Odeh Center Programming Archive

An archive of Odeh Center programming.

Demystifying Drugs Panel & Training: Stigma, Harm Reduction, and Overdose Prevention & Response

Four panelists sitting at a table, with one peaking into a microphone. Behind them is a digital screen displaying

On May 20, 2026, we hosted a program in which audience members learned tangible skills, language and resources related to substance use, learned to practice harm reduction strategies to be prepared to respond to an opioid overdose, and ultimately learned to reduce substance use related stigma. Our expert panelists were Maggie Kaufmann, MA, MPH (Director of Harm Reduction Programs, COIP, UIC SPH); Kristine Kim, DO (Family Medicine Resident, Class of 2026); and Nicholas Podjasek (Peer Specialist, USAF Veteran).

Collective Singing and Music as Social Medicine

Members of the gospel choir standing in a semicircle as they sing, with audience members listening.

On April 21, 2026, we hosted a program led by Johari Jabir, PhD, Assoc. Head and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Black Studies Program, UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The goal of this program iwass for all of us to come together and show that we are better together than we are apart by practicing radical solidarity with one another, learning about the history of gospel music, and collectively singing alongside UIC’s Gospel Choir Club. Other presenters were Caleb Blackmond, student at the UIC School of Theater and Music, and President of UIC Gospel Choir Club, and Makedah Abraham, a student at the UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Odeh Center undergraduate student staff.
Brief Video of the Gospel Choir Club Performing »

Exploring Interrelated Struggles and Forging Solidarity: Building Towards the 19th Teachers for Social Justice Curriculum Fair

A presenter is speaking into a microphone as they are writing on a whiteboard. In the foreground are audience members.

On March 4, 2026, representatives from Teachers for Social Justice (TSJ) and Education Workers for Palestine-Chicago explored the interrelated struggles of public health, disinvestment in Black communities, U.S. imperialism and education. The goal of this program was 1) to provide an introduction, description and presentation of TSJ, the Curriculum Fair and this year’s theme, and 2) to forge connections of interrelated struggles in a concept mapping process to help us see ways in which movement solidarity can generate transformative change in times of crisis. Presenters then engaged with participants in a concept-mapping activity, and discussion and Q&A.

“There can never really be justice on stolen land” – An Indigenous Methodology Approach to Police Violence

A person standing in front of a digital screen speaking into a microphone. In the foreground are audience members.

Presented by PhD candidate Zoë Harris, MPH on February 11, 2026. Her talk provided a basic understanding of Indigenous Methodology (IM), elaborated via a case study how IM can be applied to multiple methods, with collectively reflection on how IM can continue to be used in innovative ways, in research and beyond. Zoë then engaged the group in a guided plant medicine activity where participants learned about the gifts of plants, tea as medicine and what it means to be in relationship with plants.

Flourishing through Movement Liberation: Salsa Night at the Odeh Center

  1. A singer and seven instrumentalists performing salsa music with blue mood lighting.
    Salsa night was hosted on December 5, 2025, by the Odehmenan Health Equity Center (Odeh Center) in partnership with the University Library, the UIC Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, the Puerto Rican Cultural Center and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center.

    Please enjoy this slideshow of the evening’s program and festivities (photos by UIC Creative & Digital Services). Pictured here is the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Salsa Ensemble performing live in the Odeh Center.
  2. Two photos of women standing at a podium and speaking into a microphone.
    Odeh Center Director Adriana black and Associate Director Cassandra Solis provided introductions for the evening’s program.
  3. A woman wearing a fedora hat and speaking into a microphone.
    Rhea Ballard-Thrower, university librarian and dean of the university libraries, delivered welcoming remarks.
  4. A man with a beard gesturing with one hand while speaking into a microphone.
    Ricardo Jiménez, director of public health initiatives at the Puerto Rican Cultural Center, provided social context for the evening’s discussions and performances.
  5. Audience members filling several rows of chairs and watching a speaker at the front of the room.
    There was a capacity crowd for the lecture portion of the program.
  6. A man wearing a baseball jersey and baseball cap speaking into a microphone as he holds up an LP record of Puerto Rican musician Chamaco Ramirez.
    Omar Torres-Kortright, executive director of the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, led the audience through a history of salsa music.
  7. An LP turntable playing a vinyl record.
    The lecture included musical samples from the golden age of salsa, played on vinyl LPs.
  8. A person seated in the audience speaking into a microphone.
    A question and answer session allowed audience members to pose questions to the presenters.
  9. Another person seated in the audience speaking into a microphone.
  10. Different kinds of Puerto Rican food on a banquet table.
    Attendees were treated to a delicious warm meal of authentic Puerto Rican street food from the community restaurant Omarcitos.
  11. A woman speaking into a microphone.
    After the meal, Rebecca Medina of Latin Rhythms Academy of Dance & Performance led attendees through several basic salsa dance steps.
  12. A variety of attendees, including families with children, learning salsa dance steps.
  13. The dance instructor at the front of the room demonstrating a dance step while behind her attendees are following.
  14. A trombone player and a conga player.
    Members of the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center Salsa Ensemble playing trombone and congas.
  15. Two photos of pairs of people dancing.
    The open dance portion of the program allowed attendees to freely dance to live salsa music.
  16. Two photos of pairs of people dancing.
  17. Five people posing smiling as they pose together in the Library of the Health Sciences.
    Odeh Center staff: Saminaben Vahora, Aaron Khamasone Corson, Center Director Adriana Black, Associate Director Cassandra Solis, and Makedah Abraham.

