Conversations: July 22, 2020
In this episode of Miami Corona Project Conversations, artist Xavier Cortada had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Erin Kobetz, Vice Provost for Research at the University of Miami, about coronavirus and the role of the University during these times. She mentions how the individualistic nature of our culture led to a delayed reaction in coronavirus response across the nation in public health. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, she hopes that we can carry the lessons we learn from this situation into the future.
About Dr. Erin Kobetz
Dr. Erin Kobetz is the Vice Provost for Research at the University of Miami, a Tenured Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Public Health Sciences, and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Additionally, she is Associate Director of Population Science and Cancer Disparities at UM’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC), as well as, the Chief of Population Health and Cancer Disparities for UHealth Oncology Service line. Dr. Kobetz also serves as Program Director for the Community Engagement and Multidisciplinary Team Science Components of UM’s Clinical Translational Science Institute (CTSA).
She earned a Master’s in Public Health from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University (1999), and joined the University of Miami in September of 2004, after completing her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Public Health. Soon after, Dr. Kobetz established Patnè en Aksyon (Partners in Action), Sylvester’s first ever campus community partnership in Little Haiti, the largest enclave of Haitian settlement, and remains committed to integrating diverse stakeholders into the translational research continuum. Dr. Kobetz currently works as the Principal Investigator of multiple grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparity (NIHMD,) to support collaborative science with numerous South Florida communities. Collectively, they have garnered over 25 million dollars in extramural funding and serve as the University’s model for stakeholder engagement.
Dr. Erin Kobetz has also partnered with South Florida Firefighters – similarly characterized by excess cancer risk – and leads the Firefighter Cancer Initiative (FCI), a University-wide interdisciplinary strategy to address disparity from “bench” to “bedside” to “community.” Such efforts have been locally and nationally recognized and serve as an important approach to develop new community-based models for cancer prevention and achieve sustainable health and social change in underserved communities.
About Xavier Cortada
Click here to read the artist’s bio.