The LOOP's Dr. Valerie Yerger Featured in UCSF's Changemaker Series

Dr. Valerie Yerger, Professor of Health Policy at UCSF, was a featured panelist in the UCSF Changemaker Series event called "Legislation to Disrupt Industry Practices that Disproportionately Impact Black Americans: San Francisco’s Comprehensive Flavored Tobacco Ban" on March 17, 2021. Dr. Yerger appeared along with Malia Cohen, State Board of Equalization, California; William Scott, Chief of Police, San Francisco; and Robert Hiatt, Co-Leader, Cancer Control Program, UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. ThePanel Moderator was Hilary Seligman, Professor of Medicine, UCSF.

The purpose was to: 1) uncover ways in which industry and the private sector use race to perpetuate existing practices; 2) explore how multi-stakeholder collaborations including academic investigators and community leaders can neutralize strong industry counter-forces; and 3) discuss how municipal legislation can be used as a lever to address health inequities and public health priorities.The Changemaker Series is a four-part virtual event that aims to build the capacity of scientists and researchers to generate evidence that is responsive to the needs of real-world decision-makers. In this series, the audience hears from specially-curated panels of UCSF researchers, policymakers, and advocates who worked together to meaningfully change policies, systems, and structures to achieve health equity.