ANN ARBOR—Health care issues in the United States will change as minority groups grow in number, say the University of Michigan School of Public Health students planning the 15th annual Minority Health Conference.

The two-day conference, scheduled for March 23-24 on University of Michigan’s Central Campus, is titled “The Changing Face of America: Redefining Healthcare as the Minority becomes the Majority.”

The goal of the event, planned entirely by master’s and doctoral students of the School, is to provide a platform for the expression of minority health concerns, and to facilitate interaction among health professionals, students, and community members.

Workshops are planned for topics including obesity and nutrition, policy and its affects on minority health, and minorities as agents of change: serving as activists and educators about health within minority communities.

Conference speakers include:

•Dr. Beverly Coleman-Miller, editorial director of the new journal Minority Health Today, and faculty member of REACH 2010, an initiative aimed at the elimination of the health disparity among minorities, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

•Dr. Antronette K. Yancey, Los Angeles County’s director of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

•Dr. Nicolas Caballiera, executive director for policy, planning and development at the Latino Health Institute.

•Cheryl Boyce, executive director of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health.

Co-sponsoring the conference are Public Health Students of African Descent and La Salud, the organization for Latino/a public health students. The Black Medical Association is sponsoring a cholesterol and blood pressure screening fair March 24. For more information on the conference or to register, visit http://www.sph.umich.edu/phsad/conference/

School of Public HealthMinority Health TodayAntronette K. YanceyLatino Health InstituteCheryl BoycePublic Health Students of African Descenthttp://www.sph.umich.edu/phsad/conference/