Minority Public Health History Project: Minority Student Caucus

The Annual Minority Health Conference was launched by the Minority Student Caucus in 1977 and has been conducted nearly every year since then. Major objectives are to highlight health issues of concern to people of color and to attract students interested in minority health to the School. Initially the Conference was held in Rosenau Auditorium in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, but when attendance increased to 300-400 during the 1990's, the Conference moved to the William and Ida Friday Continuing Education Center.

Planning and implementation of the Conference are led by the Caucus, which designates the chair of the Planning Committee each year. The Planning Committee includes representatives of the sponsoring organizations (the Caucus, Dean's Office, NC Institute of Public Health, Minority Health Project) and student volunteers.  For more information, please visit http://studentorgs.unc.edu/msc/index.php/conference.

The Minority Student Caucus consists of students of color in the School of Public Health and their allies.  The Caucus was founded in the early 1970's as a vehicle for bringing the concerns of minority students to the attention of the School's Administration and for working to attract more students of color to the School. The Caucus founded the Minority Health Conference in 1977 and has conducted it annually since then. The Caucus also works with the School’s leadership on outreach programs, some initiated by the Caucus and others initiated by the School, to increase diversity and inclusion.