She breaks down the barriers many patients face when navigating Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and explains how her IBD Patient Navigator® Program helps individuals access specialists, understand their diagnosis, reduce ER visits, and overcome social determinants of health.

You’ll hear insights on:

• The impact of delayed diagnosis and clinical bias

• The difference between IBS and IBD

• Why community health workers are essential to IBD care

• How journaling and documentation strengthen patient advocacy

• Expanding navigator programs into rural and underserved communities

This conversation is a must‑listen for anyone working in gastroenterology, community health, patient navigation, or health equity.

Belgrave challenges people to consider self-care as an investment in their future selves.

“The mindset shift I challenge folks to have is: thinking about the future version of you,” Belgrave says. “...The reality is: Taking care of yourself now could be the difference between your independence and being in a nursing home.”

This week on the Health Disparities podcast, we revisit a conversation between host Dr. Tamara Huff and Ariel Belgrave debunk self-care myths and explore alternative approaches to prioritizing yourself using the P.A.U.S.E. method.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Danielle breaks down why the U.S. has millions of vacant and substandard homes and how these conditions fuel chronic disease, mobility challenges, safety concerns, and long‑term disinvestment. She explains how public policy, code enforcement, tax foreclosure systems, and land banks can either reinforce inequity or create pathways to healthier, thriving communities.

You’ll learn about:

• How vacant properties harm health
• Why policy change is essential for neighborhood recovery
• How vacancy affects mobility and safety
• Green reuse strategies that improve community wellbeing
• The most damaging myths about vacancy
• Upstream vs. reactive systems in property revitalization

Perfect for viewers interested in health equity, urban policy, community development, mobility justice, and place‑based public health.

Dr. Melvyn Harrington is an orthopedic surgeon and Vice Chair for Community Engagement & Health Equity at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. Dr. Elena Rios serves as President & CEO of the National Hispanic Medical Association, (NHMA), representing 50,000 Hispanic physicians in the United States.  Episode host Dr. Charla Johnson is the Director of Clinical Information Systems & Nursing Informatics, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, in Baton Rouge.

0:20 Introductions | 1:55 How patients experience & express bias | 4:45 Harmful stereotyping | 6:40 Bias in medical record | 8:20 Bias as gatekeeper to college admissions & healthcare careers | 10:05 Systemic factors for healthcare workforce | 11:30 Bias steering students away from premed | 12:30 Importance of bias training | 14:40 Resistance towards bias training | 17:10 Differences between structural racism & systemic racism | 21:10 Role of social determinants of health (SDOH) | 24:05 Bias towards people with obesity | 26:10 Bias leading to inconsistencies and inequities | 27:50 Importance of self-reflection | 28:50 Bias causing patients to disengage | 29:30 Importance of cultural and language competency | 30:15 Role of age bias | 30:45 Bias toward minority healthcare professionals | 34:25 Do professionals & patients understand structural and systemic racism? | 37:10 How NHMA works to educate professionals & patients about bias | 41:00 Closing remarks.

© Movement is Life 2023

Episode host Christin Zollicoffer (she/her pronouns) serves as Chief Belonging and Equity Officer with Lifespan Health System, an academic medical center affiliated with Brown University and Warren Alpert Medical School.

Dr. Carla Harwell is a nationally recognized leader in health care disparities education and medical issues affecting minorities. She is Medical Director, University Hospitals Otis Moss Jr. Health Center, and Associate Professor of Medicine, CWRU School of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine. 

Dr. Daniel Wiznia is Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, Yale University School of Medicine. He is the co-director of Yale's master’s program in Personalized Medicine & Applied Engineering.  

© Movement is Life 2023

He reflects on the influence of his grandparents, the educators who nurtured his identity, and the cultural traditions that continue to guide his leadership. Dexter also discusses the emotional realities Black men face, the importance of remembrance in community healing, and how culturally aligned approaches can transform health outcomes.

You’ll hear insights on:

• How legacy preservation strengthens community health
• The role of Detroit’s cultural lineage in shaping identity
• Why policy rollbacks threaten social determinants of health
• Supporting Black men through grief and emotional processing
• Culturally rooted “couture solutions” in health equity work
• The power of gathering, food, and the table as healing spaces

This conversation is a must‑listen for anyone working in health equity, community leadership, Black mental health, public health, or culturally responsive care. It’s a grounding, heart‑centered reminder that love, memory, and community are essential parts of the health ecosystem.

