The mission of IACH’s Center for Community Health Conversations is to convene community, academic, traditional and non-traditional community health practitioners to address community health priorities. We’re excited to host a variety of events at Furman University and in the community throughout the year, including:
Community Health Forum
IACH hosted a special two-day professional development opportunity, “Cultivating Lifelong Family Well-Being,” in March 2024 at Furman’s Younts Conference Center, a partnership between IACH and the Institute for Child Success (ICS). This program brought together early childhood professionals, medical practitioners, educators, social workers, academics, and policymakers to discuss a variety of topics including adopting best practices for maternal health, child development, developmental screening, equity, and mental health and well-being. We’re already planning our program for 2025! Email IACH@furman.edu to be added to our mailing list for next year’s event.
Special CLP campus events
Housing isn’t just a matter of having a roof overhead: it is a fundamental determinant of health. Housing is healthcare, IACH Executive Director Dr. Kerry Sease said during our April 2024 CLP, “Prioritizing Homelessness, Housing Insecurity, and Community Health in our Hometown.”
We welcomed these community partners to talk about their work:
Susan McLarty, Greenville Homeless Alliance
Francisco Arnaiz, Greenville County Redevelopment Authority
Mary Kay Campbell, Greater Greenville Mental Health Center
Adrick Ceasar ‘96, The Good Shepherd’s House
Jordan Harris ’21, City of Greenville
Emmi Kodat ’13, Buncombe Street
Looking forward to more community health conversations with all of you!
Furman Engaged! 2024
A new feature of this year’s Furman Engaged! was a data walk for students and community members. The event, held at Furman’s Hipp Hall, enabled students to talk to SC DHEC data experts about public health issues in the Greenville community in this interactive, small group experience.
Furman Engaged! is a campus-wide celebration dedicated to highlighting diverse and immersive learning experiences enjoyed by students who have participated in undergraduate research, internships, study away experiences, creative projects, service learning, first-year writing seminars and capstone experiences. Students have immersed themselves in these and other high-impact learning experiences through IACH. This special day provides students the opportunity to complete the last and key step of these deep learning experiences–the public sharing of their work with peers, faculty, staff, and the community.
Advantage Greenville:
AI and Healthcare
IACH Executive Director Dr. Kerry Sease led a fireside chat with leaders from healthcare, tech and communications fields Friday during Advantage Greenville at the Greenville One Center. The theme of the morning discussion, hosted by The Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Furman University and Furman’s Office of Alumni and Parent Engagement, was “The Road to Trustworthy AI: Transparency in Healthcare Innovation.”
Panelists discussed how generative AI is being used to speed up development of prescription medications and assist clinicians with the patient experience. They also discussed ethical considerations of gathering personal health data and how healthcare providers could find balance in using AI-generated information in an effort to improve patient outcomes.
Panelists included: James Chappell, PhD, President and CEO, SCbio; James Wiggins, Sr. Manager, Solutions Architecture for Global Public Sector Healthcare, Amazon Web Services (AWS); W. Patrick Springhart, MD, VP Innovation, Prisma Health; Jack Neil, Founder, Hank.ai; and Jennifer Oladipo, Founder, Jenno Co.
Stay tuned for future IACH CLPs, our Community Health Showcase, our annual Women in Healthcare Panel Discussion and other events that take place throughout the academic year!