Public health professionals are increasingly called to address complex inequities rooted in systemic racism, trauma, and historical mistrust. Yet many professionals have not been given the tools to navigate conflict, build authentic trust across difference, or recognize how implicit bias and emotional responses impact communication with strategically undervalued populations. This skill-building session is designed to strengthen participants’ ability to practice equity-centered, trauma-informed, and empathetic public health engagement.
This interactive training will help public health professionals better communicate with and listen to QBIPOC communities while building empathy for the structural injustices that shape health outcomes and lived experiences. Participants will examine how conflict avoidance, defensiveness, implicit bias, and countertransference can interfere with effective communication, relationship-building, and equitable public health practice. The session will also explore how white supremacy shows up in workplace dynamics, systems, and patient care, particularly through urgency, perfectionism, and avoidance of discomfort.
Participants will develop practical emotional intelligence and communication skills that support stronger public health relationships, more responsive community engagement, and increased capacity to navigate difficult conversations with compassion and accountability. Through equity education, discussion, and real-world application, attendees will leave with tangible tools to strengthen their anti-racist public health practice and deepen trust with the communities they serve.
This session aligns with best practices in public health by centering cultural humility, trauma-informed engagement, equity-informed communication, and community-centered approaches to care. The training supports workforce development by equipping professionals with interpersonal and reflective skills necessary for effective collaboration, cross-sector partnership, and equitable patient care in increasingly diverse communities.
Instructional methods will include a lecture-style presentation with slides, facilitated discussion, reflective exercises, scenario-based application, and opportunities for peer learning and dialogue. Skill development will be measured through participant self-reflection, interactive discussion, applied practice exercises.
This session directly supports the conference theme, Stronger Together, by helping public health professionals build the empathy, communication skills, and relational capacity necessary to foster resilient communities, collaborative partnerships, and a more equitable public health future.