Centering Knowledge Translation in Health Equity for Empowered Communities

00:00:00 – Yen Azzaro, graphic recorder and illustrator
00:49:05 – Introduction to Centering Knowledge Translation, by Odeh Center Director Adriana Black
00:54:16 – Centering Knowledge Translation in Health Equity for Empowered Communities, by Dr. Brenikki Floyd, Associate Dean for Community Engagement at the UIC School of Public Health

Accessible Transcript of Centering Knowledge Translation Video

Presented on August 28, 2025 by Brenikki Floyd, PhD, MPH, Associate Dean for Community Engagement at the UIC School of Public Health, and Yen Azzaro, graphic recorder and illustrator. The goal of this session was to center and care for communities by discussing methods that can be utilized in public health practice to co-create knowledge and movements of resistance. Yen Azzaro gave a community tutorial on how to do graphic recording through a series of warm up exercises, a doodle lesson and methods to organize note taking.

Feel free to leave feedback for Centering Knowledge Translation after watching.

Images of Trust Past, Present, and Future: A Dialogue with Dr. Karriem Watson

Presented by Karriem S. Watson, DHSc, MS, MPH, executive director of Mile Square Health Center, on August 28, 2025. The goal of Dr. Watson’s dialogue was to describe the history of Mile Square Health Center, one of the oldest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) in the country, and yield the floor to past, current and future UI Health and UIC leaders who will reinvigorate our audience as we commence a new academic year together. He acknowledges that a teamed approach to practice is critical to building trustworthiness, thus he brought guests with him to walk us through a journey of Mile Square Health Center’s past, present and future:

  • Mary Maryland, PhD ’94, MSN, APRN, RN, FAAN, UIC College of Nursing alumnus
  • Nicole Gastala, MD, Director of Behavioral Health and Addiction, Mile Square Health Center
  • Jonathan Banks, BS ’21, DMD/PhD candidate, UIC College of Dentistry

Feel free to leave feedback for Images of Trust after watching.

Beyond Boundaries: Fostering an Inclusive Care Environment

Presented by Leda Mugayar, DDS, MS, on December 3, 2024. Dr. Mugayar is director of the Inclusive Care Clinic at the UIC College of Dentistry, and the Inclusive Care Clinic team. She discussed how the implementation of the Inclusive Care Clinic emphasizes the importance of cultural competency, accessibility, and patient-centered care. The goal of this talk is to discuss how academic training can equip future professionals to address patients with special health care needs and create an inclusive environment.
Feel free to leave feedback for Beyond Boundaries after watching.

Compassion in Action: Delivering Medical Care in Navajo Nation

Compassion in Action: Delivering Medical Care in Navajo Nation was a program hosted on November 13, 2024. Attendees were able to connect with healthcare practitioners and community health advocates from Gallup, New Mexico who work exclusively with Native populations to listen and engage in dialogue with one another about what each of us can do to better educate ourselves on Native health and be better healthcare advocates.

