School of Public Health

University of Memphis School of Public Health Sponsors 4th Annual Delta Regional Collaboration Conference

Tuesday, 09 June 2026

On the first day, participants gathered at the Hyatt Centric in downtown Memphis for an introductory session of talks. Topics ranged from proper applications of climate assessments on Delta communities, the influence of environmental influences and poverty on child development and health, and a seminar on practical strategies and techniques to address stress and emotional wellness in the workplace. This was followed by a collection of research and city testimonials presented at a collaborative social hour; facilitating discussion between urban professionals and rural leaders.  

The second day began with a series of plenary sessions from academic and city health leaders from across the Delta region. The conference’s keynote speaker Dean Daniel Dawes of the School of Global Health at Meharry Medical College, opened the session with a discussion of the political determinants of health, followed by a discussion on the economics of the social determinants of health by Dr. Douglas Scarboro of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and concluding with an examination of how data tells the story of health disparities in the Delta by Dean Thomas LaVeist of the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. These sessions were followed by a series of talks on contemporary issues to the Shelby County community including the impact of AI data centers on surrounding communities, strengthening the health workforce pipeline, and understanding the impact of housing and transportation availability on public health outcomes. The day wrapped with a fireside chat between SPH Dean, Dr. Asish Joshi and Shelby County Health Director Dr. Bruce Randolph addressing practices they have found successful in improving public health outcomes in the Shelby County Community. 

“We must have an ecosystem that enables and supports the community. We also need to build trust. Public health has to be co-created. Make the community a part of the solution and make sure there's enough resources to make things happen. We have to expand our partnerships and expand our coalitions. We must glocalize ourselves because more partnerships will create more opportunities. We can’t only bundle ourselves up with people from the health sector alone; we need to expand,” Dean Joshi said.  

“In my position we may not be able to do everything, but the things we do, we do them well,” Dr. Bruce Randolph stated.  

The final day brought the collaborative spirit to the forefront, with panel sessions designed to facilitate discussion between regional public health leaders and advocates. Discussed topics included trauma-informed care, building resilience through housing and transportation reform, and advocacy for midwives as a key cog in the public health engine.  

The groundwork for future action created at this conference speaks to the collaborative and community-driven nature of the city of Memphis and the Mid-South at large. As a public health cornerstone of the region, the University of Memphis School of Public Health will continue to engage in interdisciplinary partnership within the city and beyond to advance the mission of public health through our community outreach efforts, research endeavors, and workforce development initiatives.

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