Event Title: Leveraging Community Led Interventions to Address Social Drivers of Health: Reflections from Ayesha Jaco
Event Hosts: The Penn Center for Public Health and The Penn Center for Health Equity Advancement
Event Date: April 8th, 2025
Leveraging Community Led Interventions to Address Social Drivers of Health: Reflections from Ayesha Jaco
Event Recap: During Penn Medicine’s Health Equity Week, the Penn Center for Public Health hosted Ayesha Jaco the Executive Director of West Side United on April 8th. She delivered an inspiring and thought-provoking talk on translating community-driven health equity strategies to Philadelphia. Drawing from her leadership experience in Chicago, Jaco detailed the West Side United model, a groundbreaking initiative that brings together hospitals, community organizations, and residents to dismantle racial health inequities. She emphasized how the model centers community voice, invests in neighborhood-led development, and leverages institutional power to address upstream drivers of health—such as housing, education, employment, and economic opportunity.
Jaco’s visit sparked meaningful dialogue around how Philadelphia institutions, including Penn, can adopt similar cross-sector, community-accountable frameworks to advance health equity locally. She encouraged a shift from transactional partnerships to truly transformational relationships, where power is shared and trust is built over time. Audience members—including students, faculty, and community leaders—engaged with questions about sustainability, measuring impact, and scaling equity initiatives beyond healthcare delivery. Her presence underscored the potential for urban academic medical centers to act not only as healthcare providers, but as anchor institutions committed to justice, equity, and the long-term wellbeing of the communities they serve.
Stay tuned for more seminar series hosted by the Center for Public Health, as we continue to explore innovative strategies and foster critical conversations that advance health equity in Philadelphia and beyond.