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Dr. Ala Stanford, a national leader in health equity, healthcare policy advisor and an advocate for vulnerable populations in the United States and globally, will be the keynote speaker for Salus University’s 126th commencement on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at the Kimmel Cultural Campus in Philadelphia.
Given the more recent state of affairs concerning health inequities and the impact on public health, the University wanted to revive the Haffner Legacy, named for Norman Haffner, OD ’52, PhD, a distinguished graduate of the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO). Considered a visionary by many for his efforts on behalf of the profession, Dr. Haffner was a trailblazer. He has been referred to as a “legend of optometry,” and was inducted into the American Optometric Association’s Optometry Hall of Fame. Without question, the scope of today’s practice of optometry can be attributed in great measure to his efforts. For more than six decades, Dr. Haffner was a fierce advocate for the advancement of public health and its integration into the profession of optometry and throughout the healthcare system.
Thus, a new venture, the Haffner Public Health Speakers Series, was created and is being launched at the University’s Spring commencement to highlight challenges, opportunities and champions in the public health sphere.
In setting the tone for the series, Juliana Mosley-Williams, PhD, CDP, special assistant to the president for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as Salus, wanted the inaugural speaker to be someone who was intentionally making a monumental difference and impact on public health, and Dr. Stanford was the perfect choice. Dr. Stanford will also be receiving an honory Doctor of Science degree from the University.
Dr. Mosley-Williams knows Dr. Stanford as the “Dr. Shero” who founded the Black COVID-19 Doctors Consortium, which was responsible for providing nearly 100,000 COVID-19 tests and vaccinations to underrepresented and underserved communities in the Philadelphia area.
“Aside from seeing her numerous times on the news, I had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Stanford speak in person at my church in the heart of the pandemic. I found her speech to be candid, thought provoking, and so personal that it felt like she was speaking directly to me,” said Dr. Mosley-Williams. “I saw an accomplished doctor and Black woman who was determined, moved by mission, and responsive to the call on her life, to educate and to provide opportunities for vulnerable populations who were disproportionately becoming ill and dying of COVID.”
Dr. Stanford currently serves as the regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services of the Mid-Atlantic Region, appointed by President Joe Biden overseeing the health and well-being of all Americans. A practicing physician for more than 20 years, Dr. Stanford is board certified by the American Board of Surgery in both pediatric and adult general surgery. She also serves as a medical and health correspondent for national media outlets.
Dr. Stanford gained international recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic using the infrastructure of her pediatric surgery practice to create a grassroots organization focused on education, testing, contact tracing and vaccination in communities devoid of access to care and resources. Her focus on those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 saved lives.
She has received many accolades, including the 2023 STATNews Status List Changemaker in health and medicine; named Most Influential Women in 2021 and 2022 by Forbes Magazine; 2021 Top 10 CNNHero; 2021 Fortune Magazine: World’s 50 Greatest Leaders; and 2021 George H.W. Bush Points of Light Award. The City of Philadelphia commissioned a street in her name and Simon & Schuster will share her memoir and roadmap for achieving health equity in 2024.
“I believe our graduates and commencement participants will be inspired by Dr. Stanford's unwavering commitment to healthcare and improving public health, by lessening the inequities that have plagued our society for much too long,” said Dr. Mosley-Williams.
“She will challenge our new healthcare practitioners, researchers and educators not only to go beyond the prescribed requirements of their future positions but to embrace and expand the calling and purpose of their chosen professions. Ultimately, Dr. Stanford, will charge them to right the wrongs in their work and living to ensure that the prevalent absence of interventions that have caused adverse outcomes is no more.”
