WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- What was missing from the White House Conference on
Hunger, Nutrition and Health? One organization shared what was
missing on the agenda, including access to capital, capacity
building, and cultural competency in the foods as medicine
movement. That's why on October 20-21,
2024, WANDA (Women Advancing Nutrition, Dietetics, and
Agriculture), Johns Hopkins School of
Nursing, and Johns Hopkins
University (JHU) & Medicine Ward Infinity will co-host
the inaugural Food as Medicine in the Black Community
Gathering at the prestigious Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg Center (formerly the Newseum)
located at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC.
This invite-only event, emceed by Michelle Miller, co-host of CBS
Saturday, will convene Black food entrepreneurs, health
professionals, philanthropy leaders, investors, policymakers, media
makers, and cultural leaders for two transformative days of
discussions, networking, and celebrating foods of the African
diaspora from the Americas to Africa that heal our communities.
Last Fall, Forbes Magazine reported that if patients on
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance with diet-related
conditions like diabetes ate food nutritionally designed to
stimulate their recovery, an estimated 1.6 million hospitalizations
could be avoided annually. There could even be an estimated net
savings of $13.6 billion in
healthcare costs in the first year alone.
"This gathering is about more than just food—it's about healing
our communities, rethinking economic development, saving healthcare
dollars, and creating a new narrative for Black food culture," said
Tambra Raye Stevenson, MPH,
MA, Founder and CEO of WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition
Dietetics and Agriculture. "Building upon our
successful food as medicine roundtables, we are designing an
ecosystem and an agenda to create generational health and wealth in
our communities through the power of African diasporan foods."
"Ward Infinity is committed to empowering social
entrepreneurs who co-design health solutions with underinvested
communities. The Food as Medicine in the Black Community Gathering
spotlights how health experts, advocates, and entrepreneurs are
advancing nutritious food access and health equity. These advocates
and founders are reshaping health in their communities," says
Al J. Browne, Director of
Johns Hopkins University &
Medicine Ward Infinity. "We proudly amplify their work in
partnership with the Johns Hopkins School of
Nursing, WANDA, and the Johns Hopkins Office of Government,
Community, and Economic Partnerships. Witness the power of food as
medicine, community-driven innovation, and entrepreneurship in
building healthier communities."
"Food is a powerful tool for healing in the Black community—and
many other cultures worldwide. We must reclaim and combine our
cultural food wisdom with evidence-based health and nutrition
research. We are celebrating and nourishing our combined strength
and heritage as the Black diaspora, writing a new chapter of health
equity. Our work with the THRIVE Food is Medicine project at
Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
embodies this, demonstrating how culturally tailored
community-designed food is medicine interventions can significantly
improve cardiovascular health outcomes in our communities," says
Oluwabunmi "Bunmi" Ogungbe, PhD, MPH, RN, Assistant
Professor at Johns Hopkins School of
Nursing and Bloomberg
School of Public Health. "With support from the Johns
Hopkins Nexus Awards and in partnership with WANDA and Johns
Hopkins Ward Infinity, we challenge attendees to become advocates
for food as medicine in their own spheres, transforming the health
of our communities one meal at a time."
Attendees will hear remarks from Senator Cory Booker, James
Beard Award-winning author Dr. Psyche
Williams-Forson, American Studies Department Chair at the
University of Maryland-College Park,
Maria Harris Tildon, VP,
Government, Community and Economic Partnerships, JHU &
Medicine, Dr. Kofi Essel,
Food as Medicine Director of Elevance Health, Dr. Caree Cotwright, Sr. Health and Nutrition
Equity Advisor of USDA, Dr. Alison
Brown of NIH, Dr. Minkah
Makalani, Associate Professor and JHU Director of the Center
for Africana Studies, Dr. Thomas
DeWeese, Dean and CEO of JHU & Medicine,
Ambassador Ertharin Cousin of Food Systems for the Future
Institute, Lisa D. Sanders, Health
Care by Food™ National Executive Director of American Heart
Association, Ken Jones, VP of
the MacArthur Foundation, and Dana
Thomas, Food as Medicine Director of the
Rockefeller Foundation, along with other influential leaders. The
Nexus Convening Grant from Johns Hopkins
University and the Jane Bancroft Robinson Foundation
supports this event.
From the Mecca Marketplace, Sankofa
Stage to the Taste of Diaspora Luncheon catered by What The
Chef, this inaugural engaging event will feature keynote talks and
panel discussions on culturally tailored nutrition, investment
strategies for health-forward Black culinary, farming, nutrition
and food entrepreneurs, and the integration of culinary medicine
and nutrition into clinical and community practices. Attendees will
be able to connect with thought leaders and explore how African and
diasporan foods can serve as medicine for the body, business, and
the community. To learn more and request to attend, visit:
http://bit.ly/fambc24 (Register directly:
http://bit.ly/fambcg24)
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SOURCE WANDA: Women Advancing Nutrition Dietetics and
Agriculture