Marissa Khajavi, MD, MPH
PM2026 Track Chair — Community, Population and Public Health
I’m thrilled to invite you to this year’s Community and Population Health Workshop at ACPM — an experience especially close to my heart because it takes place in my home city of Baltimore, Maryland!
Baltimore is a city with a powerful story to tell — one of resilience, history, inequity, community strength, and ongoing transformation. It’s a place that has shaped me both personally and professionally, and I’m honored to share it with you through this immersive workshop.
Why This Workshop Matters
To understand a community is to understand its history. In Baltimore, the legacy of redlining, racial segregation, urban renewal, and economic disinvestment is not just found in textbooks — it’s visible in the streets, the neighborhoods, and the health outcomes we work to improve.
What You’ll Experience
Together, we’ll use Baltimore as our living classroom, exploring the area surrounding the University of Maryland Medical Center and the historic Lexington Market — spaces rich with both challenges and community-led progress.
During our guided walking tour, you’ll have the chance to:
- See firsthand how history continues to influence community health
- Learn the stories behind key sites
- Conduct a rapid Community Assessment Wheel exercise to observe social, environmental, and economic factors shaping local well-being
We’ll wrap up with a reflection session — one of my favorite parts — where we share insights, lift up community successes, and connect what we’ve learned to our work across the country.
Why I Hope You’ll Join Us
This workshop is more than a session — it’s an invitation to see Baltimore through a new lens, one shaped by honesty, context, and hope. My hope is that you’ll leave not only understanding more about this city but also feeling inspired to revisit the histories of your own communities and identify new opportunities for action.
Public health is, at its core, about people and places. And the choices we make today will shape the health of future generations. Together, we can choose to act with intention, equity, and courage.
As I walked past Lexington Market today, I noticed a mural I’ve passed countless times. This time, I paused to take a picture. When you visit Baltimore, I hope you’ll see — just as the mural reminds us — that evolution is progress, progress is growth, and growth is evolution in our community.
See you at the Community and Population Health track workshop!
