On May 2, 2018 we heard Catherine Dodd, PhD, RN discuss the latest science on how environmental contaminants contribute to breast cancer risk and what we can do on a personal and policy level to limit harmful exposures. Nurses and community health aides have an important role in helping Alaskans make healthy choices to eliminate contaminants in their homes that are linked to cancer. Health care professionals can also contribute greatly to advancing policies that will protect environmental health. On this call, Dr. Catherine Dodd, a nationally renowned leader in breast cancer prevention, discussed steps individuals, institutions, and communities can take to reduce the incidence of breast cancer.
Featured Speaker
Catherine Dodd, PhD, RN, has worked in the areas of health policy and politics for more than 25 years. Most recently, Catherine served as the director of the City and County of San Francisco Health Service System, where she negotiated and administered health benefits for more than 112,000 county, school district and community college district active and retired employees and their dependents. Prior to leading the health service system, she worked for Mayor Newsom as Deputy Chief of Staff for Health and Human Services responsible for overseeing key initiatives such as “Shape Up San Francisco,” working to eliminate sex trafficking, identifying ways to reduce alcohol use in the Tenderloin, enhancing opportunities for children, improving access to fresh food throughout the City, planning for services for the elderly, and preventing domestic violence.
Prior to joining Mayor Newsom’s staff, Catherine served on the San Francisco Health Commission overseeing a $1.3 billion budget. During the President Clinton’s second term, she served as a Presidential appointee under Health and Human Services Secretary Shalala as Region IX Director covering AZ, NV, CA, HI and the US jurisdictions in the Western Pacific. She was District Chief of Staff to Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and worked for two members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Catherine’s civic and community involvement includes serving on the boards of directors of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare; the Breast Cancer Fund, a national environmental health advocacy organization focused on preventing breast cancer; the Glide Foundation, a social service organization serving San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, the Homeless Prenatal Program, a health and social service program helping homeless families establish stability; and the Zen Hospice Project, assisting terminally ill people and their families.
This call was hosted by the CHE-Alaska Partnership, which is coordinated by Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT). It lasted for 60 minutes and was recorded for the call and webinar archive.