In order to achieve this, there needs to be both a pipeline and a pathway, says Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, President and CEO of Morehouse School of Medicine.

“We need students to believe what’s possible in first grade and then chart a path,” she says.

Montgomery Rice says her own love and science and people led her to chart her career pathway that led her into academic medicine. “What if everybody was given that opportunity. What if everybody was told you can be whatever you want to be?”

“Every one of my roles has been about how to develop people to bring their best self to work,” she says.

Although health equity work can be polarized and be perceived as political, Montgomery Rice says Morehouse School of Medicine is committed to leading the creation and advancement of health equity — both through new solutions and through complementing existing ones. 

The heart of her message on health equity: It’s about “giving people what they need, when they need it, to achieve optimal level of health.”

Montgomery Rice spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Carla Harwell for this episode, which was recorded at Movement Is Life’s annual health equity summit.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dr. Wayne Alix Ian Frederick is a Trinidadian-American scholar, surgeon, and university administrator. He is currently serving as president of Howard University in Washington D.C. since July 21, 2014. He also serves as the distinguished Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery.

Dr. Randall Morgan is an orthopedic surgeon based in Sarasota Florida, and the Executive Director of the W. Montague Cobb Institute. He also serves on the steering group of Movement is Life. 

Resources and initiatives mentioned in this episode:

CVS Healthy 2030 Goals: https://www.cvshealth.com/social-responsibility/corporate-social-responsibility/healthy-2030-goals

About CVS Health Zones: https://www.cvshealth.com/social-responsibility/health-zones  

Take us to a Better Place, RWJFs first book of fiction:  https://www.rwjf.org/en/library/research/2019/11/take-us-to-a-better-place-stories-coming-january-2020.html

Excerpt:

“At CVS we are concerned about the health disparities in our communities. There are disproportionate rates of illness and death and limited cultural competency among providers and resources. We see ongoing and deep-rooted discrimination and racism…it’s those -isms that we just have to uncover and address. And until we have those honest conversations, we are never going to be able to solve them.”  ~ Jennifer Truscott, CVS & Aetna

Copyright © Movement is Life 2022 

“I think diversity and inclusion is a very important reality ideal to address,” White says. “It has numerous values for institutions, for people who are involved and for making progress in the direction of beginning to eliminate and adjust and correct for and protect our humanity, as well as our ethnic citizenship, if you will.”

This episode was originally published in 2019 with host Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason.

At just 17, Grace was told she would never walk again. After waking from a nap with her left leg paralyzed, she faced a defining crossroads: accept limitation or choose possibility. She chose movement—of the body, the mind, and the spirit. Today, Grace speaks from the lens of the patient, sharing what it looks like to keep moving forward while living with daily pain. Her message is simple but profound: we can choose to be “up and able” rather than “down and defeated.”

Grace also brings her expertise in financial wellness to the conversation, highlighting how financial empowerment—especially for seniors—directly connects to health equity, stability, and community well‑being. She breaks down the barriers people face, the myths that hold them back, and the power of language to either uplift or limit our lives.

In this episode, Grace opens up about:

• Her journey from paralysis to purpose

• How mindset can shift the trajectory of your life

• Why financial empowerment is a health equity issue

• The importance of speaking life into yourself and others

• Her upcoming journal, Graceful Movement, and how it helps readers embrace pain with compassion and courage

Grace’s story is a reminder that movement isn’t just physical—it’s emotional, mental, and deeply personal. Her voice is one of hope, empowerment, and unwavering belief in what’s possible.

Never miss an episode—subscribe to The Health Disparities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen.

In our 150th episode of the Health Disparities Podcast, Dr. Michelle Leak hosts a discussion about Summit highlights, exploring the theme of  "Bridging the Health Equity Gap in Vulnerable Communities." Joining Dr. Leak are Movement is Life Chair, Dr. Mary O'Connor, and Vice-Chair Dr. Carla Harwell. Attendees can hear a sneak preview of the program and also consider which two of the four workshops they will want to attend. 

We hope to see you at the Summit, but if you can't make it there is a plan B, as many of the Summit speakers will be joining us on the The Health Disparities Podcast after the event. 

(c) Movement is Life 2023. 

