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Welcome to the Pioneers in Health podcast. In this podcast, we share inspiring stories of pioneering leaders from our nation and from your backyard who are working to improve health.
In episode 55, we interview Sharla Smith, Ph.D., MPH, who serves as an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. She is a health services and systems researcher whose primary research is maternal and infant health disparities, women cancer disparities, and community engagement. She is also the co-founder of Kansas Sisters and Brothers for Healthy Infants and the founder of the Kansas Birth Equity Network.
In this episode, she shares how she originally intended to become an OB/GYN physician. However, after going to college, she decided on a different career path — one where she felt she could touch even more lives. She decided to pursue systems research.
“I was still able to come back to that passion of maternal and child health, but in a way that I was able to work directly with the community, as well as work with the physicians to really make a change on different levels,” she said.
She wanted to focus on community, healthcare and policy.
“That was my overall goal — was how do I change the world for every person, every mom, and every dad and every baby,” she said.
She ultimately pursued a doctorate degree in health systems and services research with a concentration in health economics.
In this episode, she discusses:
- Disparities that exist for Black mothers and children of color
- Advancing equity and addressing disparities
- Building systems that support families
- The importance of building a culturally competent workforce to improve health outcomes
- Coordination of care
- Reforms needed to provide better care
- Why community engagement is important
- Founding the Kansas Birth Equity Network and its mission
- The importance of including fathers in the conversation
- Women’s cancer disparities
- What gives her hope
And much more! Listen now, and learn more about how Sharla is an innovative leader in Kansas.
Please see the Pioneers in Health page on our website for more information on our podcast series and links to other episodes.
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