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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 17, 2016)
February 17, 2016 Black History Month Page 5 Making History, Impacting Change C ontinued from f ront A key to the delivery of better mental health care to communi- ties of color is bringing down the walls of shame for patients, and increasing the number of provid- ers and services available to meet the needs of minority and other disadvantaged populations, she says. Moreland-Capuia, went to Stan- ford University for undergraduate school, then to medical school at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., before coming back to her hometown to do her residency at Oregon Health and Sciences University. She complet- ed a fellowship at OSHU that was focused on addiction services. Born and raised in north and northeast Portland, most of her family still lives in the area. She credits her family’s ability to se- cure housing, and to become homeowners, as one of the rea- sons they are still here. “I myself still live in the neigh- borhood,” she said of her passion for the city, graduating from Jef- ferson High School and attending King Elementary and Harriet Tub- man Middle School. “I was nur- tured here so it’s natural for me to return to that.” She described her work as photo by A ndie p etkus Dr. Alisha Moreland-Capuia (second from right) is surrounded by her colleagues from Oregon Health Sciences University as she draws support for the honor she received from the Oregon Historical Society for her pioneering work as a physician of color in raising aware- ness of mental health needs as it relates to issues of criminal justice policies, community and education. something she is passionate about, and says she hopes the recognition she receives will support others to follow in her path. “That’s a big deal for me be- cause we just don’t have enough African American mental health providers. For me, inspiring others to become the irst in their ield, the irst to discover something, to remind everyone there are still new frontiers for us to innovate, to inspire, and to serve, that is in- credible to me.” Moreland-Capuia was recently listed as one of the “40 under 40” by the Portland Business Journal. She is only 35. She recalls the words of actress Viola Davis at this year’s Emmy Award when she says “This is not an issue of talent. This is an issue of oppor- tunity.” She astutely points out that there is no shortage of black peo- ple who can and should be doc- tors, painters, educators, lawyers, astronauts, and professionals of every variety, “Once we give those students the opportunities they need and deserve, we will see them succeed.”