*please note this schedule is not final and is subject to change*

In todays episode, which is hosted by NP and rural health expert Mary Behrens, FNP, FAANP, we hear about Dr. Kapu's  experiences of meeting NPs across the country during her year of presidency. NP Behrens and Dr. Kapu also discuss some of the reasons why being an NP is now widely considered to be one of the most rewarding careers in healthcare, and explore the importance of building diversity in the profession. This year marks the 102nd birthday of NP founder and advanced practice expert, Dr. Loretta Ford. Dr. Kapu discusses her accomplishments, her commitment to health equity, and the continued mission to make sure healthcare is accessible to everyone, everywhere. 

Copyright: Movement is Life, Inc, 2023 

Dr. Razia Jayman-Aristide is a physician who blends deep clinical expertise with a powerful public health lens. She has spent the last 15 years building a career that bridges direct patient care, nonprofit leadership and systemic change.

In this episode, Dr. Jayman-Aristide shares her journey — and how she’s redefining what medicine, emphasizing the need for personalized care that addresses social determinants of health. 

“My family was a family that came here with minimal in their pocket. We were getting food stamps. We were on WIC lines. I was going to the FQHC clinics,” she says. “I would see parents losing, you know, a day of the salary just to get me health care. It's crazy that we don't think about those things. And I bring that everywhere I go.”

Registration is now open for the upcoming Movement Is Life Annual Summit on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

“It would be wonderful if that 10-minute appointment that a patient just saw me for made the biggest difference in the patient's life. That's not the reality,” Ramos said. “We have to [take] into consideration the environment that the people live in.”

Ramos says cross-collaborative partnerships between health care providers and community partners are critical to addressing health disparities.

In the latest episode of the Health Disparities podcast, host Dr. Claudia Zamora speaks with Dr. Ramos about what these kinds of cross-collaborative partnerships can look like, and what it takes to improve the health and wellbeing of people in California – and the nation.

Dr. Boggs shares the early moments that shaped her understanding of inequity, from growing up in a deeply connected Detroit community to witnessing stark disparities when she left home for college. Her path from kinesiology and pre‑med to public health leadership was fueled by a desire to advocate for people who look like her — especially after learning how maternal and infant health outcomes disproportionately impact Black women, regardless of income or education.

Together, Ber‑Henda and Dr. Boggs explore:

•  What resilience looks like in Detroit neighborhoods, where communities “keep going, keep moving, no matter what,” despite redlining, food insecurity, and structural barriers.
• How Detroit schools and neighborhood roots shaped Dr. Caira’s public health lens.
• Worker health realities in Detroit’s plants — from blood pressure to chronic disease risks.
• What recovery‑friendly workplaces need: Narcan access, dignity, and long‑term support.
• Food insecurity as both structural and neighbor‑to‑neighbor — and how small acts help. 
• Neighborhood‑driven solutions like micro‑grants, walking clubs, and anchor organizations.
• How COVID‑19 exposed inequities and elevated social determinants of health.

Dr. Boggs also reflects on the personal experiences that continue to motivate her — from loved ones whose health outcomes could have been different with better access, to the collective trauma and awakening brought on by the pandemic. Her message is clear: every person has the power to change someone’s trajectory, whether through advocacy, compassion, or simply knowing the people on your block.

This episode is essential listening for anyone working in community health, public health, philanthropy, health equity, or systems‑level change — and for anyone who believes in the strength and brilliance of Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Agape’s mission is simple and powerful: “everyone deserves quality, affordable care delivered with compassion, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.” Mia shares the experiences that shaped her path to leadership and the values that fuel her commitment to community‑centered care. She discusses the gaps she saw when stepping into her role and how Agape works every day to remove barriers to access—from sliding‑scale payment options to neighborhood‑based clinics across Jacksonville.

Together, Joyce and Mia explore:

• What a new patient experiences when accessing Agape’s family practice, women’s health, pharmacy, and behavioral health services
• How integrating medical, pharmaceutical, and behavioral health improves outcomes for patients managing chronic conditions
• The importance of trust, dignity, and compassionate care for patients who have faced dismissive or negative healthcare experiences
• Jacksonville’s legacy of community‑based care—from Brewster Hospital to Dr. Alexander Darnes—and how that history shapes Agape’s mission today
• Real‑world inequities such as transportation, insurance gaps, chronic disease burdens, and mistrust in the healthcare system
• The partnerships, funding challenges, and operational realities of sustaining a mission‑driven nonprofit health system

Mia also shares powerful stories of impact—moments when Agape’s care changed the trajectory of someone’s life—and offers practical advice for clinicians and listeners who want to support health equity in their own communities.

