Profile: Joan Semedo Dr. Ed.

MAHB MEMBERS come from many walks of life. The purpose of this page is to celebrate both their individuality and the common bonds of community service.

Joan Semedo serves on the Brockton Board of Health and teaches art & art history in the Boston public schools from kindergarten to college level. She is widowed, and has three daughters and two granddaughters.

Community Profile: The City of Brockton is a major urban community 20 miles south of Boston with a rich industrial history. Brockton was the shoe manufacturing center of the region from the late 18th century through the 1950’s. In the Civil War, it was claimed that half of the Union Army wore boots made in Brockton and at the height of the shoe industry in 1929, more than 30,000 people were employed by shoe manufacturers in a city which dominated the world footwear market until after World War II.

Total Area: 21.60 sq. miles Population: 92,788 Density: 4,322 per sq. mile Median Household Income $31,712; Per Capita Income $13,455
Education: University of Mass BA, MA; University of Mass Amherst Ph.D education

Interesting Life Experiences
“traveling with my church group into remote areas of Haiti, and throughout the West Indies, observing programs treating malnutrition, childbirth clinics and World Health Organization clinics; Visiting France & Switzerland to meet other artists and view their work.
Another interesting experience occurred when one of my second grade students won a national contest for health nutrition with the slogan Fruit gives you energy - not Candy- We were flown to Washington. D.C. . to visit the Dept of Agriculture and Health & Human Services.”
In 1994, Dr Semeda participated in a DPH television campaign “Good News about Breast Cancer” - promoting the idea that uninsured women can get a free mamogram, and was also a poster girl for US Dept of Health & Human Services encouraging women to get a mamogram .
Chosen to be an Artist in Embassy by US State Department - which means that your artwork is displayed in several embassies, such as New Zealand and Honduras. One painting is entitled Le Marche depicting Haitian village women engaging in trade using credit cards under a special program to reduce their vulnerability to theft.

Hobbies, interests: Skiing, horseback riding, cooking & canning, square dancing, and writing educational materials on art and art history.

Favorite books movies & art: favorite book - a biography of Madame Curie. “I like nostalgic movies with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, I’m particularly interested in Winslow Homer and Rodin who taught a number of African/American artists in their studios and strongly influenced African American art.”

Why did you decide to serve on the Board of Health?- “I was always interested in science and technology, and this was an opportunity for me to work directly on the health problems confronting our community. I have extensive training in early childhood education."
What are your board’s most pressing challenges? Brockton’s water shortage, somewhat improved now the old rusted pipes are being replaced. Brockton seems to be attracting garbage disposal companies, ... the trucks wanted to use residential neighborhoods, endangering children, and the neighborhood.

What Do You feel are most important community health contributions made by your board? “We’ve done some very positive things in tobacco control. For example, we stopped a large supermarket from stocking barrels full of cigarettes which kids were stealing. They were replaced with barrels of fruit. We also arranged for locks to be put on cigarette machines and after the state Attorney conducted compliance checks, store owners were fined for selling to minors, which discouraged that activity.
“After a complaint about body piercing, we investigated and banned this activity.”
Words of advice, comments, thoughts about the role of board of health?
“The boards need to focus on inspections to prevent problems like restaurants keeping back doors open in the summer time allowing rodents & flies to enter. Many places are not in compliance For example, we only have one public health nurse, and when contaminated fish was served at a dinner party, sending people to the hospital, it was hard to do adequate timely follow up. We need to educate the public about health risks, for example, during heavy rains I saw children swimming in the flooded areas, with parents unaware of the health risks of septic system overflows. Boards need to focus on health of children, especially with new concerns about diseases that were once thought to be conquered”.