Talk, Learn, and Collaborate (TLC) Series
The Talk, Learn, and Collaborate (TLC) Series is a place and time in which faculty, staff, learners, MSM partners and the community come together to learn, share, and document our strengths and innovations in service and partnership and discuss community challenges and actionable steps to advance health equity.
Upcoming Events
The Power of Participation: Understanding How Your Voice and Your Vote Influence Health, Equity, and Opportunity
đź“… Thursday, September 17, 2026
🕠5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
đź“Ť C.T. Martin Natatorium & Recreation Center
3201 MLK Jr. Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30311
This engaging evening will feature Attorney Samantha Weber, JD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine, and an expert in health law and policy.
Together, we will explore the important connection between civic participation, voting, health equity, and community well-being. Through an informative discussion, attendees will learn how community voices can help shape policies, resources, and opportunities that impact health outcomes and quality of life.
What to Expect
- Discussion on the relationship between civic engagement and health equity
- Information on voter participation and community advocacy
- Opportunities to connect with local organizations and community members
- Meaningful dialogue about strengthening our communities through engagement and action
Register to Attend
đź“Ť In-Person Registration:
đź’» Virtual Registration (Zoom):
Refreshments will be provided for in-person attendees.
Please feel free to share this invitation with colleagues, family members, friends, and community stakeholders who may be interested in joining the conversation.
For questions, please contact the Office of Community Engagement at OCE@MSM.EDU.
We hope to see you there and look forward to learning, sharing, and collaborating with you.
Check back often for updates on Morehouse School of Medicine’s Talk, Learn, and Collaborate! If you are interested in receiving updates on our TLC or other events involving the PRC, please use the button below to subscribe.
Past events
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October 23, 2025: Vaping Awareness
Vaping Awareness
The Office of Community Engagement returned to Herndon Square on October 23, 2025, to host a Vaping Awareness session for residents. The OCE team visited this location in 2024 to host a session on Broken Heart Syndrome and found the residents to be very welcoming and receptive to the lesson. After hearing that residents were interested in learning about vaping cessation, the OCE team quickly found a speaker, Dr. Xavier Bryant, and a panelist, Ms. Jalicae Norwood, a Clinical Research Coordinator at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Dr. Xavier Bryant is an entrepreneur pharmacist who has an extensive background in working with Morehouse School of Medicine and is a founder of the nonprofit 360 Health.
Dr. Bryant educated residents and viewers online on what vaping is and its harmful effects. The audience learned that vapes are just as harmful as smoking and contain the same chemicals, along with other metals. Ms. Norwood’s presentation instructed the audience on how to approach the youth to talk about vaping. At the end of both presentations, Dr. Bryant and Ms. Norwood came together to answer questions.
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July 25, 2024: Immigrant & Refugee Mental Health
Immigrant & Refugee Mental Health: Improving Access for Often Forgotten Disparity Populations
Morehouse School of Medicine’s Office of Community Engagement second Talk, Learn, and Collaborate was hosted at the Hapeville Library. Its topic was on the “Immigrant & Refugee Mental Health: Improving Access for Often Forgotten Disparity Populations”.
Our presenter was Dr. Gilberte Bastien, a licensed clinical psychologist, also the Deputy Director for the David Satcher Globel Health Equity Institute at MSM, and Assistant Professor in MSM’s Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine. Using Haitians as an example, Dr. Bastien described in detail the mental health challenges that affects the migrant and refugee population in the United States. Dr. Bastien was later joined by Mr. Terrence Hight, of Hight Health, who provided insightful commentary during the Q&A panel.
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April 2024: Reducing Risks - Improving Health Literacy Access to Historically Underserved
Communities.
Opening 2024’s first TLC of the year, Morehouse School of Medicine’s Office of Community Engagement partnered with Cobb County Library to host a session titled, Increasing Knowledge and Reducing Risks: Improving Health Literacy Access to Historically Underserved Communities.
