your instincts! When we are making decisions about our careers, we have been encouraged to prioritize what's "best" or what will take you furthest, but it's important to balance those considerations with what you really *want* to do and what interests you.
Ivy Vega is an occupational therapist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center. She has experience working in several areas of hospital-based rehabilitation, including critical/intensive care, oncology, medical/surgical, orthopedics, and organ transplantation. In the past several years, her clinical focus has shifted to neuro-rehabilitation. She is a Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist (CSRS) and a Certified Brain Injury Specialist (CBIS).
As a dancer turned occupational therapist, Ivy is on a mission to blur the lines between art and science. She takes a holistic and humanistic approach to patient care in order to best ensure that her patients are active agents in their own rehabilitation. She collaborates with her patients to help them find meaning, balance, and justice in their daily lives, so they can fully participate in the activities that bring them joy and purpose, regardless of their age, ability, and circumstances. Ivy is passionate about universal/inclusive design, the performing arts, and like any true New Yorker, pizza, bagels, and doughnuts.
Career Advice:
Careers are ever-changing! You don't have to have everything figured out by the time you graduate. You are absolutely allowed to (and should!) view your career as a journey with many stops, road blocks, and detours along the way. Your career evolves with you, so allow yourself to make decisions based on the person you are NOW, not the person you think you should become or hope to become. Evaluate your current needs and goals, and prioritize them. There is no recipe or magic formula--career "paths" and "trajectories" are what you make of them, and should not be based on what is expected of you. You got this!