Health Empowerment Through Community Engagement : Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Starla Hairston-Blanks, MBA is the director of Health Promotion and Policy for Community Voices: Healthcare for the Underserved of Morehouse School of Medicine. As director of Health Promotion and Policy, Mrs. Blanks oversees the development of curricula, health education aids, technical assistance plans and trainings for community health workers and project staff focused on chronic disease and policy.

Additionally, she is charged with the evaluation of numerous nationwide projects related to community health, access to care, health policy, diabetes and nutrition. To this position she brings experience working at the local, state, and national levels on health promotion, health policy, diversity and access to care issues.

Mrs. Blanks has worked with community health workers, coalitions, health departments, school systems, community based organizations, and national networks on a variety of health promotion initiatives including diabetes, obesity, tobacco use, and chronic disease prevention.

In addition, Mrs. Blanks has been published in journals such as the Journal of the National Medical Association and the Journal of Men's Health and her writings can be found in several books related to health disparities and the social determinants of health. She is a nationally recognized trainer with certifications in public health practice, adult learning, community organizing, smoking cessation and chronic disease.

Mrs. Blanks holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and her Masters degree in Business Administration with a specialization in non-profit leadership. She currently is also enrolled in the University of New England's Master of Public Health Certificate program, making Mrs. Blanks the first UNE student to be featured as a Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration keynote speaker!