20140131_112131JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An Edward Waters College Biology Professor continues to have a hand in helping state lawmakers improve the overall health care of Florida. Prabir K. Mandal, Ph.D. will moderate the first session of the Florida Health Disparities Summit held in Tampa, Florida January 9th and 10th.

Dr. Mandal will preside over ‘Session A: Research Infrastructure and Resources for Health Disparities” during the Florida Health Equity Research Institute’s Steering Committee annual summit. Dr. Mandal was appointed to the committee in 2014 and coordinates with the group to implement the Health Disparities Research Agenda for Florida.

The Health Equity Research Institute (HERI) was approved by the Board of Governors in 2013 to promote and foster collaborative efforts to address health disparities in Florida, especially in areas with limited health care resources.

Florida Rep. Joseph Gibbons (D) of Hallandale Beach created the HERI with the understanding that partnership with academic and research institutions, as well as community, is necessary to identify and eliminate health disparities.

Edward Waters College (EWC), accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges, and Schools (SACS) and member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), is a private, historically black, urban college which offers a liberal arts education with a strong emphasis on the Christian principles of high moral and spiritual values. EWC was established in 1866 and is an African Methodist Episcopal Church-related institution of learning. It is the oldest private institution of higher education in the State of Florida.