Georgia Southern University Professor Makes Connections in TEDx Talk

February 2, 2015

[caption id="attachment_4335" align="alignleft" width="608"] Fayth Parks, Ph.D, a psychologist and professor at Georgia Southern University, speaks at the TEDx Augusta Talks over the weekend.[/caption] Seventeen speakers presented the “talk of their lives in 18  minutes or less” over the weekend during the second annual TEDx Augusta Talks in Augusta, Georgia. Fayth Parks, Ph.D, a psychologist and professor at Georgia Southern University was among those speakers and presented the connection between modern medicine and cultural traditions. Here at My News, we caught up with Parks to get more insight into her talk. [caption id="attachment_4336" align="alignleft" width="134"] Fayth Parks, Ph.D.[/caption] How were you selected to be part of this TEDx Talk? TEDx Augusta organizers vetted dozens of speakers. I’m honored to have been selected.  The theme of your Talk is connecting modern medicine with cultural traditions. What inspired this connection? I study healing traditions as a cultural group’s belief system and coping strategies. Generally, these beliefs and practices are woven into narratives that give people meaning and order in healing and recovery. I’ve written scholarly publications and given numerous lectures and presentations on this topic. What kind of experience do you have in working with this topic? I have over 25 years of experience in academic and community settings with special interest in mental health service access in rural communities, poverty, cultural and linguistic competency and bridging the health disparities gap. I’m founding chair of the Rural HIV Research and Training Conference at Georgia Southern held annually. Recently, I was appointed to the American Psychological Association’s ad hoc Committee on Psychology and AIDS (COPA). COPA’s mission is to guide the development and implementation of APA’s organizational response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2009, I was honored to be appointed a David B. Larson Fellow in Health and Spirituality in The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress. I’m passionate about empowering health professionals and the general public with the knowledge and skills to promote a culture of health for all Americans. What do you hope listeners gained from your talk? Conventional medicine minimizes cultural formulations as legitimate partners. However, there are connections between cultural practices and modern medicine. I shared my personal journey, and from my research, an age-old blueprint for harnessing personal strengths that contribute to our human potential for powerful responses to disease and illness. How long have you been a professor at Georgia Southern? I’ve been at Georgia Southern for 11 years. I’m a licensed psychologist and associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Technology, and Human Development, College of Education.