Regionally Speaking

When thinking about the causes of an illness, the first things that come to mind are the biology and chemistry behind the disease. In continuing with the public health theme of the last several episodes, Dr. Scott Frank discusses the factors outside of medicine that influence our health. Dr. Frank, a professor of family medicine and a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, lists the leading causes of death as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, but explains how lack of education, racial injustice, and poverty are the driving factors behind mortality in the United States. What does this mean for a medical educator and public health educator? Listen as Dr. Frank shares stories about the fate of the underserved and about public health events to raise awareness about the important health issues facing our community.

Much of medicine is dedicated to physical health. Yet so much of well-being depends upon mental health. Faye Gary has dedicated her career as a psychiatric nurse to the mental health of children with a focus on homeless and runaway youth along with high risk behaviors. Now with a Doctor of Education degree, Faye serves as the Kent W. Clapp Chair Professor of Nursing for Vulnerable and at Risks Persons at Case Western Reserve University. Today she discusses what motivated her to work with the mental health of children, and how factors outside of medicine contribute to mental health.

Depression is a severe mental illness. Left untreated it can have disastrous consequences. Latisha James, the Director of Community Partnerships at Case Western Reserve University, explains how within the African American community depression is particularly underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. James has made increasing the awareness of depression a personal passion and professional responsibility. This discussion touches on community programs such as the lecture by Terrie Williams and the recent cuts to public health programs.

How do we preserve the stories of our community? On our last program, Gladys Haddad talked to the leaders behind the Voice and Action Project, an effort to collect the narratives of East Cleveland residents. This week Gladys meets the residents who are collecting the stories of their fellow community members. Mattie Lavora Perry, freelance writer and resident of East Cleveland, and her daughter Nia D. Perry Richardson, a high school student, discuss their motivations for getting involved in a oral history project and the importance of preserving each other's stories.

The novelist James Baldwin wrote, "If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go." This is the motivation for the oral interview effort in the City of East Cleveland called the "Voicing and Action Project." For a city facing tough economic challenges, engagement through stories of the city's own residents is a step forward for empowering a united community. This week Gladys Haddad, host of Regionally Speaking, talks to those involved in the project and listens to how the collection of local residents' stories not only documents the city's past, but also sheds a light on where residents want the city to be.

Students are a community's most valuable asset. Today's high school students will be future leaders of the community. That is why Regionally Speaking is excited this week to highlight the stories of two high school students who overcame academic and personal struggles. De’Van Bogard is a senior at Glenville High School and a football star who describes his late nights studying for the ACTs. Cyril Creque Sarbinowski is a junior at Cleveland School of Science and a promising scholar who talks about his transformation from failing grades to straight A's. Their stories are interwined with our third guest Corttrell Kinney, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and a mentor for high school students.

Last week, Janice Eatman-Williams came back from a volunteer trip to New Orleans. This is the ninth trip Janice has taken to the Gulf region post-hurricane Katrina. What does the clean-up effort in New Orleans look like seven years after the disaster? This is the topic of only half the program. We first discuss where Janice's commitment to social justice comes from. She grew up in a household that always at the center of the community. Janice's father was the first African American to work for the city of Parma, a suburb in the Greater Cleveland area. This week we learn how an upbringing in a home dedicated to the well-being of the community translated into a lifetime commitment to social justice.

University Circle is an economic powerhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Students and research bring jobs to the community. How do students and faculty engage with the community when they are not studying or working in laboratories? This week Regionally Speaking invited two undergraduates who were honored at the Students Making a Difference Luncheon at Case Western Reserve University. Alexis Crosby, a junior studying sociology student, and Allison George, a senior studying sociology and musical performance, discuss experiences tutoring high school students and organizing Relay for Life, a fundraising event for cancer research.

Corttrell Kinney is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Today, though, we spent time on the inspiring work Corttrell does outside of the laboratory. As a tutor and mentor, Corttrell builds close relationships with struggling high school students. His success with pulling up youth stems from his ability to connect with students at eye level. Corttrell himself grew up in Cleveland and graduated from John Hay High School. In the second half of the program, Corttrell describes how he takes this passion for educating the community to the business community with a program that helps local businesses keep their employees.

When thinking about environmental health, the first issues that usually come to mind are pollution and outdoor air quality. This overlooks that hazards that can be found in one’s own home. It is a public health concern that can have its most potent effects on urban communities and neighborhoods with substandard housing. This week Gladys Haddad talks with Kimberly Foreman, the Director of Outreach and Education for Environmental Health Watch in Cleveland, Ohio. Foreman talks about her role inspecting homes for health hazards and she discusses her community education programs.

The gay community expands to all age groups and ethnicities. Anthony Crumbley is a graduate student at Case Western Reserve University's Mandel School of Social Science in Cleveland, Ohio and he tries to engage this diverse group, young and old, with open discussions about issues like anti-gay bullying. On top of these support groups and conferences, Crumbley works as a research assistant for Rhonda Williams, the director of CWRU's Social Justice Institute. Listen this week to hear more about Crumbley's projects and what he sees in his future after graduation.

How do we talk about suicide? For those who have experienced a suicide loss of a friend or family member it can be difficult to find a support network to talk about what happened. Tanetta Andersson, a Ph.D. student at Case Western Reserve University's Department of Sociology, talks about her research on disenfranchised grief and the way her community service has expanded to social justice work.

Esperanza means hope in Spanish. The non-profit Esperanza offers the hope of a better education for students in the Latino community. Omar Gutierrez, a senior at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio majoring in Medical Anthropology, has volunteered with Esperanza since his Freshman year. This week we invited Omar to Regionally Speaking to discuss his experience tutoring Latino students and his motivations for volunteering.

The goal of the Inamori Center for Ethics and Excellence is to promote ethical leadership. Its signature event is the Inamori Ethics Prize, which brings internationally renowned leaders to the Case Western Reserve University campus in Cleveland, Ohio. The Director of the Inamori Center is Shannon French, who joined CWRU faculty in 2008 after working as the associate chair of the United States Naval Academy's Department of Leadership, Ethics and Law. This week we learn more about Dr. French and her role at the Inamori Center.

STAND is a national organization of students committed to anti-genocide activism. Today, Regionally Speaking talks to the President and Vice President of the Case Western Reserve University STAND chapter in Cleveland, Ohio. Jun Iida, a third year undergraduate major in Aerospace Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and Brittany Rattiliff, a second year undergraduate studying medical anthropology, discuss STAND's refugee mentoring program along with their own personal motivations for pushing themselves "to be the change they want to see in the world."

Regionally Speaking brings two guests to the studio whose lives are intertwined with the City of East Cleveland, Ohio, both personally and professionally. Collette Clinkscale, Chief of Staff in East Cleveland’s Mayor Office, and Tom Wheeler, former Director of Building and Housing for East Cleveland, both grew up in the city they are still committed to till this day. They talk about their memories with city they love along their ideas about what community members and local can do to help the city survive and thrive.