Health Disparities Roundtable
The Health Disparities Roundtable is an annual event that aims to explore pressing issues in health and racial equity research, policy, and practice. Local and national speakers are invited to share their ideas in addressing strategies for prevention and improvement.
Reinforcing Solidarity in Health Equity: Community-building in Our Current Climate
April 10, 2026 from 9 – 11:30 a.m.
The Health Disparities Roundtable is an annual event that aims to explore pressing issues in health and racial equity research, policy, and practice. Local and national speakers are invited to share their ideas in addressing strategies for prevention and improvement.
Keynote Speakers
Odi joined MDH as the director of the Health Equity Strategy and Innovation Division in January 2024. Prior to joining MDH, she worked at the Center for Antiracism Research for Health Equity as a project manager and research scholar. She also served as the director of operations for The Research in Color Foundation and is a current Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Her research focuses on investigating structural factors that result in racial inequities in long-term services and supports, generating population-level research evidence, and working collaboratively toward translating research evidence into effective interventions at the policy level and in long-term care programs and services.
Odi has a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology from the University of California, San Diego, and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. When she is not working, she enjoys developing and testing new food and drink recipes, traveling to explore new cities and cuisines, visiting with family and friends, being in community and relaxing at home doing her skincare routine.
Sheri Johnson, Ph.D. leads the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI), a nationally recognized and award-winning organization whose mission is to accelerate capacity to create equitable conditions for everyone to be healthy by advancing knowledge, practice, policy and system change across sectors. She is a licensed clinical child psychologist with 25+ years of experience delivering direct mental health care to urban children and families, implementing programs, evaluating system change efforts, serving on governmental and community-based boards and volunteering. Her most important titles are mom, daughter, sister and friend.
Dr. Johnson previously served as the Administrator and State Health Officer for Wisconsin and was awarded a Governor’s commendation for advancing health equity. Dr. Johnson also served as Director of Behavioral Health Services at Milwaukee Health Services, Inc., a federally qualified health center.
Dr. Johnson serves as Principal Investigator of County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R). CHR&R draws attention to why there are differences in health within and across communities. The program highlights policies and practices that can help everyone be as healthy as possible. CHR&R aims to grow a shared understanding of health, equity and the power of communities to improve health for all. This work is rooted in a long-term vision where all people and places have what they need to thrive.
Diane Tran joined Fairview Health Services in 2015 and currently serves as the System Executive Director of Community Health Equity and Engagement at M Health Fairview and Executive Director of the Center for Community Health Equity. Diane previously provided strategic community engagement consulting services at Grassroots Solutions including directing Minnesota field activities for the Pew Charitable Trusts’ program to advance federal clean energy policies. Recent board service includes serving as Chair of the Saint Paul and Minnesota Foundation and the Health Equity Advisory and Leadership (HEAL) Council for the Minnesota Department of Health. Diane was recognized by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal as a “Women in Business” honoree in 2025 and Twin Cities Business Magazine named her a “Notable Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Executive” in 2022 and one of “100 Minnesotans to Know in 2015.” She was invited as an inaugural member of the Young American Leaders Program (YALP) at Harvard Business School in 2015, selected as a 2013 German Marshall Memorial Fellow, and served as a 2006-2007 Humphrey School Policy Fellow. Diane earned a self-designed bachelor’s degree in International Social Policy with a double major in Humanities at The College of Saint Scholastica in Duluth, MN and obtained her Certified Professional Project Manager (CPPM) from the Opus College of Business Executive Education at the University of Saint Thomas. Diane is the founder of Minnesota Rising, a statewide network of emerging leaders, and a co-founder of LOCUS, a local resource network created for and by Twin Cities BIPOC community members. The daughter of refugees, Diane is acutely aware of the influence of place in shaping an individual’s life, and is committed to building the capacity and resilience of her local communities.
The Health Disparities Roundtable was made possible by funding from the School of Public Health: Dean’s Office and Health Equity Work Group.