This episode is essential listening for anyone working in community health, public health, philanthropy, health equity, or systems‑level change.

Subscribe for more conversations about community‑driven solutions, health equity, and the work to eliminate disparities.

A program in Boston aims to  address mental health disparities by disrupting traditional health care models. The Boston Emergency Services Team, or BEST, is led by Dr. David Henderson, chief of psychiatry at Boston Medical Center. 

BEST brings together mental health providers, community resources, law enforcement, and the judicial system to deliver care to people in need of mental health services.

Henderson says bringing mental health providers alongside police responding to calls for service for mental health needs has helped reduce the number of people with mental illness ending up in jails and prisons.

“The criminal justice system has, by default, become one of the largest mental health systems … around the country as well,” Henderson says. “People with mental illness are in jails and prisons, at a percentage that they really should not be.”

In a conversation that first published in 2024, Henderson speaks with Movement Is Life’s Hadiya Green about what it takes to ensure people in need of mental health services get the help they need, why it’s important to train providers to recognize unconscious biases, and what it means to provide trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.

“Sometimes I’ll have a woman come in and say, ‘I’m overweight,’” Bilbrew says. “And I’ll look at her X-rays and say, ‘Yes, I see the fat — but you’ve got tons of muscle under there. You should try strength training.’”

It’s that mix of empathy and empowerment that defines Bilbrew’s approach to orthopedic care — and why she’s been tapped as the keynote speaker for this year’s Movement is Life Annual Summit, themed “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement and Community.”

In this episode, Bilbrew speaks with Movement Is Life’s Christin Zollicoffer about her passion for medicine, which began when she was a young child growing up in England. She remembers her grandmother secretly spitting out pills prescribed for high blood pressure — a moment that left a deep impression.

“My grandmother passed away shortly after that from complications of high blood pressure,” Bilbrew recalled. “I knew at that moment I wanted to be a doctor” — the kind who listens, communicates well and helps patients understand why their treatment matters.

Now a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity surgery, Dr. Lattisha Bilbrew brings that commitment to every patient encounter.

A cornerstone of Bilbrew’s message is “loading” — the idea that bone and muscle grow stronger only when challenged. It’s why she encourages patients of all ages, especially women approaching menopause, to lift weights. 

“It's like putting gold coins in a bank for when we're older,” she says, noting that the more you build now, the more you protect yourself later.

Dr. Bilbrew will be a keynote speaker at the 2025 Movement Is Life Annual Summit on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Registration is now open. Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

That question is the focus of today’s episode with Carol Redmond Naughton, CEO of Purpose Built Communities based in Atlanta.

“I really have become an  advocate for community development as a way to move the needle on  health outcomes. And I'm not talking about simply putting a kidney dialysis center in the bottom floor of a senior high rise,” Naughton says. “I don't mean to say that that's not a good thing to do, but we've got to move upstream. We've got to be way upstream and be thinking about: How are we building communities and supporting children, so those children 60 years from now will not need kidney dialysis?”

In a conversation that was first published in 2022, Naughton speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Tamara Huff about the difference between access to health care and health outcomes and the importance of addressing the social determinants of health.  

She also calls on all of us to reflect on the systems that have kept people trapped in poverty — especially Black and Brown communities — and consider what it takes to create communities that support a “cradle to college pipeline.” 

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The Community Health Needs Assessment, or CHNA, is a  powerful tool for promoting health equity, says Leslie Marshburn, Vice President of Strategy & Population Health at Grady Health System.

“We want to be hearing directly from the individuals that we serve — what they believe their community health needs are,” Marshburn says. The information is coupled with public data, “ideally at the most granular level, like the census track or zip code. And so those national data sets can help inform what the needs are, and then layering that with the community voice through your primary data collection and synthesizing all of that helps you identify your priorities.”

When it comes to improving health outcomes in communities, it’s also critical that health care providers understand health disparities, says Dr. Maura George, an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and an internist at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, where she also serves as Medical Director of Ethics. 

“I think clinicians who don't know how to recognize disparities are going to perpetuate them, and we can all do that unintentionally,” George says. “I think knowing our own internalized bias, implicit bias is important, because you have to realize how that can interact in the patient care space.”

