3 KEY QUESTIONS | Beyond Boston: Building Community Connections in Western Massachusetts

Three Key Questions

1. Can you tell us a little about your role and background?

In my role as Director of the Office for Public Health Practice and Outreach at UMASS School of Public Health and Health Sciences, I act as liaison between our students and faculty, and the wider off-campus community to build and maintain partnerships for mutual benefit—through special events, trainings and one-on-one connections. I also coordinate the Western MA Health Equity Network, which works with community leaders to foster communication across our four western counties (Hampshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Berkshire), focused on policy, data sharing, racial justice and cross-sector collaboration.

2. How have you collaborated with the community in your work, and how has this engagement strengthened your efforts? Can you share a few successes or projects where community engagement has helped address health challenges in your community?

The most recent example is creating a community-developed short film, MOSAIC, with a film committee made up of community health leaders, and a health equity youth council which advised the film topics. The film has been seen by people all over the country and is still requested almost three years after it was made—by individuals and organizations—and has been shown at several conferences. The film focuses on leaders of color discussing racism and community health issues and solutions in western Massachusetts. It was filmed on location, includes archival footage from our communities, and poetry that ties the speaker stories together.

Another example is our recent policy and advocacy showcase for the Western MA Health Equity Network that allowed organizations to describe their policy work and seek out potential new partners. We had an exciting day with lots of new faces and concluded in celebration of the Network’s 10th anniversary with commendations from Rep. Mindy Domb (3rd Hampshire District) and Sen. Jo Comerford (Hampshire, Franklin, and Worcester districts).

3. As a Community Advisory Board member for HCC’s Center for Cancer Equity & Engagement, where do you see opportunities for HCC researchers and community partners to work together to advance cancer prevention, improve health outcomes, and promote equity?

There are lots of ways to connect HCC researchers with the western MA community. Sharing Western MA cancer occurrence and prevention data in meaningful ways would be so important, as our 101 cities and towns have different demographics than the Boston area, which tends to get the most attention.

The HCC CCEE could also be a great way to bring together western MA researchers and community health leaders to get to know each other and build new collaborations to improve our communities’ health. Currently, we’re exploring strategies to expand outreach and engagement in Western Massachusetts by leveraging students from UMass Amherst to support initiatives with Baystate Heath. This potential collaboration not only offers students valuable hands-on experience in public health but also increases our capacity to promote cancer prevention and screening among communities that are typically underserved. Through collaboration, we’re able to identify opportunities that combine our expertise and resources to better serve our communities and improve health outcomes and advance equity in Western Massachusetts.

If you would like to collaborate with the Center for Cancer Equity and Engagement on community outreach and engagement activities with UMass Amherst or western Massachusetts, please email Jenny Reiner.