January 2023
You’re invited to Building a Healthy Community Together, a community engagement and listening session, on Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Maurice A. Edmond Arena Multi-Purpose Building. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. and close at 2:30 p.m., with an informational Share Fair open before and after the formal event. Southern University’s Agricultural Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are co-hosting this discussion to gain a better understanding of how specific communities interact with food and how certain food choices can lead to undesirable health outcomes like diet-related chronic diseases. Our shared goal of this session is to convene a diverse audience of local community members and leaders to discuss the health disparities in the community and ways we can combat these issues together. Featured speakers include USDA Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and Chief Scientist Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young and Southern University President-Chancellor Dennis Shields. Attendees will participate in small group conversations, interviews, and more, so we can directly hear from you about issues regarding diet, nutrition, and health. A Share Fair will provide opportunities to interact with USDA and Southern University staff on nutrition programs, healthy eating advice, community programs, and multiple ways to share your story with researchers for the benefit of the larger community. This listening session is the first in a series hosted by USDA’s Agricultural Science Center of Excellence for Nutrition and Diet for Better Health (ASCEND for Better Health). ASCEND for Better Health is a virtual science center that aims to accelerate research on diet-related chronic diseases and translate that research into impactful solutions that improve public health. You are invited because you are a valued community member and you eat! ASCEND needs your help to ensure our science-based solutions are relevant and have a real-world impact. Southern University will provide lunch and a gift card to participants. Registration is required and attendance is limited, so please RSVP as soon as possible. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Fatemeh Malekian at fatemeh_malekian@suagcenter.com.