Symposium Sets the Stage for Coordinated Action on Health Disparities
By Office of the President | Apr 22, 2025
The 8th Annual TRANSPORT Symposium, hosted by the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, brought together SUNY Downstate faculty, students, clinicians, and community-based organizations to focus on practical strategies for addressing health disparities in Brooklyn.
This year’s theme, “Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Building Healthier Communities Together,” marked a shift in planning. For the first time, community-based organizations helped shape the agenda, ensuring lived experience guided the issues addressed and the solutions developed. The program included a framing session, facilitated discussions, and interactive breakout groups.
Pamela D. Straker, Ph.D., Director of Operations at the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center, opened the event by highlighting community input as the program’s foundation. Marlene Camacho-Rivera, Sc.D., MS, MPH, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the School of Public Health, framed the social determinants of health as conditions shaped by policy, investment, and lived experience and urged a shift toward community-led action.
Faven Araya, MPH, Director of Community Engagement and Health Equity Research at the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health, and Lakia Maxwell, MSCH, TRANSPORT Program Manager and Project Administrative Officer, introduced the breakout sessions on mental health, housing, and food insecurity.
Melissa Elliott, CEO of Agape Family Therapy and Coaching, led the mental health group and addressed how stigma, high costs, and limited access to culturally competent care drive disparities. Grace Ruiz, Assistant Program Director at CAMBA’s Homebase Program, facilitated the housing group, focusing on eviction prevention and the role of housing stability in health. Dorella Walters, Chief Business Development Officer at God’s Love We Deliver, led the food insecurity group, highlighting the importance of medically tailored meals and ongoing barriers to food access for individuals with chronic illnesses.
Marcus Lambert, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research, closed the symposium by encouraging continued collaboration beyond the event. He introduced New York Community Connect, a Downstate platform in development to support resource sharing, joint funding, and long-term partnerships. The day ended with a clear message: building healthier communities requires sustained effort, shared responsibility, and a strong network. Participants left, ready to continue the work.
Thanks to everyone for their continued support of health equity and community partnership, including the Brooklyn Health Disparities Center planning team, community partners, speakers, facilitators, TRANSPORT Program supporters, and all attendees who helped shape this year’s symposium.
To watch full videos from Session I and Session II or to view the complete list of speakers and attendees, visit the symposium’s event page.
Session I
Session II
Photos from the Event