Marshburn and George joined Movement Is Life’s summit as workshop panelists, and spoke with steering committee member Dr. Zachary Lum for this podcast episode.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

He’s seen how it can literally save lives.

A year after Bervell posted a video about disparities in pulse oximeters for Black patients, a man reached out to share that during the pandemic, he had reported to the hospital with shortness of breath, a fever and COVID symptoms. The pulse oximeter reported 100% oxygen saturation, so he was told to go home.

“But he felt horrible, and he had recently seen my video” showing pulse oximeters can report falsely high oxygen readings in Black patients, Bevell says. “And so he told the doctors.. I want to stay here at the hospital. Is that okay?”

The doctors let him stay, and the man ended up crashing the night, ending up in the ICU with intubation. He’s grateful he survived, and later reached out to Bervell to say, “because of your video, I felt confident being able to say, ‘I don't know if this is accurate for me, I don't feel well. I want to stay.’”

Bervell says this is why he creates videos like these, to help people understand medical issues “so they can feel confident to let their needs be known” to health care providers.

Hear more on this story and the latest adventures of the Medical Mythbuster Joel Bervell, who joined Movement Is Life’s summit as a closing plenary speaker, and spoke with Board member Dr. Erick Santos for this podcast episode.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hamad says policymakers need to look upstream and identify the root causes of health issues.

“And really recognizing that poverty is one of the major root causes of those issues, and that if we don't address that… those health issues are just going to keep arising and not getting any better,” she says. 

On this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Hamad speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Charla Johnson about evidence-based policies for alleviating poverty — like the child tax credit, earned income tax credit — and explains how healthcare systems can get more involved in bolstering the social safety net.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Health systems, professional societies and researchers are increasingly recognizing that “faith-based organizations are trusted institutions within underserved communities and that people not only seek spiritual refuge and salvation in these places of worship, but they are also wonderful, trusted vessels to  distribute reliable health information,” says Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, a faculty member in the division of  Preventive Cardiology, department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic.

“Participating in religious activities from church services to private prayer, as well as holding deep spiritual beliefs are  linked to better cardiovascular health among Black Americans," according to researchers of a 2022 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

The researchers go on to suggest that recognition by health professionals and researchers of the centrality and influence of religiosity and spirituality in the lives of African American adults may serve as a means to address cardiovascular health disparities.

In an episode that was first published in 2023, Movement Is Life’s Dr. Mary O’Connor spoke with Dr. Brewer, whose primary research focus is reducing cardiovascular disease health disparities in racial and ethnic minority populations  and in underserved communities, and Clarence Jones, a community engagement specialist and former director of community engagement at a federally qualified health center in Minneapolis who has extensive experience in  collaborating with community and faith-based partners in promoting community wellness and access to health services. 

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Speaking at the university where she was the only female and only African American student in her class, and in the auditorium named for her, “Healing Hate” conference keynote speaker Dr. Vivian Pinn reflects on progressing her career during eras of segregation, discrimination, and civil rights. 

Pinn says it’s important to address the erroneous historical racial stereotypes that have informed contemporary unconscious bias. In working toward health equity, she says interdisciplinary collaboration is critical.

“You’ve got to work together,” Pinn says. “No one person, no one group is responsible for it all. That synergy of collaboration, you can't beat.”

She also describes her work at NIH, where she was the inaugural Director of the Office of Research on Women’s Health, and explains why it’s so important that everyone get involved at the socio-political level.

This episode was originally published in 2020 with host Dr. Randall Morgan. 

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

When it comes to obesity medicine, patients can be their worst critics, says Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity medicine physician scientist, educator, and policy maker at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

“They’re their worst critics because what they’ve heard from their doctors, their family members, their peers is that they have failed,” Dr. Stanford says. “My goal is to help them realize that they’re not, indeed, a failure. There are options. We can treat  this disease. We do have treatments available.”

Dr. Stanford is a national and international sought-after expert in obesity medicine who bridges the intersection of medicine, public health, policy, and disparities. She joins the Health Disparities podcast to discuss weight bias, how that bias causes stress, and the role of stress in obesity.

