HELEN News

 

Part 2 features Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, who shared: 

The history/overview of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
The CBC's key policy priorities, including those related to the advancement of health equity 
Chairman Butterfield's perspective on what can be achieved during the 114th Congress 
Opportunities for health equity champions across the United States to collaborate with the CBC

This webinar is availabe in the Resource library, click here to view now

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MEET THE SPEAKER

Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus

Congressman G. K. Butterfield, Jr. is a life-long resident of eastern North Carolina. Raised in Wilson, Congressman Butterfield spent his formative years attending Charles H. Darden High School and worked tirelessly in the Civil Rights Movement as a youth. His parents were Dr. & Mrs. G. K. Butterfield, Sr. His father practiced dentistry for 50 years and served as the first black elected official in Wilson since Reconstruction. His mother was a teacher for 48 years.

Congressman Butterfield graduated from college and law school at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. After earning his law degree, Congressman Butterfield founded a law practice in Wilson and served the community in that capacity for 14 years. He is best known for his successful litigation of voting rights cases that resulted in the election of African-American elected officials.

In 1988, Congressman Butterfield was elected as Resident Superior Court judge. In this role, he presided over civil and criminal court in 46 counties of North Carolina. For two years, he served on the North Carolina Supreme Court by appointment of the governor. Butterfield retired from the judiciary after 15 years of service and successfully ran for Congress. He was elected to serve the First District of North Carolina in the U.S. House of Representatives in a special election on July 20, 2004, where he continues to serve today.

In Congress, Butterfield is a champion of affordable medical care, education, investments in rural communities, veterans, renewable energies, and federal programs that support low-income and middle-class Americans.

Butterfield serves in the Democratic leadership as Chief Deputy Whip and as Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. He sits on the influential Committee on Energy & Commerce as the 8th most senior Democrat on the Health Subcommittee. In addition, he serves as a member of the subcommittees of Communications and Technology, and Commerce, Manufacturing, & Trade.

Congressman Butterfield is a life-long member of Jackson Chapel First Missionary Baptist Church. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a proud father and grandfather.

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Dr. Garth Graham, MD, MPH, President, Aetna Foundation

Garth Graham, MD, MPH, is president of the Aetna Foundation. In his role, Dr. Graham  is responsible for the Foundation’s philanthropic work, including its grant-making strategies to improve the health of people from underserved communities and increase their access to high-quality health care.

Dr. Graham previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he also led the Office of Minority Health.  His numerous achievements include implementing key health equity provisions of the Affordable Care Act and guiding the development of the first federal action plan to eliminate health disparities under the Obama administration.

Immediately prior to joining the Aetna Foundation, Dr. Graham was the assistant dean for health policy and chief of health services research at the University of Florida School of Medicine in Gainesville. There he was the principal investigator on a number of grants related to improving health outcomes in underserved populations.

Dr. Graham is a widely recognized researcher, writer and editor on health disparities. He has authored articles that have been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Health Affairs and Circulation.  He has served on the faculty of the University of Florida School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. He has also served on a number of boards including Institute of Medicine Board on Population Health, World Health Organization Scientific Group on Equity Analysis and Research, Board of Directors of Physicians for Human Rights and he was appointed to the Federal Coordinating Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research. He was also named the Distinguished Millennium Visiting Scholar at Columbia University.

Dr. Graham holds a medical degree from Yale School of Medicine, a master’s in public health from Yale School of Public Health and a bachelor of science in biology from Florida International University in Miami. He completed clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital and Johns Hopkins where he trained in cardiology and interventional cardiology. He holds three board certifications including internal medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology.  He also serves as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine.