Joining the co-hosts for the fifth episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Joseph Burns,
David Hufford, Ph.D., and Gwyneth Packard. Paul Courtney and Marie Younger Blackburn also appear on the program. This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics: “Where do you see racial disparities in the delivery of healthcare?” and “How might we address racial disparities in healthcare?”

A freelance journalist currently living in Brewster, Joseph Burns is the health insurance topic leader for the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ) and contributes to AHCJ’s Covering Health blog. He also writes about health policy and the business of health care for a variety of publications. As a writer and editor, Mr. Burns has covered health care since 1991 for various organizations, including The Commonwealth Fund, the National Alliance for Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, and others. From 1991 to 1994, he was editor-in-chief of Business & Health magazine. Mr. Burns was the founding editor of The Financial Manager, a magazine for accountants and other business strategists. Before 1991, he worked as an editor for The Hartford Courant, and he taught news writing at the University of Connecticut.

David Hufford, Ph.D., is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his Ph.D. His specialty is culture and health. While at the university, he was a professor of Behavioral Science and was the Chair of the Medical Humanities department with joint appointments in Family Medicine and Psychiatry from 1974 to 2007. After his retirement from the university, Dr. Hufford was named a Senior Fellow at Samueli Medical Institute from 2008 to 2015. He is now retired and living in Media, PA.

Gwyneth Packard moved to the area in 1991 for a twelve-week internship and stayed, making her home here and raising a family. Ms. Packard is one of the leaders of Engage Falmouth and a co-Chair of the Committee for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. As a biracial female in engineering, Ms. Packard works at advocating for women in STEM. She is an organizer for the Maria Mitchell Women of Science Symposium with the Maria Mitchell Association and participates in efforts such as Black in Marine Science Week.

Joining the co-hosts for the fourth episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Talia Landry, Julianne Vanderhoop, and Jerry Lassos. Matt Lilles and Andre Price also appear on the program.
This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics: “Do you see racism in the celebration of Columbus Day and Thanksgiving?” and “How should we locally in the Commonwealth and across the nation best acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of indigenous people?”

Talia Landry grew up in Mashpee and is a 2010 graduate of Mashpee High School. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in Communications at Quinnipiac University, Talia took on different roles for the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe and is currently President of the Tribe's Community and Development Corporation Board of Directors. Talia is presently the Productions Manager for MashpeeTV and has created the tribal news segment, First Light News. She is one of the filmmakers of the documentary Mashpee Nine.

Julianne Vanderhoop is a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah). A mother of two and former pilot and flight instructor, Julianne serves on the Town of Aquinnah Select Board and the Wampanoag Tribal Education Committee. An accomplished baker, Julianne founded the Orange Peel Bakery in 2008 by constructing a traditional outdoor, wood-fired oven.

Jerry Lassos is from Venice, California, and is a member of the Tongva indigenous people of Los Angeles. After graduating from California State Northridge as an education major, he served in the Air Force, then attended the University of Colorado and earned his Master’s Degree. After a career as an educator in Colorado’s Jefferson County Schools, he became a founding board member and chairman of the West Denver Prep Charter School. He co-created a service for students called Indigenous Students Leap Ahead.

Joining the co-hosts for the third episode of THE Conversation are guest panelists Mark Long, Ph.D.; Lynne Rhodes; and Joanna McWilliam. Also appearing on the program are Joel Smith and Lionel Hall. This edition of THE Conversation focuses on two topics, “What concerns, if any, do you have about voter suppression as it pertains to race and racism?” and “How do you motivate people to vote in light of voter suppression efforts?”

Mark Long holds a Ph.D. in history from Loyola University Chicago and a B.A. in political science from Auburn University. His research areas and interests include the intersections between maritime, economic and environmental history and policy, especially focused on frontier and borderland areas.

Lynne Rhodes is a native of Falmouth who majored in Social Work and Human Development in college. She is a member of the Town of Falmouth Affirmative Action/Diversity Committee and was elected as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 8. She was also elected to the Falmouth Democratic Town Committee’s Executive Board and is an Executive Board member for the Cape Cod branch of the NAACP.

A civil rights and voting rights activist who trained with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Jesse Jackson; Andrew Young; and others as a member of the SCOPE (Summer Community Organization and Political Education) program in the 1960’s, Joanna McWilliams has a Master’s Degree in African Studies from Boston University. After living and working as an activist and educator in Nigeria, South Boston, New York, India, and Kenya, she retired to Cape Cod in 2010.