by Keara Rodela, BA
I had the pleasure of attending the Third Annual Cultural Inclusion in Social Determinants of Health conference in San Antonio, Texas. The conference was held in the historic Menger hotel, the oldest operating hotel west of the Mississippi and next door to the Alamo. The city of San Antonio was beautiful and festive as I arrived in time for their Fiesta celebration. During our breaks for lunch and dinner there were bands playing and lots of restaurants to explore. I am very glad I got to attend the conference in such an inviting place because the conference itself was not what I expected and somewhat of a disappointment.
Social determinants of health (SDoH) are greatly emphasized in our MPH education, and rightly so as these are indicators of health and well-being for our targeted populations. With that thought, I attended the conference with the idea that I would learn how others are addressing cultural inclusion and SDoH in their work. I was not prepared for the clinical nature of the presentations and the demographics of the attendees or the lack of cultural inclusion being addressed in the presentations regarding vulnerable populations. The attendees were made up of clinic nurses, academic nurse educators, or retirees which meant most presentations focused on how to apply cultural inclusion within the academic setting. However, I was expecting presentations on work being done in the field, helping communities of color.
I did find I connected with two of the presenters whose presentations were more aligned with addressing cultural inclusion in the field, and the work they are doing was amazing to hear about. Although I do not feel I gained much that applied to my own work from attending this conference, I can say that the presenters were knowledgeable about their topics and the attendees were engaged.
As a result of attending this conference, I was able to make a valuable connection with the Keynote speaker and gained a new mentor in the area of MCH and reproductive health. Although the conference overall was not what I had expected, I recognize there was a professional benefit from attending and am appreciative of the chance to go.
Keara Rodela is a Community Health Worker and second-year MPH student and CEMCH Scholar, with a focus in Maternal and Child Health and health disparities.
