Democracy and Power: Why Voting Matters For Our Health

Dr. Jodi Brookins-Fisher is the Division Director and Professor in the Division of Public Health, School of Health Sciences at Central Michigan University. She is currently the SOPHE Advocacy Committee co-chair and has served as the President of Eta Sigma Gamma. She is currently the Chapter Sponsor of Eta Chapter at CMU. She is a passionate human rights activist and believes strongly in equity for all groups when it comes to access and affordable health care. Additionally, she feels that advocacy within the Health Education profession should be at the forefront of our current and future endeavors.

Jeanne Ayers, R.N. MPH, leads Healthy Democracy Healthy People,  a coalition of 11 public health organizations committed to advancing health and racial equity by strengthening civic and voter participation and ensuring access to the ballot for all eligible voters.  

Gnora Gumanow, MPH, is the Healthy Democracy Health People (HDHP) Partnerships Director. She built grassroots movements for access to health care and democracy reform before pursuing her graduate degree at the George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health. 

Certified Health Education Specialist with 37 years of professional experience as a practitioner in public health education, health promotion, and policy development.  This includes 19 years at state and county public health departments, 12 years at a voluntary health organization at both the national and state levels, and 6 years at a health plan.