Reshaping the Lens of Equity Breakfast: Health Equity Matters

The topic of health equity continues to gain traction in conversations throughout the country. Social determinants such as physical environment, economic stability, education, food, and access to care can either support or inhibit our health and impacts health equity.

Join the DC Chamber and our expert panelists for an in-depth discussion on the impact of health inequities on communities. #wherepartnershipsthrive #reshapingthelensofequity

Meet Our Speakers!

Elise Lockamy-Kassim, MSPH serves as the Director of Community Health Programs and Partnerships within Wellstar’s Center for Health Equity. A former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Project Officer and Health Scientist, Elise works to build and strengthen partnerships for programs that benefit community residents. Her experience spans topics such as caregiver health, lead poisoning prevention, asthma prevention and control, childhood injury prevention, and health equity at-large. A Brooklyn, NY native, Elise matriculated from Georgetown University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She currently resides in Dekalb County with her husband, daughter, and pup. She is a proud Board Member of Empowerment Resource Center, a leading HIV/AIDS care clinic in Fulton County, GA, and Sewn Arts, a non-profit centered on advancing connections between art and healing.

Emile Pinera, MD is an internal medicine physician at KP for almost 10 years. He is the physician co-lead for Equity, Inclusion and Diversity for the Southeast Permanente Medical Group and faculty member at the Kaiser Permanente School of Medicine in Pasadena, California. Dr. Pinera is a second-generation health care worker whose parents used to work for KP as registered nurses in the ICU. Dr. Pinera’s passion is delivering equitable care for our diverse population helping to positively impact health care disparities. He cultivates an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging for KP’s most important resource, it’s people. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Biology at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Pinera is a graduate of St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed his internal medicine residency training at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, NY.

Shenne Bend (She/her)
Shenee is a liberation-focused healer, speaker, and writer who resides in Douglasville with her 2 children. She is a licensed professional counselor who focuses on pregnant and postpartum folks experiencing distress. Shenee is committed to helping Black mothers/parents to ground in their evolving identity and empowering them to mother on their terms. Shenee is the founder of a private, online counseling practice serving folks in Georgia and Florida. She has specialized training in perinatal mental health and decolonized therapy for Black folks. You can learn more about her and her services at www.pregnancytherapist.com.