In this episode of Urban Service Talks recorded in the spring of 2025, Jackie and Flora talk with Kiara Tanta-Quidgeon, a proud member of the Mohegan tribe of Connecticut, about her personal and professional experiences about the challenges that Indigenous people currently face in receiving adequate healthcare. Kiara received a Masters in Public Health from Columbia University and has completed both research about Native Americans’ perspectives on health and written extensively about health equity. She provides insight into how ‘Western’ and ‘traditional’ medicine can be provided in partnership to Native communities and how clinicians and non-clinicians alike can support the improved health and well-being of all Indigenous people.

https://health.uconn.edu/connecticut-area-health-education-center-network/urban-services-track-and-ahec-scholars/urban-service-talks/

Welcome to Urban Service Talks featuring Dr. Erin Fanning Madden, a sociologist, community-engaged researcher, and assistant professor at Wayne State University’s School of Medicine. Dr. Madden is a leading voice in substance use research, harm reduction, and healthcare access, with over $6 million in research funding, including a major CDC grant supporting digital interventions for overdose response.

In this episode, Dr. Madden joins UConn School of Dental Medicine students Briti Prajapati and Bryson Christian for a conversation on the deep-rooted challenges of stigma in healthcare, the critical role of harm reduction, and why even well-intentioned providers can struggle to put it into practice. Drawing from her expertise and frontline work, Dr. Madden helps us explore how policy shapes care—and what future healthcare professionals can do to advocate for more ethical, compassionate, and effective systems.

Tune in for a powerful discussion on saving lives, challenging the status quo, and reimagining healthcare for underserved communities.

https://health.uconn.edu/connecticut-area-health-education-center-network/urban-services-track-and-ahec-scholars/urban-service-talks/

In this episode, UConn Social Work students Hannah Martin and Monique Asselin talk with Michal Klau-Stevens, LCSW, about her “year of grief and loss.” She explains how she worked through grief and loss within her personal and professional life over the past year. Michal Klau-Stevens is a private practice clinician in Connecticut, and an alumni of the Urban Services Track, Cohort 10.

https://health.uconn.edu/connecticut-area-health-education-center-network/urban-services-track-and-ahec-scholars/urban-service-talks/