How long have you been a member of the Black Health Network, and what drew you to CBHN?  

I have been involved with CBHN for two years. I was drawn to this organization’s intense focus on the health and well-being of a group that has been systematically excluded for years. 

What is your current profession? 

President, Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness & Health Justice at CommonSpirit Health 

From your perspective, what barriers exist in achieving health equity for Black Californians? 

Some barriers include a lack of providers who value the lived experience of Black Californians, a lack of trust between patients and providers, and limited access—especially to specialty care. 

Both in your work and with CBHN, how have you been able to prioritize the health of Black Californians? 

At the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness & Health Justice, we focus on leveraging the science of kindness, compassion, empathy, and trust to accelerate improvement in health equity and social justice. We center our work on honoring a person’s lived experience in all of our health justice programs and initiatives. I’m extremely proud of our Common Good Academy, a four-month training program for our California-based providers working to address specific health disparities within their patient populations. This program teaches providers how to do quality improvement with a health equity lens while including training on how to operationalize humankindness. 

What inspires you to keep doing the work you do? 

One of the things that inspires me to keep doing this work is meeting amazing individuals all over the world who are committed to improving the health of the Black Diaspora.  

What's the bravest thing you've ever done? 

Have children! 

What's the best advice you’ve ever received? 

My grandmother always would tell me to “Extend grace to everyone; you never know what someone is going through.”