Aug 31, 2021
Today’s guest is a clinical doctor and a public health practitioner, who is working towards bridging the gap between these two somewhat disconnected fields.
Dr. Meghan O’Connell has dedicated her life’s work to the achievement of health equity in the United States, and firmly believes that connecting clinical medicine and public health is an essential element in reaching the goal to eliminate health disparities.
Dr. O’Connell has worked in a number of roles throughout her career, which you will hear briefly about today, but the main focus of our discussion is on the work that she is currently doing with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Great Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center (GPTEC), and tribal communities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the existing vulnerabilities of Native American tribes. During the conversation on this episode, Dr. O’Connell shares the challenges she has faced regarding public health data acquisition for these communities. There is a discussion about Dr. O’Connell and the Tribal Epidemiology Centers effort to address these challenges.