NYC Conference Fosters Dialogue, Exchange of Health Sciences Education Ideas

By Dirk Hoffman

Challenging Norms is a non-traditional conference designed to foster community and coalition-building, skill development, and the exchange of ideas. This year’s conference, held Oct. 21-24, carried the theme of “Uplifting Equity and Justice to Transform the Landscape of Health Sciences Education.”

A contingent of seven people from the Jacobs School, composed of faculty, staff, and a student and trainee, presented at the conference through virtual sessions.

The conference provides a platform for presenting both completed and preliminary research, sharing personal narratives, and engaging in discussions about successes and challenges in health sciences education.

“The conference is only in its third iteration but has so far proved to be a timely event that provides a platform to learn, teach, and discuss the most emerging issues around equitable health care,” says Jamal B. Williams, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry.

Williams is committed to understanding the neurobiological and neurogenetic basis of neurodevelopmental disorders. His work addresses the global development of children and the barriers they encounter during critical developmental stages.

Williams and third-year medical student and public health advocate Parveen Attai, MPH, led a fireside chat session titled “Immigrant Health and Engagement in the Afghan Refugee Community: A Conversation on Community-Based Approaches to Equity.”

“Parveen and I directly addressed the conference theme by questioning dominant narratives around immigrant health, reframing refugee communities as experts in their own care and highlighting how academic institutions can move beyond transactional engagement toward long-term community partnership,” Williams says.

Williams is also the founder and a working-group member of the Community Health Speaks initiative at UB, which connects faculty, staff, and students with the broader Western New York community to bridge health disparities and promote biomedical research.

The initiative has organized workshops on topics such as the human genome and precision medicine in marginalized communities, preventive health strategies for Afghan refugee women, and training high school students in essential medical skills. 

As a key member of Community Health Speaks, Attai has organized and led impactful, culturally‑sensitive health events such as an Afghan Women’s Health session last October and the “Building Emotional Wellness and Resilience” workshop in June 2025.

These events, featuring Dari translation, halal catering, childcare, and strong female representation, have empowered newcomers with vital education on preventive health, emotional well‑being, and navigating the U.S. health care system.

“We spoke about our experiences working with the locally resettled Afghan community through preventive health and mental health events,” Williams says. “We also emphasized the importance of staying connected to the community through ongoing workshops and an emerging oral history project that we are currently developing,”

Saima Mushtaq, MD, a third-year trainee in the pediatrics residency program, presented a research poster titled “Advancing Health Equity through School-Based Anaphylaxis Preparedness: A Pediatric Advocacy Initiative in Buffalo Public Schools.”

The poster shared the project, “A Shot to Live,” which Mushtaq worked on with the Buffalo Public Schools through the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Its goal was to help schools be better prepared for severe allergic reactions, she says.

“We began by surveying nurses, teachers, and parents to find gaps — like missing allergy action plans and limited staff training,” Mushtaq says. “Based on that, we created a program with in-person training sessions and systems to improve communication and emergency planning for allergic students.”

Schools can make a big difference by keeping allergy action plans up to date, ensuring epinephrine is easy to access and not expired, and training all staff regularly on how to recognize and respond to anaphylaxis, Mushtaq says.

“Strong communication between parents, health care providers, and school staff is also key to keeping students safe,” she adds.

Mushtaq says the feedback she received from Challenging Norms conference participants was very positive.

“Attendees appreciated the focus on health equity and the collaborative approach with the school district,” she says. “Many were interested in adapting similar programs in their own schools and highlighted the importance of empowering staff to act confidently during emergencies.”

Other Jacobs School presenters at the conference were:

• Archana Mishra, MD, clinical professor emeritus of medicine
• Liz Sengupta, director of community engagement in the Department of Psychiatry
• Sourav Sengupta, MD, MPH, associate professor of psychiatry and pediatrics and director of the child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training program
• Sarah J. Ventre, MD, MPH, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics