A speaker series that takes you on a deep dive into this year's RFP theme for a discussion on how health equity is shaped by the built environment.
Alongside the RFP selection process, the Design Trust is organizing a series of virtual conversations that pair designers and planners with health professionals. These conversations will explore the intersection of health equity and public space.
The second talk in our series is a conversation with Ifeoma Ebo, LEED AP, NOMA Founding Director, Creative Urban Alchemy, LLC and Hanaa A. Hamdi, PHD Director, Health Impact Investment Strategies & Partnerships. This conversation will be moderated by Elizabeth Hamby, Senior Director, Take Care New York at New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Speaker bios:Ifeoma Ebo
Ifeoma is an experienced Urban Designer & Strategist with a proven track record in transforming urban spaces into platforms for equity and design excellence. Through leadership roles in urban design & development initiatives funded by the United Nations, FIFA and the NYC Mayor's Office she has excelled in managing multidisciplinary teams towards the planning and implementation of projects supporting racial, social and cultural equity. She is currently an Adjunct Professor at Syracuse University and Columbia University where she teaches on the intersection of urban design and equity. As the founding Director of Creative Urban Alchemy LLC, she is a highly sought-after consultant on equitable urban design and sustainable development strategy for city governments and civic institutions internationally.
Hanaa A. Hamdi, Phd.
Hanaa A. Hamdi, Ph.D., serves as Director of Health Impact Investment Strategies and Partnerships at New Jersey Community Capital. In this role, she is responsible for directing the development and implementation of existing and emerging community health investment and development strategies with national, regional, and health-focused partners, supporting the organization’s holistic approach to neighborhood revitalization. Dr. Hamdi brings more than two decades of experience in public health administration, research, and community development practice to the organization.
Prior to joining NJCC, Dr. Hamdi served as National Public Health Director at The Trust for Public Land. From 2014-2016, she served as Director of Health and Human Services for the City of Newark, and Chief Operating Officer of the Mary Eliza Mahoney Health Centers, the City’s co-affiliate community-based medical centers.
Elizabeth Hamby
Elizabeth Hamby is an artist who serves as the Senior Director of Take Care New York (TCNY) at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Take Care New York is the City's Health Equity Roadmap. It uses data, storytelling and cross-sector collaboration to support policy and systems change to advance racial equity through creating healthier neighborhoods, promoting healthy childhoods, and bridging public health and health care. Elizabeth's art practice includes projects across media that make complex issues legible and help people work together. She has led a waterfront planning studio out of a neighborhood laundromat, formed a bike collective to address transportation issues in the Bronx, and worked with youth in public housing to develop haikus about littering. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of the City of New York and the Brooklyn Children's Museum, among other venues. She holds degrees from Eugene Lang College and Parsons School of Design.You can watch the recording of the event here.