NACDD Hires Senior Director of Health Equity, Celebrates Achievements Advancing Anti-Racism in State Health

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National Association of Chronic Disease Directors

Jan 31, 2022, 10:01 ET

ATLANTA, Jan. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) announces several new accomplishments in its strategic efforts to become an anti-racist public health organization. Robyn Taylor, MBA, has been hired to serve as the Senior Director of Health Equity. NACDD also announces several other achievements in the Association's work to promote Health Equity given the continued widening health disparities among historically marginalized and oppressed communities.

"Robyn has done significant work for the Association as our Health Equity consultant and as a leader in our Health Equity Council," said NACDD CEO John W. Robitscher, MPH. "She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Association, and the work she will continue to do is vital to our mission. As the Senior Director of Health Equity, she will help ensure that we have a consistent focus on social and racial equity across our portfolio of work and in the Association's operations."

In the new role, Taylor also will lead the development of a center for health equity at NACDD.

The Association recently completed the FY 2021 Board President's Challenge, led by Dr. Susan Kansagra. The challenge called upon state chronic disease programs to redouble their efforts to dismantle structural racism through a greater focus on racial equity in chronic disease programs. Twelve states committed to implementing activities or goals highlighted in the "Action Steps to Advance Racial Equity as a Core Component of State Chronic Disease Programs" guide. Current NACDD Board President Kristi Pier's President's Challenge for 2022 focuses on building resilience to move forward from the inequities and stressors chronic disease teams have experienced, to actively address and seek ways to improve health outcomes.

NACDD's 2022 Program Success Showcase featured two panel discussions on the health debt, casting a light on disparities and their root causes. The upcoming Chronic Disease Academy also will have health equity as a major component of its programming, featuring a variety of voices and learning opportunities on the subject. In addition, NACDD's 2022 Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Communications Guide, a guideline of the preferred writing style and terminology for state health communicators, will include a substantially enhanced section on health equity language.

NACDD's program work also has continued to emphasize health equity. Within the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program's 30^th anniversary event, a health equity training journal was developed for awardees with examples, exercises, and questions to facilitate discussion, broaden views, and identify opportunities for improvement.

Several of NACDD's 2021 GEAR Groups – case-based, peer-to-peer learning opportunities to promote state-level action – also focused on anti-racism and how to use data to promote equity in policy and programming.

The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors
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The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) and its more than 7,000 Members seek to strengthen state-based leadership and expertise for chronic disease prevention and control in states and nationally. chronicdisease.org.

SOURCE National Association of Chronic Disease Directors