The Food and Health Roller-Coaster: The Ride that All Lives Depend OnJoin us for a conversation about the past, present, and future of our shared work to provide equitable opportunities for health for all children. This session will explore how far we have come and how the work has evolved over time. The speakers will discuss the changes in approaches that include individual interventions, policy and physical environment changes, and addressing the root causes of health inequities that remove the ability to make healthy choices for some. The panelists will also unpack the current conditions that both require vigilance and persistence to maintain our successes while continuing to compel us forward with emerging and innovative strategies. This session will serve as a call to action for all conference attendees searching for a place in the future of working towards universal child health. Patricia Crawford, DrPH, RDEmeritus Director of Research and Cooperative Extension Nutrition SpecialistNutrition Policy Institute, University of California Agriculture and Natural ResourcesPat Crawford is the Emeritus Director of Research and Cooperative Extension Nutrition Specialist at UC ANR's Nutrition Policy Institute (NPI). Prior to coming to NPI, she co-founded and directed the Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley for 15 years. In addition, she is currently Adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health at Berkeley. Dr. Crawford studies ways in which nutrition policies can improve children’s dietary intake and reduce chronic disease risk. Dr. Crawford served on the California Legislative Task Force on Diabetes and Obesity and is an expert adviser for the Let’s Get Healthy California Task Force. She chaired the Institute of Medicine’s Workshop on Food Insecurity and Obesity and served on the IOM’s Committee on WIC Research, the IOM Committee on Accelerating Progress on Obesity Prevention, and the IOM’s Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention....and she, along with Carol Huegli, came up with the concept for this conference in 2001, now celebrating its 10th anniversary! Kelly Brownell, PhD Director, World Food Policy Center and ProfessorSanford School of Public Policy, Duke UniversityKelly Brownell is the Robert L. Flowers Professor of Public Policy, a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Director of the World Food Policy Center at the Sanford School of Public Policy. He served as dean of the Sanford School from 2013-2018.In 2006 Time magazine listed Brownell among “The World’s 100 Most Influential People” in its special Time 100 issue featuring those “.. whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world.”Brownell was elected to membership in the Institute of Medicine in 2006 and has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association, Graduate Mentoring Award from Yale, the James McKeen Cattell Award from the New York Academy of Sciences, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Purdue University, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Rutgers University, and the Distinguished Scientific Award for the Applications of Psychology from the American Psychological Association.Prior to joining the faculty at Duke, Brownell was at Yale University where he was the James Rowland Angell Professor of Psychology, professor of epidemiology and public health, and director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. While at Yale he served as chair of the department of psychology and as master of Silliman College.Brownell has published 15 books and more than 350 scientific articles and chapters. He has served as president of several national organizations, including the Society of Behavioral Medicine, Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy and the Division of Health Psychology of the American Psychological Association.Brownell has advised the White House, members of congress, governors, world health and nutrition organizations, and media leaders on issues of nutrition, obesity and public policy. He was cited as a “moral entrepreneur” with special influence on public discourse in a history of the obesity field and was cited by Time magazine as a leading “warrior” in the area of nutrition and public policy.
A Winning Strategy: Taxing Sugary DrinksThe evidence continues to build and continually establishes sugary drink taxes as an effective way to reduce consumption of sugar sweetened beverages. This session will explore sugary drink taxes in multiple ways. Panelists will discuss the need for intervention, share evidence, discuss the possible pathways for a statewide tax including current proposed legislation and ballot initiative, and discuss the potential community impact for tax revenues. Speakers include elected officials, health advocacy organizations, and community representatives. The session aims to identify ways in which sugary drink taxes can create funding to support essential public health and community level interventions and investments, and share a call to action in regards to possible future tax proposals. Assemblymember Richard Bloom50th District of CaliforniaRichard Bloom was first elected to the 50th District of the California State Assembly in 2012 where he proudly represents the communities of Agoura Hills, Bel Air, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Hollywood, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Topanga, West Hollywood, and West Los Angeles. Shortly after his election, Assemblymember Richard Bloom was appointed to the Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation where he quickly established himself as a leader on one of the biggest issues facing this generation - climate change. As Chair, Assemblymember Bloom has pushed for increasing renewable energy development and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels and promoting smart and sustainable planning that expands affordable housing and reduces traffic congestion and commute times. Through his leadership, Assemblymember Bloom has made reducing our carbon footprint and enhancing the quality of life now and for future generations a core mission of the committee. As a steward of the environment, Assemblymember Bloom also helped establish the most stringent protections in the country against the dangers of hydraulic fracking and pushed for improved rail safety and oil spill response preparedness in light of the exponential growth of oil imports by rail. Assemblymember Bloom also introduced the strongest protections in the country against the use of rodenticides which are harming wildlife at alarming levels and against the use of plastic microbeads in personal care products that are contaminating our rivers, streams, and oceans. In just his first few years, Assemblymember Bloom has also been involved in legislative efforts to combat the prescription drug overdose epidemic, address homelessness, improve services for our veterans, expand and protect the rights of the LGBT community, foster local redevelopment, and create jobs. Overall, Assemblymember Bloom's considers his top priorities to be climate change, environmental protection, congestion relief with a focus on public transit, bike, and pedestrian