CDC Grand Rounds Focuses on Disability

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's December installment of its Public Health Grand Rounds webinar series will focus on disability. The CDC's Public Health Grand Rounds is a monthly webcast designed to foster discussion on major public health issues. Each session focuses on a specific topic. The December installment will focus on disability and will feature the work of the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and its related partners - including the Amputee Coalition.

The webcast will take place Tuesday December 18, 2012 at 1:00pm ET. To watch the live webcast, visit - www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter using the hastag #cdcgrandrounds.

The webcast will include the following presentations:

Gloria Krahn, PhD, MPH
Director, Division of Human Development and Disability

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC

“Who are People with Disabilities?”

Monika Mitra, PhD

Assistant Professor

University of Massachusetts Medical School

“Disparities in Health among People with Disabilities in Massachusetts”

Jennifer Hootman, PhD, ATC, FACSM, FNATA

Epidemiologist, Arthritis Program- Division of Population Health

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC

“Expanding Reach of Evidence-based Health Promotion Programs”

Catherine Graham, MEBME

Rehabilitation Engineer, School of Medicine Interagency Office of Disability & Health

 University South Carolina School of Medicine

“Health and Wellness in People with Disabilities: Progress in South Carolina”

Georges Benjamin, MD, FACP, FNAPA, FACEP (E), Hon FRSPH

Executive Director

American Public Health Association

“Strengthening Accessibility in Public Health”

Facilitated By:

Tanja Popovic, MD, PhD, Scientific Director, CDC Public Health Grand Rounds 

John Iskander, MD, MPH, Deputy Scientific Director, CDC Public Health Grand Rounds 

Susan Laird, MSN, RN, Communications Manager, CDC Public Health Grand Rounds 

The presenters will:

·       Describe who people with disabilities are, and why they are important to public health

·       Present data demonstrating health differences and risk factors of poor health for people with disabilities

·       Demonstrate physical activity programs implemented by CDC’s Arthritis program to enable people to live well with functional limitations

·       Highlight CDC state grantees’ experience in modifying existing health programs to accommodate people with disabilities

·       Demonstrate best practices for the inclusion of disability in national public health organizations

Studies by the Division of Human Development and Disability demonstrate the need for greater involvement of the public health community in programs and interventions for people with disabilities:

·       One in 6 adult Americans lives with a disability, when disability is defined by a limitation in function. 

·       Many people with disabilities are at higher risk for multiple chronic conditions, injuries, and increased vulnerability during disasters. 

·       Comparatively, people with disabilities are 4 times more likely to report their health to be fair/poor and 2.5 times more likely to have unmet health care needs than non-disabled peers.

·       $400 billion is spent annually on disability-related health expenditures.  

Free Continuing Education Opportunity

Receive free training and continuing education opportunities/contact hours for watching broadcasts of Public Health Grand Rounds. The course code for PHGR is PHGR10. Thirty days from the initial session the course number will change to WD1640 and will be available for continuing education for two years after initial presentation date.

Registration is not required to watch the live webcast of Grand Rounds; however, you must register for continuing education.