Speaker & Film Series
Join us for a three-part series this fall as we examine the root causes of poor health, current manifestations of health disparities, and potential solutions to achieve health equity.
Since its founding, the Georgia Health Policy Center (GHPC) has focused on addressing complex challenges to advance health and well-being for all. GHPC has a 25-year history of creating the right environment to have important conversations and to think systemically about tough problems.
We invite you to join us as we explore solutions to the most complex health-related challenges with national thought leaders.
Upcoming
8
October
Join us for a virtual conversation with Sam Quinones, author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, moderated by Dr. Debra Houry, director of the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.
Isolation, job loss, economic insecurity, and anxiety resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic are affecting millions of Americans. These same factors are also at the root of the opioid epidemic. The despair brought on by COVID-19, combined with diminished access to treatment and personal contact as part of social distancing efforts, could in turn fuel the ongoing opioid epidemic.
Yet, there are signs of hope that the pandemic has renewed in all of us an appreciation for community, the desire to make personal connections again, and the strengthening of bonds that may provide resilience in recovery from both COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic.
This event is possible through the generous financial support of the CDC Foundation, as well as Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Center for Law, Health & Society, School of Nursing, and School of Public Health.

15
October
The event will screen clips from the documentary No Small Matter, with discussion by keynote speaker Dr. Neal Horen, from Georgetown University, highlighting the impact of early care and education on brain development and America’s social and economic future.
Keynote speaker Dr. Neal Horen, director of early childhood at the Center for Child and Human Development at Georgetown University, will lead a discussion on the importance of the early childhood period for making connections, building socioemotional health, and overall healthy development for all children. He will be joined by a panel of local experts in policy, program, and practice, including:
- Rep. Katie Dempsey, Georgia House of Representatives, chair of the House Study Committee on Infant and Toddler Social and Emotional Health
- Veda Johnson, M.D., Marcus Professor of pediatrics and executive director of PARTNERS for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health at Emory University
- Tyese Lawyer, president and CEO, Our House
We welcome a broad audience of policymakers and legislators, funders, researchers, providers, educators, state agencies, community agencies, and families for a meaningful discussion.
This event is part of a series of equity-focused events hosted by GHPC and the first of a continuing series of behavioral health convenings hosted by the Center of Excellence for Children’s Behavioral Health at GHPC.
Thank you to our partners
