NC-HCAP News

Nationally-renowned public health consultant will deliver 2006 Inspirational Speakers in Science lecture
03.15.06

CHAPEL HILL, NC – Chapel Hill, NC—Michael E. Bird, a highly respected national public health consultant and first American Indian to serve as president of the American Public Health Association (APHA), will address nearly 150 North Carolina undergraduate students on Saturday, April 8, at a health professions forum hosted by the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The forum, which is free to all area undergraduate students and faculty members, will be held in the auditorium of the Tate-Turner-Kuralt School of Social Work Building on the UNC campus from 8:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. Bird will deliver his speech at 10:15 a.m.

The 2006 Inspirational Speakers in Science lecturer, Bird will present “Passion, Thought, Action,” a speech to encourage and motivate aspiring health professionals. He will use his own life story to urge minority young people to set goals for themselves and to be persistent in overcoming the obstacles that can easily hinder them.

Bird has come a long way from the Santo Domingo/San Juan Pueblo Indian reservation in New Mexico where he spent his early childhood. When he was 6 years old, his family moved to San Francisco where native people were offered jobs as an incentive to move to urban areas. His father’s search for work proved futile, so once again the family moved—this time to Brigham City, Utah where Bird’s grandmother lived. During this time, his father was drinking heavily and often absent, which left Bird and his younger sister to be raised by his mother and grandmother. “It was a rough childhood; we were always trying to survive,” shares Bird. “But everybody’s got problems, and that happened to be the hand we were dealt.”

Growing up with an alcoholic father sharpened Bird’s awareness of social issues and steered him toward degrees in social work and public health. His mother, who supported two children on her own without having completed high school, was a source of inspiration to him. His grandparents were also integral members of his support system, always encouraging him to go to school.

After high school, Bird attended a small college near Brigham City. One of only a handful of American Indian students in a school dominated by white students, Bird was subjected to the ugliness of racism. He was often angry and confused by racial slurs and incidents. Instead of lashing out, however, he used his anger as fuel to succeed in college. “Success is the best revenge,” he says. Searching for a more diverse environment, he transferred to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City where he earned a bachelor of science degree in anthropology and a master of social work degree. He later earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of California, Berkeley. “I’ve often wondered why I was fortunate enough to survive the impact of two negative developmental while growing up—being the child of an alcoholic and the racism from a dominant society. What was it that made a difference for me? What provided me with the ability to persevere in spite of adversity—or was it to spite the adversity?” remarks Bird.

Bird’s passion for public health, particularly for Native Americans, is obvious. In fact, his primary reason for going into social work and public health was to help his people. His first job was with the Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. Bird considers that job the best training ground possible. “I was doing it all—counseling, working with the elderly, with young people, people with disabilities—working with real people. You don’t learn that in books.” In nearly 25 years of public health experience, Bird has worked in a variety of health careers including medical social work, substance abuse prevention, hospital program administration and preventive services.

Clearly, Bird is a living testament that hard work can overcome the odds. It is his self-assurance and determination to achieve success that makes him a primary role model for students and is why NC-HCAP welcomes him as part of this outreach program to reach and influence persons from minority and disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue health science careers. “NC-HCAP is very excited to have Michael Bird as our 2006 ISIS speaker,” states Denise G. Belle, forum coordinator. “I believe he will serve as inspiration and motivation for the undergraduate students attending the forum, and that they will leave with a renewed confidence in and commitment to reaching their goals.”

The Health Professions Forum and Inspirational Speakers in Science lecture are part of the Health Professions Preparation Program sponsored by the North Carolina Health Careers Access Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. Co-sponsors for this event are the NC Area Health Education Centers Program, the NC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the UNC School of Medicine Office of Educational Development/Special Programs.

To register for the forum, go to https://cf.unc.edu/NCHcapSeprl/.