This episode was originally published in 2019 with host Dr. Bonnie Mason Simpson.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“The best innovations that we've had for humankind have come from these types of collective strategies,” says Dr. Karen Hacker, director of the CDC National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

This week on the Health Disparities Podcast, we're joined by Dr. Hacker, who shares her insights on healthcare collaboration and bridging community-clinical services to help address social determinants of health, which are linked to chronic diseases that affect 6 in 10 Americans.

“The number one focus of our efforts is: How do we support the public health system to really think about strategies that are evidence-based to help their constituents across the nation make the healthiest choices that they can make?” she says.

Dr. Hacker joined Movement Is Life’s summit and spoke with steering committee member Sarah Hohman for this podcast episode.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In today’s episode hosted by Movement Is Life’s Conchita Burpee, we explore the critical elements of effective, patient-centered communication. Our guests:

• Dr. Mauvareen Beverley, an executive-level physician with 20 years of experience advocating for improving patient engagement and cultural competency and the author of the book, “Nine Simple Solutions to Achieve Health Equity: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals and Patients” 
• Dr. Janet Austin, the founder of JSA Chronic Disease Foundation, a national nonprofit aimed at providing resources and support to help people who experience pain due to chronic diseases have a better life.

Beverley says effective doctor-patient communication starts with heightened human value for each patient, regardless of their background or circumstances: “Everybody talks about being respectful and this and that, but if you don't value me, you think respect is going to come into your mind or your brain?”

Austin shares her personal experience as a lifelong chronic disease patient in explaining how small acts of kindness from healthcare providers can go a long way.

“I was having a really rough time just a few months ago, and of course, I'm there to talk with [my internal medicine doctor], and I'm crying,” Austin says. “She actually said, ‘Janet, I'm going to go ahead and book you to come back to see me in three months, I'm just going to make time for me to listen.’ And I just… I left so optimistic because someone said that they wanted to listen.” 

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“The John Lewis Equity in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment Act — it really is an opportunity to reduce health disparities and to evaluate payment models of Medicare and Medicaid that will take social determinants of health into account,” Sewell says. “I really do believe that health disparities is a civil rights issue, and the opportunity to carry on a bill that [John Lewis] championed, now that he's gone, is a real highlight of my career.”

Now in her seventh term representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, Rep. Terri Sewell is one of the first women elected to Congress from Alabama — and the first Black woman to ever serve in the Alabama Congressional delegation. 

She speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Bill Finerfrock about how her personal experiences have led her to the work she’s doing today in Congress and also shares these words of encouragement to those working to advance health equity in their communities:

“Stay in the trenches, continue to mobilize and organize around these issues and continue to fight… and advocate for what we know is a civil rights issue. It is a human rights issue, health care, and so we can be frustrated, we can be downright mad, but what we can't do is give up.”

A note to our listeners: Movement Is Life’s upcoming annual summit brings together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to discuss healthy equity challenges and actionable solutions. 

This year’s theme is: "Health Equity: Solutions from Healthcare Leaders.” The summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 14 to 15. Registration is now open – find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“The only reason why I like the name, the title ‘social determinants of health,’ is because anything that has been socially constructed can be socially deconstructed,” Davis said. “Health disparities do not naturally occur in nature, they have been manmade, right? So now it's time for us to unmake them.” 

In this week’s episode, host Dr. Tamara Huff speaks with Davis, along with Jennifer Holmes, Senior Counsel with the Legal Defense Fund, who works on cases that advance racial justice in the areas of educational equity, economic justice, and voting rights.

This, according to Dr. Pedro José Greer Jr., is because med schools have not done a great job helping their students understand the social determinants of health — the many nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes.

“It's not for the student physician to be able to resolve the social determinants, it's for them to really understand what they are,” Greer said. “Without understanding all these other things, we're not going to make [the] right therapeutic calls.

“The health outcomes in this country are embarrassingly bad,” he added. “So we have to be driven to improve those disparities.”

Greer is an American physician of Cuban descent and founding dean of the Roseman University of Health Sciences College of Medicine. He spoke with Health Disparities podcast host Claudia Zamora about how to improve medical education, why diversity matters, and why it’s critical that med schools train doctors to show compassion and empathy for their patients.

The conversation was recorded in person at the 2023 Movement Is Life annual Health Equity Summit.

In today's discussion Dr. Ansell reflects on the collision between the ongoing epidemic of social and structural determinants of health, and the pandemic of COVID-19. He also shares recommendations for ways that healthcare providers can bring together quality, safety and equity in medicine. 