Accessible Transcript of Compassion in Action Video

00:00:00 – Welcome and traditional blessing by Mattee Jim
00:02:54 – Welcome and remarks by UIC Vice Chancellor for Heath Affairs Robert Barish
00:08:28 – Introduction by Adriana Black, Odeh Center founding director
00:15:38 – Rural Medicine in Gallup, New Mexico and Navajo Nation, presented by Mia Lozada & Jennie Wei
01:21:17 – Treatment of Substance Use Disorders in Native Communities, presented by Sheryl Livingston
02:13:41 – Covid-19, Structural Racism, and its Effects in the Native American Southwest, presented by Marisha Leonard-Bitahy, Mia Lozada & Jennie Wei
03:18:03 – Gender Affirming Care in a Rural Native American Community, presented by Mattee Jim & Jennie Wei

Home Is Where the Heart Is: Exploring the Vital Connections Between Housing and Health

Presented by Andrew Foell, PhD, MSW, MPP of the UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work on Tuesday, October 22, 2024.
Dr. Foell explored the vital connections between housing and health, emphasizing the critical role of housing as a social determinant that shapes health outcomes. The goal of this talk was to provide an overview of current projects at the intersections of housing and health and highlight strategies for improving housing conditions, reducing health disparities, and advancing housing and health equity.
Feel free to leave feedback for Home Is Where the Heart Is after watching.

Diversity Practices in the Dolores and Soledad Study: Implications for Clinical Research with Older Latinx Adults

Presented by David Camacho PhD, MSW, MSG of the UIC College of Applied Health Sciences on September 17, 2024.
Attendees learned about Dr. Camacho’s Dolores and Soledad study that examined narratives of English and Spanish speaking older Latinx adults living with chronic pain and/or loneliness, gain examples from practices employed, and learn recommendations for practicing diversity in future research with older Latinx communities.
Feel free to leave feedback for Diversity Practices after watching.

Reflections of Mother Earth: Teaching About Water & Life

00:00:00 – Welcome, opening remarks and Q&A with Dr Robert Barish
00:12:35 – Opening of Program and Introduction of Session I
00:16:29 – Water (Nibi):The Beginning of Life, presented by Maryellen Baker (Ojibwe)
01:10:27 – Introduction of Session II, Women and Water: Teaching, Singing and Healing
01:14:23 – Greg Hermann (Ojibwe)
01:40:18 – Ann Hermann (Mohawk)
01:51:16 – Bill Buchholtz (Algonquin/Metis)
02:14:31 – Stanley Oda
02:22:40 – Karen Donahoe (Ojibwe)
02:59:36 – Session III: Reflections of Mother Earth, all presenters

An Odeh Center Signature Community Event hosted on Earth Day 2024 (April 22) to bring awareness to the healing power of water. Native American elders spoke, taught and sang about the sacredness of water, including Maryellen Baker (Ojibwe) founder and director of Abiinooji Aki, Inc., a non-profit organization located on the Lac Courte Oreilles Reservation. The goal was to connect, learn and reflect how we can protect our water and help restore our communities. Feel free to leave feedback for Reflections of Mother Earth after watching.

Learn More and See Photos from the Program »

Developing a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Program in Chicago: An Example of Community-Based Participatory Research with Arab Americans

Presented by Sarah Abboud, PhD of the UIC College of Nursing on April 16, 2024.
The goal of this talk was to describe Dr. Abboud’s process of conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR) with Arab Americans in Chicago, a historically and systematically marginalized and invisible population. She also discussed the strengths and challenges of CBPR, especially in the context of a stigmatized topic such as gender-based violence.
Feel free to leave feedback for Developing a Gender-Based Violence Prevention Program after watching.

The Haunted Curriculum in Health Professions Education

Presented by David Ansari, PhD of the University of Illinois College of Medicine on March 26, 2024.
This talk examined how health professions students develop clinical and therapeutic skills and expertise in contexts of injustice and how institutions play a role in the “haunted curriculum” by both challenging and reproducing specters of violence.
Feel free to leave feedback The Haunted Curriculum after watching.

Black Feminism, Racial Realism, and Organizing for Health: A Reading Circle

Presented by Tiffany N. Ford, PhD of the UIC School of Public Health, and MPH student Tynetta Hill-Muhammad on February 27, 2024.
The program engaged participants in a facilitated discussion about the shared themes and implications of these important works on the lives and health of people racialized as Black in the United States.
Feel free to leave feedback for Black Feminism, Racial Realism, and Organizing for Health after watching.

Plants, People, and Culture: Women’s Health Research with BIPOC Women

Presented by Tristesse Burton, PhD of the UIC College of Pharmacy on October 4, 2023.
Dr. Burton talked about indigenous plants that have benefits and use in the treatment of women’s health issues.
Feel free to leave feedback for Plants, People, and Culture after watching.

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