The more I learned about how the tobacco industry has targeted the African American community, the more I started to think about smoking as not just a health issue, but a social justice issue.
We felt there should be an organization to help new as well as experienced fathers better cope with the feelings of uncertainty and pressure that sometimes comes with the anticipation of a new child.
Over 95% of the kids that we work with were trafficked at age 13 or younger. Almost 99% of our kids have histories of sexual abuse prior to being trafficked. No child should have to endure the first incident, but absolutely not the subsequent revictimization that occurs.
We expected age, sex, and BMI to be contributors [to back pain], but we found that the top 2 out of 1000+ variables were income and education. Now my research group focuses on how social determinants of health are related to spine disease and low back pain.
Joyce Chapman’s vision was aligned with the vision of C3EN, which is to build coalitions of diverse organizations and individuals to fight for social justice. We hope the Joyce Chapman Award will help continue her legacy by facilitating partnerships between researchers and community organizations who can work together to achieve our dream of a just society.