I3: Addressing Equity and Power Through Disability-Related Content

Voted Master of Public Health Student of the year 2020, Janae Alexander is rising leader in the field of health education. With background in public health and leadership, Janae finished her Central Michigan University academic career as one of three students in her cohort to become a published first author, while teaching 4-6 sections of undergraduate classes on healthy lifestyle topics. Janae has also been very active in Eta Sigma Gamma and SOPHE, holding multiple leadership positions and now working her way up for nomination as student trustee on SOPHE?s board of trustees. Janae is a Health Education Specialist and a first-year student in the doctoral program for Health Education at Texas A&M University. She is passionate about helping her students succeed and prepare for careers in public health and allied health fields.

Tara Lutz is the training director at the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (CT UCEDD) and an assistant professor of public health sciences at the University of Connecticut (UConn) School of Medicine. She coordinates the graduate Certificate of Interdisciplinary Disability Studies in Public Health and co-directs the clinical doctoring course for second year medical students. She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES ®).
Her areas of interest include disability and public health, health education and health promotion, addressing issues of health equity across different communities, and integrating disability education and competency into public health and health care training programs. She is skilled in curriculum development for public health and medical students in public health, disability, and racism and bias that incorporates a health equity framework to describe and address systems-level issues including access, accessibility, and inclusivity.

At SOPHE, Tara is the national delegate for Connecticut (CT) SOPHE, and the speaker of the House of Delegates for 2022. She is dedicated to public health education students, professionals, and those we serve. She strives for equitable access to services, education, and communication through ways in which are consumable to our many audiences. She values collaboration, partnerships, teamwork, and accountability. To borrow from the newly-revised 10 Essential Public Health Services, I see one my contributions to the field is to develop our workforce to “enable equitable access” and “build a diverse and skilled workforce”.