Empathy Affect

The United States is a diverse nation, and the federal government needs to reflect the faces and minds of the country to deliver its best services. In part one of this month’s Empathy Affect, we dive into the broad strokes the federal government is taking to integrate principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) across its workforce. Our guest in this episode, Office of Personnel and Management’s (OPM) Office of DEIA Director Dr. Janice Underwood, walks us through these efforts and the White House’s executive order to strengthen the federal workforce with DEIA.

Dr. Janice Underwood is the director of OPM's Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility. She was formerly the first chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Links and Information:

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• More information about the Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council
• Read up on the Executive Order on DEIA in the Federal Workforce
• Check out USAJOBS

Internet connectivity has become a necessity in our lives, but many in America lack quality, affordable, high-speed internet access. To bridge the digital divide, the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the Digital Equity Act, which allocated funding to establish grant programs that promote digital equity and inclusion. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is helming the efforts behind the legislation, so we spoke with NTIA's Digital Equity Director, Angela Thi Bennett, about the journey to promoting equitable access to the internet across the country.

Angela Thi Bennett serves as NTIA's first-ever digital equity director, where she provides leadership and guidance around the Digital Equity Act. She was previously a champion of digital inclusion in Cleveland, Ohio, through organizations such as DigitalC.

Welcome back for part 2 of our discussion on the National Institute's of Health HEALing Communities Study—a bold research effort that looks to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths across highly impacted communities by 40% over three years. Continuing the conversation from Part 1, we look to understand the progress the study has made to date, how the study's researchers have worked alongside their participating communities to adapt to the rapidly evolving drug landscape, and how the country can continue addressing the crisis.

Dr. Redonna Chandler is the HEALing Community Study Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She has been at NIDA since 2002, serving in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership across the institute.

Dr. Ynvild Olsen is Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). She has previously worked in substance use treatment with Baltimore City and served as Deputy Health Officer for Maryland's Harford City Health Department.

In 2018, the National Institutes of Health launched the HEALing Communities Study, a research endeavor to reduce opioid-related overdose deaths across highly impacted communities by 40% over three years. The study bridges science-driven interventions with community collaboration. In the first part of this special two-part episode, we chat with leadership behind the HEALing Communities Study about the evolution of the opioid crisis to date and how they're bridging compassion, research, and change to help communities hard-hit by opioid misuse and overdoses.

Dr. Redonna Chandler is the HEALing Community Study Director at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). She has been at NIDA since 2002, serving in positions of increasing responsibility and leadership across the institute.

Dr. Yngvild Olsen is Director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). She has previously worked in substance use treatment with Baltimore City and served as Deputy Health Officer for Maryland's Harford City Health Department.

Every decade since 1980, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has set ambitious, measurable goals to make progress across public health—from improving quality health care access to reducing tobacco use. This decade’s iteration, Healthy People 2030, is taking on 358 objectives and focusing on health equity and literacy, as well as social determinants of health. We talk with HHS’s Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) Director RDML Paul Reed to dive into how we’re making progress on Healthy People 2030 and the importance of developing systems that promote our wellbeing. 

RDML Paul Reed advises the Assistant Secretary for Health on disease prevention and health promotion programs and policies. He also oversees Healthy People 2030, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness & Nutrition 

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The COVID-19 pandemic took a significant toll on an already strained public health system in the United States, pushing many front-line workers to leave the field or retire. AmeriCorps—a federal agency that provides opportunities for national service—is looking to rebuild our public health workforce with Public Health AmeriCorps. Amid National Public Health Week, we talk with Public Health AmeriCorps Director AJ Pearlman on Empathy Affect to learn about the state of public health amid the pandemic, opportunities with Public Health AmeriCorps, and the rewarding nature of national service. 

AJ Pearlman joins AmeriCorps from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), where she served as the chief of staff for COVID-19 response, leading efforts across the department to address and respond to the pandemic.

More about Public Health AmeriCorps

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Our communities’ resilience has been tested amid exacerbated natural disasters and extreme weather from climate change. As we face a reality shaped by climate change, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is playing its own role in helping the country develop and rebuild in more resilient ways. In this episode of Fors Marsh Media’s Empathy Affect, we untangle some of the challenges around climate resilience, community development, and affordable housing, as well available resources to build a resilient community with our guest Marion Mollegen McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development at HUD.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is known for being one of the government's top funders of federal research grants to institutions of higher learning to advance progress in the fields of fundamental science and engineering. Now, the agency is looking to bring greater accessibility to its grants and help diversify the research pipeline. NSF Office of Integrative Activities Head Dr. Alicia Knoedler joins us to talk about how she’s bringing her history in research development to her current work at NSF elevating underrepresented research institutions across the country. 

A new year marks a moment to set new goals, and for many, that means embracing recovery from substance use and mental health conditions. At the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the Office of Recovery provides resources and strategies to elevate the importance of recovery. Many of the office's leaders are in recovery themselves, allowing personal experiences and growth to inform their work. In this episode, we learn how national policies and efforts around recovery are moving forward and get to know SAMHSA's Dona Dmitrovic, a woman in long-term recovery who has dedicated her career to helping others heal.

Today, we continue our last episode's discussion around federal efforts to understand and combat food insecurity. We discuss policies and programs that provide nutrition assistance with Dr. Sara Bleich, U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food and Nutrition Service Director of Nutrition Security and Health Equity. We'll talk about updates in nutrition assistance programs aimed at providing more equitable aid and the important role education and community engagement play in feeding America.