MSM’s very own Dr. Rhonda Holliday was featured as a guest speaker. Her presentation focused on one of the many community-based participatory research initiatives housed in the Prevention Research Center, PrEP, which addresses HIV infection in youth and young in minoritized communities. Following Dr. Holliday’s presentation, a panel of community servants engaged in dialogue to explore her research findings. Amanda Sanders of Cobb County Library and Angelice Woods of the South Cobb High School’s Academy of Medical Science and Research Magnet Program, were two featured panel guests.
Watch April’s TLC here, recorded by CobbTV.
Event Gallery
- February 2019: InsideOut Luncheon
Morehouse School of Medicine’s Office of Community Engagement partnered with the Suburban Atlanta Black Ladies League to host The InsideOut Luncheon: Building an Emergency Response Kit to Aid in the Survival of Our Precious Souls.
Dr. Patricia Russell-McCloud was featured as the keynote speaker. Russell-McCloud is the 11th National President of Links, Inc., past National Parliamentarian to Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc., and bestselling author of My Journal: Myself, Inside Out.
A panel followed and featured:
- Holly D. Reid-Toodle, CPA – Author/Speaker/Coach
- Rosalind Mitchell, MA, LPC, NCC - Counselor/Therapist
- Jeneita Bell, MD - Family Medicine Physician
- May 2018: Building Partnerships to Improve Latino Health
On May 1st, Morehouse School of Medicine’s Office of Community Engagement and the Medical Spanish Club co-sponsored Building Partnerships to Improve Latino Health, part of the Talk, Learn, and Collaborate (TLC) series. Guests included community organizations that work directly with the Latino population in Georgia, which has the fastest and highest growth rate of the ethnic group in the nation according to the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Dr. Tabia Henry Akintobi, PhD, MPH, Associate Dean for Community Engagement, convened the discussion, followed by a welcome delivered by Dr. Sandra Harris-Hooker, PhD, Executive Vice Dean.
“All people of color must come together to tell our stories. We see today as an opportunity to assemble those narratives and translate them into actionable next steps that can lead to policy change,” said Sandra Harris-Hooker, Ph.D., Executive Vice Dean at MSM as she welcomed attendees.
Guest panelists included Gilda Pedraza, Executive Director of Latino Community Fund Georgia, Belisa M. Urbina, Executive Director, of Ser Familia, Inc., Leo Martinez, President of Latino LinQ, and Brenda Liz Munoz, Bilingual Program Associate for School and Community Supports for Latino Community of Practice, Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University.
Each panelist gave an overview of their organization’s focus and shed light on the key issues, many of which are social determinants of health. Each seeks to address matters such as equal and fair housing, income and employment disparities, quality education, and stress/trauma.
Students, faculty, and panelists also discussed on-the-ground strategies to begin to address these disparities among underserved populations, such as:
- educational pipelines that expose Latino youth to Morehouse School of Medicine STEM curricula and careers
- higher education partnerships with community organizations to develop internships, fellowships, and post-docs focused on Latino health/well-being
- grant writing support to community organizations with leadership/staff who speak English as a second language (ESL)
- cultivating philanthropic relationships that lead to investments in Latino resources
Natalie Hernandez, Ph.D., MPH, Assistant Director, Office of Community Engagement concluded the event by thanking guest and sparking high-energy and enthusiasm for collaborating to achieve change in the community. “We can create optimism, making Georgia and this country great—not by building walls, but by tearing down barriers to opportunity and building pathways,” said Dr. Hernandez.
- February 2018: InsideOut Luncheon
Morehouse School of Medicine’s Office of Community Engagement partnered with the Suburban Atlanta Black Ladies League to host The InsideOut Luncheon: How African American Professional Women Lead, Live, and Last!
100 women gathered over lunch for candid conversations around how to live healthier lives- spiritually, emotionally, and physically-within the context of personal responsibilities and stressors unique to women of color. Dr. Tabia Akintobi and Dr. Natalie Hernandez hosted a panel discussion with guest including:
- Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and Dean, Morehouse School of Medicine
- Letitia Presley-Cantrell, CDC Branch Chief, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
- Kimberley A. Dobson, President – Suburban Atlanta Black Ladies League
- Lauren Powers, Personal Trainer and Owner of Total Fitness Revolution
- Chef BEEE, Essential Oil Wellness Coach and RAW + Plant-Based Holistic Chef