investment, and sub-regional connectivity job creation with a particular focus on the green economy, affordable housing, and homelessness. In addition to serving as Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Resources and Transportation, Assemblymember Bloom serves on the Assembly Committees on Appropriations, Budget, Business and Professions, Higher Education, and Local Government. Assemblymember Bloom has also served on the Legislative Budget Conference Committee, which is a small group of legislators tasked with negotiating the state budget agreement with the Governor. Prior to being elected to the California State Assembly in 2012, Assemblymember Bloom served on the Santa Monica City Council for 13 years where he served as Mayor three times and Mayor Pro Tempore twice. He also served as Chair of the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, Chair of the Westside Cities Council, and as a special California State Senate appointment to the California Coastal Commission. Born in Philadelphia, Assemblymember Bloom grew up in Altadena and West Los Angeles. He attended Fairfax High School, the University of California (Los Angeles and Berkeley) and Loyola School of Law and holds a B.A. in Communication and Public Policy as well as a Juris Doctor degree. After law school, he practiced family law for nearly 30 years and worked as the executive director for a non-profit that assisted low-income and homeless clients. He also served as a volunteer Judge Pro Tem and mediator for the Los Angeles Superior Courts and on the Executive Committee of the Los Angeles County Bar Association Family Law Section. Genoveva Islas DirectorCultiva La SaludGenoveva Islas was born in Fresno, California and grew up in small rural communities of the San Joaquin Valley; her parents were farm laborers. She is the first in her family to attend college and graduate with an advanced degree. She earned a Bachelors of Science in Health Science with an emphasis in Community Health from California State University, Fresno and received a Masters in Public Health degree in Health Education and Promotion from Loma Linda University. Ms. Islas is the Founder & Director of Cultiva La Salud. Cultiva is dedicated to creating healthier communities in the San Joaquin Valley by fostering policies, systems and environmental improvements to allow for greater access to healthy foods/beverages and increased opportunities for physical activity. Cultiva’s efforts also focus on building community leadership so that residents can be more effective in advocating for healthy changes in their communities. She is a recognized Culture of Health Leader by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Ms. Islas is a board member for the Community Water Center and California Institute for Rural Studies. She was appointed by Governor Brown to serve on the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley board and the Health Benefit Exchange Board for California (Covered CA). Ms. Islas is an elected Board Member of Fresno Unified School District. Morgan Carvajal Legislative AdvocateCalifornia Medical AssociationMorgan Carvajal is a Legislative Advocate with the California Medical Association, serving as the lead advocate on public health. Ms. Carvajal began her career as a Legislative Aide to Senator Fran Pavley pursuing policies to increase access to developmental services in the State. From 2010-2013, she served the Senator developing policies on regional center operations and services. Since 2013, she has represented and advocated for a variety of progressive public interest organizations to strengthen consumer privacy protections and hold utility companies accountable for cleaner energy practices. As an advocate with CMA, Ms. Carvajal helps further advance the association’s goal to improve public health. Some of her recent efforts have included establishing physician training on implicit bias, expanding access to HIV prevention medications, preserving medical exemptions from vaccines for patients who medically need them, and advancing policies to prevent and curb public health epidemics. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from Sonoma State University. MODERATOR:Michelle Faust Raghavan Health Care ReporterSouthern California Public Radio and LAist.comMichelle Faust Raghavan is a health care reporter who has been diving into the complexities of the health care policy and what it means for real people since 2014. At KPCC and for LAist, Ms. Faust Raghavan is a co-author of the LADYist column about women’s health. She has been reporting in public radio newsrooms and hosting news programs since 2011. In that time, her work has been recognized for creativity and innovation. Ms. Faust Raghavan is a lifetime member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, is an experienced public speaker, and a frequent mentor for student journalists.
Shifting the Value Narrative: A Crossroads for AmericaOur conference theme compels us to explore challenging aspects of our current culture that stand as barriers to our collective ability to thrive. If our intended cooperative impact is a healthy, inclusive and just society, we must be clear in establishing our values, and shift the national shared narrative to embody those values. Join us for an engaging plenary session where Charles Blow, a New York Times Columnist and social commentator, will lead a discussion about the existing narrative in America, why it needs to change, and the tools and skills we need to embrace to make the shift. Mr. Blow will highlight his own personal story of growing up poor in the rural south, and engage in a dialogue around social and economic inequities, empathy and compassion, and the need for stand hard and fast for the values that will lead us toward a culture of shared health and opportunity. Charles M. BlowAuthor and Op-Ed ColumnistThe New York TimesCharles M. Blow is an Op-Ed columnist at The New York Times where his column appears on Thursdays and Mondays. Mr. Blow’s columns tackle hot-button issues such as social justices, racial equality, presidential politics, police violence, gun control, and the Black Lives Matter Movement. Mr. Blow is also a CNN commentator and was a Presidential Visiting Professor at Yale, where he taught a seminar on media and politics. Mr. Blow is the author of the critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling memoir, Fire Shut Up in My Bones. The book won a Lambda Literary Award and the Sperber Prize and made multiple prominent lists of best books published in 2014. People Magazine called it “searing and unforgettable.” Mr. Blow joined The New York Times in 1994 as a graphics editor and quickly became the paper’s graphics director, a position he held for nine years. Mr. Blow went on to become the paper’s design director for news before leaving in 2006 to become the art director of National Geographic Magazine. Before coming to The Times, Mr. Blow had worked at The Detroit News. Mr. Blow graduated magna cum laude from Grambling State University in Louisiana, where he received a B.A. in mass communications, and he holds an honorary doctorate from Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. He lives in Brooklyn and has three children.