COVID-19 and its risk factors-hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and Stress. Dr. Augustine, an infectious disease expert who is originally from Dominica, will discuss COVID-19, the vaccines, and how to stop it from having such a negative impact on our community.

Research suggests that Black patients experience better health outcomes when treated by Black doctors. In today’s episode, Dr. Marilyn Gaston, a physician and researcher, and Dr. Gayle Porter, a clinical psychologist, join to chat about their trailblazing careers spent working to improve the emotional and physical health of families, especially those who are poor, minority, and underserved and how they successfully build trusting relationships within communities of color. They are the authors of the groundbreaking book, Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness and have designed Sister Circles, which have proven effective in helping women build stress management techniques, improve nutrition, and increase physical activity. Listen to the complete episode at www.breakconcrete.com/bc037 or find us on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Spotify, Amazon Music, and Audible.

Dr. Matthews is well-known for studying human disease, and vaccine development. The Gaston & Porter Health Improvement Center, Inc. chose Dr. Matthew’s to be our Webinar speaker on September 9, 2021. Her topic was, COVID-19 and the Delta Variant and Youth.

MCOM Physician Assistant Program student, Matti Hudak, highlights Dr. Marilyn H. Gaston, who played a pivotal role in getting Congressional legislation to fund Sickle Cell Disease screening. The Unsung Heroes series was created by the MCOM Office of Student Diversity and Enrichment Council on Student Diversity to highlight key moments and people in science and medical history.

Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston (Potomac) – Gaston dedicated her career to improving medical care for poor and minority families and to the promotion of health care equity for all Americans. Internationally recognized for her leadership, she continues to combat sickle cell disease and changes in management of children with this illness to significantly decrease suffering and mortality in the world, including Maryland. She is the first African American women to direct a public health service bureau. Gaston is a volunteer of the Montgomery County African American Health Program Advisory Committee and a faculty member of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She is also a member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and currently codirects the Gaston and Porter Health Improvement Center in Potomac, a nonprofit service organization, which helps close the gap of health disparities despite race, ethnicity, gender, culture and socioeconomic status.

How have you celebrated Black History Month? AIR’s Black, Latino, African American, Caribbean (BLAAC) Diaspora Network Employee Resource Group organized a variety of activities across AIR offices, including book and school supply drives, community outreach activities, and more. Thanks to the BLAAC Diaspora Network and AIR staff who participated in last week’s webcast, “We Need a Revolution: African American Women Reclaiming Our Health and That of Our Families and Communities,” which featured AIR managing researchers Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston and Dr. Gayle Porter. Dr. Gaston, a former Assistant Surgeon General and Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service, and Dr. Gayle Porter, a clinical psychologist, and former Director of D.C. Mental Health Out-Patient Clinics and Johns Hopkins’ School Based Program, are the co-developers of the nationally recognized intervention, Prime Time Sister Circles®, and co-authors of the book, "Prime Time: The African American Woman’s Complete Guide to Midlife Health and Wellness." During the webcast, they took questions and discussed strategies for the effective integration of cultural competency into service delivery for African American children, youth and their families.

http://www.cincinnatichildrens.org Marilyn Gaston, MD Still a Frontline Fighter Against Sickle Cell Disease At 77, Marilyn Gaston, MD, is a petite ball of fire. Thirty years ago, she published a landmark study proving the effectiveness of penicillin in extending the lives of children with sickle cell disease. At a symposium outlining the past, present and future of research and treatment for the disease, Gaston clearly showed she hasn't lost her passion for helping children. Gaston first became interested about sickle cell disease as an intern. “I was working in the ED when a little kid came in with a swollen hand,” she recalls. “I suspected abuse and decided to admit the child. Of course, this put the parents under suspicion. “A second-year resident told me to take a look at the child’s blood smear. I did. It was sickle cell. I felt so terrible that I had made the wrong call. I wanted to learn everything I could then about sickle cell disease.” Her drive led her to establish the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Cincinnati Children’s in 1973 — with the help of Cathryn Buford, co-founder of the Sickle Cell Awareness Group, and Alvin Mauer, MD, director, Hematology. It was one of the first 10 sickle cell centers the NIH funded in the US. Gaston’s biggest contributions to the fight against sickle cell disease are: 1. Her program to evaluate cord blood to detect sickle cell disease in infants. Early detection was the key to survival, since many babies with sickle cell disease are prone to contracting overwhelming bacterial infections, leading to rapid and often fatal septic shock. Gaston pushed for mandatory screening for sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait. 2. The double-blind study she conducted helped push the expected lifespan of patients with sickle cell from 19 years of age to 40+ years. She gave oral penicillin daily one group of patients , compared to a control group, which received a placebo. There were three deaths in the placebo group and none in the study group. The study group also saw an 85-percent reduction of pneumococcus-related complications. Gaston has distinguished herself as the first African American woman to direct a Public Health Service bureau. She also served as Assistant Surgeon General and Rear Admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service. But even as she received several standing ovations from Cincinnati Children's and University of Cincinnati staff, she was quick to share the praise. “Nobody does anything by themselves,” she said. “All of the training I received right here at home prepared me for the challenges I faced. And all of the things I’ve accomplished are because of the help I received from everyone else. We can’t lose sight of the importance of what patients and families teach us. And please, don’t lose sight of how important you are to the work we still have to do.”

Stephanie Gaines-Bryant talks to Dr. Gayle Porter and Dr. Marilyn Hughes Gaston about the Prime Time Sister Circle, a support group for black women in mid life

Dr. Gayle Porter is a licensed, clinical psychologist. Dr. Porter is the former director of the School Based Program of John Hopkins’ University Hospital, and faculty member of Howard University and John Hopkins’s Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department. Dr. Porter is the Co-director and developer of the Gaston and Porter Health Improvement Center, responsible for providing culturally competent information and training, on effective and evidence based interventions, models, materials, and resources to reduce emotional and physical health disparities, especially in relationship to minority children and adults at the local, state and national level.

NWRPCA Fall Conference 2015 The Revolution Continues: Past, Present and Future - Marilyn Gaston, M.D. The state of the union of Community Health Centers.

Part of its Ethnicity and Health in America Series, APA's Office of Ethnic Minority Affairs will host a discussion addressing the paradox of obesity in midlife African-American women. The event will focus on the Prime Time Sister Circle, a culture, gender and age specific, interactive support group intervention for African American women between 40-75 years of age. The group empowers women to make health their first priority, helping reduce the risk of obesity and chronic illnesses by increasing knowledge, improving attitudes and changing health behaviors. This session will discuss some of the contextual factors that contribute to obesity risk for middle aged African American women and detail strategies to help combat the disease.  Presenters: Marilyn H. Gaston, MD Former Assistant Surgeon General Gayle Porter, PsyD Licensed clinical psychologist The video shown in this presentation is available at http://gastonandporter.org/prime-time-sister-circles/prime-time-sister-circles-video/.

Empowering midlife African-American women to improve their health. http://www.purposeprize.org/finalists/gaston-porter.cfm