Social Mission Alliance Conference 2024

Equity Amplified: Uniting Toward Social Mission Transformation

Conferences > 2024 Conference

Co-Host

Duke University School of Nursing 

Duke University School of Nursing

About

In Durham, our 7th national conference brought together over 350 attendees to exchange ideas, develop actionable strategies, and build lasting connections with others in the social mission community. Our attendees came from across the world, including 34 US states, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, the Philippines, Ghana, and The Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Equity Amplified: Uniting Toward Social Mission Transformation featured 63 posters, 52 breakout presentations/workshops, 3 keynote addresses, 3 plenary panels, 3 community site visit opportunities, and 2 community panels. 

Students at Social Mission Alliance Conference 2024. Total Number of Learners: 119. A total of 119 learners attended the 2024 Social Mission Alliance conference, making up 1/3 of attendees. Students came to Durham, NC representing 50 different institutions across 20 states in the US, plus Nepal and Trinidad and Tobago

We are pleased to have provided scholarship funding to 26 Social Mission Scholars and a reduced rate for all students and trainees. Students had the opportunity to attend the pre-conference on Sunday April 7, and student event night on Tuesday April 9.

All attendees could claim up to 17.25 Continuing Education (CE) credits for their participation in sessions. 

Conference Photos

Relevant Links

Conference website

Conference Program

Macy Awards

Keynote Speakers

Debra Farrington

Debra Farrington

NCDHHS Deputy Secretary/ Chief Health Equity Officer

Margaret Moss

Margaret Moss

University of Minnesota School of Nursing Professor and Associate Dean for Nursing and Health Policy

Davarian Baldwin

Davarian L. Baldwin

Paul E. Raether Distinguished Professor of American Studies and founding director of Smart Cities Research Lab at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut

Plenary Panels

  1. Advancing Health Equity in Health Professions Education in an Era of Political Polarization, with Victor Dzau and Holly Humphrey, moderated by Candice Chen
  2. Preparing the Next Generation of the Healthcare Workforce: Strategies and Models for Recruitment and Retention, with Eleanor Fleming, Erin Fraher, and Theresa Horvath, moderated by Brigit Carter
  3. Health Equity, Artificial Intelligence, and the Future of Population Health, with Michael Cary, Siobahn Day Grady, and Michael Kosorok, moderated by Patrick Smith. 

Community Site Visits

Conference attendees had the option of joining one of three site visit options to local organizations in Durham, or could stay at the conference venue for community panels. 

Families Moving Forward is the only emergency shelter for families in Durham, providing a stable, safe, and loving environment, alongside educational, early intervention, and health programs, for families and children. Church World Service Durham welcomes refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers from around the globe into lives of freedom, hope, and opportunity through direct services, advocacy, leadership development, and relationship-building in the Durham community. Participants in this session will have the opportunity to tour their facilities and learn about and hear from the communities they serve.

TROSA is a licensed treatment facility that empowers people with substance use disorders and recovering individuals by providing peer-driven comprehensive treatment, experiential vocational training, health services, free housing, and more. El Centro Hispano is the longest-serving Latine organization in North Carolina providing child and youth development and educational programs, ESL, financial literacy, job placement and training, and health education and prevention to the Hispanic/Latine population across Durham, Wake, Orange, and neighboring counties. El Futuro seeks to transform Latine-serving mental health care in North Carolina and beyond, by providing bilingual and culturally responsive mental health services and case management in a welcoming environment of healing and hope. Tour participants learned about community-based approaches to mental health services from these premiere service organizations.

DUSON’s M-PACT (Mobile Prevention and Care Team) Clinic is a nurse-led mobile health unit. Nursing students apply social determinants of health knowledge to provide quality care to rural and underserved urban populations. Partnering with Durham Technical Community College and their Community Health Lab, they provide health screenings and health education. Participants will get a glimpse of M-PACT in action in the community. Afterwards, participants were guided through DUSON and tour the Center for Nursing Discovery, a nationally recognized and accredited simulation lab.

Student Poster Competition

Poster submissions by trainees as the primary author (students, residents, and those in training fellowships) were considered for our student poster competition and were evaluated by poster judges. 

1st Place

Jesslyn Magee-Gonzalez

“Fast Forward from Flexner: Capturing the Emergence of Modern Medical Schools at HBCUs”

2nd Place 

Alexxandra Hurtado

“Elevating Voices: Residents’ Perceptions of Safety at Affordable Housing Developments”

3rd Place

Daryl Traylor

“Evaluating the Impact of Sexual Harassment and Violence Prevention Training on Medical Students’ Reporting Behaviors and Perceptions of Institutional Support”

Impact on the Community

Our team prioritized making a positive impact in Durham while we were there. To this end, we hosted a silent auction that raised $2.5k for the Center for Child and Family Health. As their mission states, CCFH strives to “define, practice, and teach the highest standards of care in treating and preventing childhood trauma” in Durham. 

All of the artwork featured at our conference was bought and created by local artists in Durham. This includes:

Each local organization that hosted us for a site visit received a donation from the Social Mission Alliance to compensate them for their time and for enriching our conference.

Over $32.5k went to local growers and catering companies for the food provided at the conference, including Virginia & Co., Pretty Tipsy, Braswell Farms, Heritage Farms, Lyon Farms, Joyce Farms, and BoxCarr Handmade Cheese.

The Social Mission Alliance is grateful for the support from our sponsors to make this conference possible. 

Champion Spotlight

The Social Mission Alliance features Social Mission Champions on our social media accounts and blog. The series highlights the important work done by those who are advancing health equity and addressing the health disparities of the society in which it exists. If you’d like to be considered for a Social Mission Champion feature, complete the form below.