The Jefferson College of Population Health will host the speakers below in "Providing Comprehensive Care to Underserved Communities," on April 10, 2019 in room 105/107 in Blueme Life Sciences Building on 233 South 10th Street.

Nikki Bromberg, MSW, Associate Dir of Alumni Engagement, Health Sciences
Drexel University

Mario Cruz, MD, Medical Director, Pediatric and Adolescent Health Center
Philadelphia FIGHT

Kari Hexem, DMD, MPH, Dental Director 
Philadelphia FIGHT Family Dentistry

Val Sowell, PHR, Staff Training and Enrichment Team Manager
Philadelphia FIGHT

This panel will share the history, vision and programs of Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers, charting their growth from 1990 to today. Originally formed as a clinical research organization committed to ending the AIDS epidemic, FIGHT expanded into an AIDS Service Organization (ASO) and has since become a large Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) incorporating dental care, behavioral health and recovery programs, and pediatric, adolescent, and adult primary care, with a special focus on treating HIV and curing Hep C. FIGHT is unique because the health services are embedded in an organization that prioritizes digital access and digital literacy while addressing the needs of formerly incarcerated persons, homeless and unstably housed individuals, and anyone at risk of HIV.

In addition, the panel will discuss the relationship between the Jefferson College of Population Health and Philadelphia FIGHT, particularly with the JCPH MPH students.

Learning Objectives: 
1. Describe FIGHT’s history in community research and how the type of programs they offer positively affect underserved communities.
2. Explain various successes and challenges of building a multi-disciplinary practice servicing some of Philadelphia's most vulnerable citizens. 
3. List ways Federally Qualified Health Centers impact populations and how they play an important role in population health. 

Meet the speakers: 
Nikki Bromberg, MSW 
Nikki works at Drexel University serving as Associate Director of Alumni Engagement, Health Sciences. In this role, Nikki helps to develop programming that brings together students, alumni and community members around critical conversations like the opioid epidemic and harm reduction strategies and the long-term trauma effects of mass shootings within the educational setting. Nikki proudly served as Philadelphia FIGHT’s first official Volunteer Manager from 2016 to 2018 and completed her MSW internship at the organization, working with AIDS Education Month programming and the Youth Health Empowerment Project. 

Mario Cruz, MD 
A board certified pediatrician, Dr. Cruz joined Philadelphia FIGHT as the Medical Director for our Pediatric and Adolescent Health Centerin 2017. He completed his undergraduate training in Biology and Psychology from Union College, his medical school training at Albany Medical College, his residency training at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, and his Chief Residency at the Albert Einstein Medical Center. He joined Philadelphia FIGHT Pediatrics after 9 years as an academic pediatrician at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, where he led the medical training program as an Associate Residency Program Director. He also has experience working in private practice through Advocare.

Currently, Dr. Cruz is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Drexel University College of Medicine, has additional training in Child Abuse Pediatrics through the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Child Abuse Preceptorship and has completed formal training in Educational Scholarship through the Academic Pediatric Association’s Educational Scholars Program.

Kari Hexem, DMD, MPH
Dr. Hexem is the  Dental Director and general Dentist at Philadelphia FIGHT Family Dentistry. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine with honors in Community Oral Health.   She has a BA in Anthropology from Reed College and her MPH is from Oregon Health Sciences University in Epidemiology/Biostatistics.  She is a member of the American Dental Association (ADA), the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), the American Academy of Oral Medicine (AAOM), the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA), the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD), and the American Dental Education Association (ADEA).  She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Community Oral Health at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

Val Sowell, PHR
Val Sowell, PHR is the Staff Training and Enrichment Manager for Philadelphia FIGHT. She has been at FIGHT since 2000 in a variety of roles, including Project TEACH Coordinator, Editor of the HIV/AIDS Resource Guide for the AIDS Library, and Staff Benefits Manager.  She currently guest lectures for the Project TEACH classes on the topics of “The Global AIDS Pandemic and the Origins of HIV” and “Research for an HIV Cure”. As a person of trans experience, she conducts “Gender 101” workshops at FIGHT and other settings, as well as conducting staff trainings on “Harm Reduction Principles and Practices,” “HIV and Hep C Basics,” and “Implicit Bias at FIGHT.” She has a BA in English from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as well as a PHR certificate from HRCI (Human Resources Certification Institute).