Roundtable with Drs. Chandra Ford and Derek Griffith: Sankofa Circle: Looking Back to Plan Ahead
University of Michigan School of Public Health
1680 SPH I Cornely, 1415 Washington Heights Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
The "Sankofa Circle: Looking Back to Plan Ahead" will feature renowned public health scholar-activists, Dr. Chandra Ford and Dr. Derek Griffith, as they reflect on their research careers and dialogue with attendees about planning for the future. This event is intended to be an intimate dialogue focused on career development and longevity for health equity researchers. At a moment when public health faces heightened scrutiny and shifting conditions across higher education and the world beyond, this gathering centers the enduring value of health equity as a core principle and research area of the field. In order for health equity work to continue, even in challenging conditions, we must prepare health equity researchers to meet the moment. This session aims to do that by exploring topics such as: - Strategies for responding to rather than being overwhelmed by shifting political and social conditions - Cultivating a vision and mission statement for yourself as a researcher - Building a resilient and adaptable research portfolio and funding strategy - Key considerations for seeking out and working with research mentors. This session is open to the entire SPH community, however early career researchers, advanced graduate students and those with mentoring responsibilities may find it most helpful. This event is in collaboration with the UM-SPH Department of Health Behavior, Health Equity in honor of their 50th anniversary. HBHE and SPH OACC

Roundtable with Drs. Chandra Ford and Derek Griffith: Sankofa Circle: Looking Back to Plan Ahead

HBHE 50th Anniversary Series

icon to add this event to your google calendarFebruary 2, 2026
2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
1680 SPH I Cornely
1415 Washington Heights
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029
Sponsored by: HBHE and SPH OACC
Contact Information: Whitney Peoples, wpeoples@umich.edu
This program or event is open to the alumni community

The "Sankofa Circle: Looking Back to Plan Ahead" will feature renowned public health scholar-activists, Dr. Chandra Ford and Dr. Derek Griffith, as they reflect on their research careers and dialogue with attendees about planning for the future. This event is intended to be an intimate dialogue focused on career development and longevity for health equity researchers. At a moment when public health faces heightened scrutiny and shifting conditions across higher education and the world beyond, this gathering centers the enduring value of health equity as a core principle and research area of the field. In order for health equity work to continue, even in challenging conditions, we must prepare health equity researchers to meet the moment. This session aims to do that by exploring topics such as: - Strategies for responding to rather than being overwhelmed by shifting political and social conditions - Cultivating a vision and mission statement for yourself as a researcher - Building a resilient and adaptable research portfolio and funding strategy - Key considerations for seeking out and working with research mentors. This session is open to the entire SPH community, however early career researchers, advanced graduate students and those with mentoring responsibilities may find it most helpful. This event is in collaboration with the UM-SPH Department of Health Behavior, Health Equity in honor of their 50th anniversary.

Event Flyer for Roundtable with Drs. Chandra Ford and Derek Griffith: Sankofa Circle: Looking Back to Plan Ahead