Examining the Impact of Historical Policies on Health Disparities (Part 2 of 2)
Webinar Details
Structural racism, embedded in unjust policies, has created and sustained poor social determinants of health thatcontribute to health disparities in the United States. These issues are deep, complex, and embedded in the history of our country. This can leave providers feeling overwhelmed as they work to address the residual effects that present as persistent chronic disease and premature death for many historically underrepresented groups. In this second of a two-part series, we will speak with experts in redlining, social determinants of health, and health disparities to understand how nurses can advocate for policy change to ameliorate health disparities and improve the health conditions for all people.
Outcomes:
- Identify at least one key area of health policy that can increase healthcare access.
- Verbalize key strategies to gain access to policy influencers.
- Verbalize at least one way to improve health outcomes and healthcare access at the local, state, and national levels.
This webinar is hosted by AACN’s Faculty Leadership Network.
Miss the first webinar in this series? View Part 1 webinar here.
Have questions prior to the webinar? Submit them here.
Note: Recording of the webinar will be available soon after the webinar airs. Visit AACN's On-Demand Webinars to watch.
Speakers
Felesia Bowen, PhD, DNP, PPCNP-BC, FAAN
Professor and Associate Dean
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Dr. Felesia Bowen is Professor and Associate Dean at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing. She is a decorated U.S. Army Nurse Corps veteran who earned her BSN at Tuskegee University, Master’s degree from Rutgers University, PhD from Columbia University, and DNP from Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck, NJ. Dr. Bowen has devoted her career to improving health disparities and equity for children, their families, and the communities they live in. Dr. Bowen is known and respected for her unconventional and upstream approaches to addressing nursing workforce diversity. Dr. Bowen is a firm believer that student nurse diversity is necessary to decrease health disparities in minority and marginalized individuals. Dr. Bowen is a nationally certified primary care pediatric nurse practitioner and President-elect of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners.
Loretta T. Lee, PhD, RN, CRNP, FNP-BC, CNE, FADLN, FNAP
Professor and Department Vice Chair, Family, Community and Health Systems
University of Alabama Birmingham School of Nursing
Dr. Loretta T. Lee, Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Family, Community and Health Systems at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, is a leading figure in health policy advocacy and the healthcare industry. Her fellowships with the American Academies of Practice, the Academy of Diversity Leaders in Nursing, and her National Black Nurses Association Inc. Health Policy Committee chairmanship demonstrate her dedication to interprofessional education and advocating for health policies that will transform healthcare. Dr. Lee’s academic journey, from earning her PhD in 2012 to her BSN in 1986, has been a testament to her commitment to nursing and healthcare. As a nurse scientist, her scholarship and research center on advancing transformative health equity for historically marginalized populations. Dr. Lee is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, a National League for Nursing Commission for Nursing Education Accreditation program evaluator, and an associate editor for the international peer-reviewed journal Ethnicity and Health.
Joy Deupree, PhD, MSN, RN, WHNP-BC, FAAN
Professor Nursing Acute, Chronic & Continuing Care
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Dr. Joy Deupree is a board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner, educator, researcher and policy advocate. Her work has focused on reducing health disparities in rural and underserved areas of the South. In 2006, Dr. Deupree co-founded the Nurse Practitioner Alliance of Alabama (NPAA). Her advocacy for all nurses to practice to the full extent of their training and education led her to dedicate more than 10 years to NPAA leadership positions strategizing with stakeholders in Alabama to reduce barriers to practice and improve access to care. As president of the NPAA from 2012 to 2013, she championed numerous legislative and regulatory efforts that exponentially increased practice opportunities for NPs to improve access to care for rural Alabamians. Dr. Deupree was a faculty member in the UAB School of Nursing from 1999 to 2019, where she held numerous leadership positions, and in 2019, she relocated to the University of South Carolina College of Nursing, where she was a professor and Associate Dean for Practice Innovation, Partnerships. In 2023, she returned to the UAB School of Nursing and was a professor and Director of Health Policy Partnerships in the Office of Clinical and Global Partnerships from 2023 to 2024.
Lorna Finnegan, PhD, RN, FNP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
Loyola University Chicago
Lorna Finnegan joined Loyola University Chicago in 2019 as Professor and Dean of the Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. She brings extensive experience in academic research, teaching, clinical practice, and leadership to her role. Dr. Finnegan earned her BSN, MS, and PhD from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing. Before joining Loyola, she held leadership positions at UIC, including Executive Associate Dean and Department Head. Earlier in her career, she served as the Founding Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. She is also the past president of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, the leading organization dedicated to advancing quality nurse practitioner education. Her scholarship, clinical practice, and leadership focus on integrating big data analytics, strategic academic-practice partnerships, innovative teaching strategies, and policy-shaping leadership to enhance access to primary care and promote health equity among vulnerable and underserved populations. Dr. Finnegan has received National Institutes of Health funding for her research on symptom clusters in adults with multiple chronic illnesses and has been recognized with numerous awards for her contributions to teaching, research, and leadership. She has also served as a visiting scholar at universities in Thailand, South Africa, and South Korea.
Pricing and CE Credit
This webinar is free to deans, faculty, staff and students from AACN member schools of nursing. All non-member audiences will be required to pay a $59 webinar fee.
Continuing Nursing Education
One nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) credit is associated with this webinar; attendees must be present for the entire webinar and complete the evaluation to receive a certificate of completion.

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.