Regionally Speaking Case Western Reserve University

When thinking about the causes of an illness, the first things that come to mind are the biology and chemistry behind the disease. In continuing with the public health theme of the last several episodes, Dr. Scott Frank discusses the factors outside of medicine that influence our health. Dr. Frank, a professor of family medicine and a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, lists the leading causes of death as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, but explains how lack of education, racial injustice, and poverty are the driving factors behind mortality in the United States. What does this mean for a medical educator and public health educator? Listen as Dr. Frank shares stories about the fate of the underserved and about public health events to raise awareness about the important health issues facing our community.

Much of medicine is dedicated to physical health. Yet so much of well-being depends upon mental health. Faye Gary has dedicated her career as a psychiatric nurse to the mental health of children with a focus on homeless and runaway youth along with high risk behaviors. Now with a Doctor of Education degree, Faye serves as the Kent W. Clapp Chair Professor of Nursing for Vulnerable and at Risks Persons at Case Western Reserve University. Today she discusses what motivated her to work with the mental health of children, and how factors outside of medicine contribute to mental health.

Depression is a severe mental illness. Left untreated it can have disastrous consequences. Latisha James, the Director of Community Partnerships at Case Western Reserve University, explains how within the African American community depression is particularly underdiagnosed and misdiagnosed. James has made increasing the awareness of depression a personal passion and professional responsibility. This discussion touches on community programs such as the lecture by Terrie Williams and the recent cuts to public health programs.

How do we preserve the stories of our community? On our last program, Gladys Haddad talked to the leaders behind the Voice and Action Project, an effort to collect the narratives of East Cleveland residents. This week Gladys meets the residents who are collecting the stories of their fellow community members. Mattie Lavora Perry, freelance writer and resident of East Cleveland, and her daughter Nia D. Perry Richardson, a high school student, discuss their motivations for getting involved in a oral history project and the importance of preserving each other's stories.

The novelist James Baldwin wrote, "If you know whence you came, there is really no limit to where you can go." This is the motivation for the oral interview effort in the City of East Cleveland called the "Voicing and Action Project." For a city facing tough economic challenges, engagement through stories of the city's own residents is a step forward for empowering a united community. This week Gladys Haddad, host of Regionally Speaking, talks to those involved in the project and listens to how the collection of local residents' stories not only documents the city's past, but also sheds a light on where residents want the city to be.

Students are a community's most valuable asset. Today's high school students will be future leaders of the community. That is why Regionally Speaking is excited this week to highlight the stories of two high school students who overcame academic and personal struggles. De’Van Bogard is a senior at Glenville High School and a football star who describes his late nights studying for the ACTs. Cyril Creque Sarbinowski is a junior at Cleveland School of Science and a promising scholar who talks about his transformation from failing grades to straight A's. Their stories are interwined with our third guest Corttrell Kinney, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics and a mentor for high school students.