David A. Ansell, MD, MPH, is Senior Vice President for Community Health Equity for Rush University Medical Center and Associate Provost for Community Affairs for Rush University System for Health, Chicago. 

Dr. Carla Harwell is Medical Director, University Hospitals Otis Moss Jr. Health Center; Associate Professor of Medicine, CWRU School of Medicine, Division of Internal Medicine; and Vice Chair for the Board of Directors at Movement is Life. 

(c) Movement is Life 2023

Christin Zollicoffer is Chief Belonging and Equity Officer at Lifespan Health System. Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason is the inaugural Medical Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the American College of Surgeons. Claudia Zamora is a consultant who serves on the Board of Directors for the National Hispanic Medical Association and the Board of Directors for Movement is Life.

0:01 Excepts | 2:30 Introductions |5:30 Dr. Simpson Mason shares solution examples | 6:30 Different levels of experiencing oppression | 7:20 Increasing access via Nth Dimensions pathway programs | 9:30 Equity Matters ACGME | 10:45 Medical specialty societies education & communication | 11:45 Christin Zollicoffer shares solution examples | 12:15 Four levels of racism: internalized, interpersonal, institutional, structural | 12:15 Baking in DEI for patients & employees | 15:00 Employee resource groups role | 15:30 Workforce education and skills building | 16:30 Integration of equity practices | 20:15 Community based program Operation Change | 24:00 Importance of trauma informed lens | 29:00 Equity as the 6th domain of care (IOM) | 31:30 Addressing data collection to support equity | 34:00 Claudia Zamora shares examples including NHMA programs | 37:30 Critical success factors for programs e.g. change management & working with the “moveable middle” | 40:10 Definition of equity | 42:15 Common mistakes e.g. tokenism & placing DEI under HR | 46:00 Speaking the language of health equity | 49:00 Are things changing?   

© Movement is Life 2023

"Unconscious Bias, Yes it is Real" is a useful short guide to understanding unconscious bias, its consequences in healthcare, & some ways to mitigate unconscious bias. It discusses most types of bias impacting the quality of healthcare, including race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexuality, religion, mental health, & weight bias. The "Unconscious Bias, Yes it is Real" booklet is available as a digital download on our website. Movement is Life invites listeners to use the booklet in association with this audio resource as the basis for workshops and discussion groups aimed at improving cultural sensitivity & understanding.

1:35 Introduction – We are all biased | 3:25 What is bias? | 5:30 Types of bias | 8:02 Unconscious or implicit biases | 9:55 Unconscious bias in healthcare | 13:40 Unconscious bias involving weight | 16:12 Unconscious bias involving mental health | 18:20 Unconscious bias involving race & ethnicity | 23:10 Unconscious bias involving gender & gender identity | 28:35 Unconscious bias involving sexual orientation | 30:35 Limitations in research | 32:18 How patients respond to bias | 36:30 Measuring unconscious bias using IAT | 41:50 Counteracting bias in healthcare | 44:30 The LEARN model | 46:00 Glossary | 50:30 Closing comments

Unconscious Bias, Yes it Real - Digital Booklet: http://startmovingstartliving.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Unconscious_Bias_Content_03_print.pdf

About Movement is Life https://www.movementislifesummit.org/website/56162/about-movement-is-life/

Narration by Dr. Michelle Leak & Rolf Taylor.

Adapted for audio from the booklet & produced by Rolf Taylor. 

(c) Movement is Life 2023

In practice, value-based care has been shown to exacerbate some disparities in the healthcare system by making it harder for those patients with complex conditions, or being impacted by social determinants of health, to access care. Put simply, if some categories of patient are more financially risky than others to treat, providers may find ways to exclude them – unless checks and balances are put in place to help manage risks associated with SDOH and comorbid conditions.

Health policy expert Matt Reiter hosts a discussion featuring Bill Finerfrock from Capitol Associates, and Tom Dorney from The Root Cause Coaltion. Together they discuss the very real danger of widening health disparities resulting from the expansion of value-based care, and the legislative solution proposed by the John Lewis EMMT Act (Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment) which has been reintroduced in 2023 by Rep. Teri Sewell and Sen. Cory Booker.

All organizations advocating for health equity are encouraged to help advance the legislation by writing letters of support (template below) to Matt Reiter reiterm@capitolassociates.com who will coordinate their forwarding to Representative Sewell and Senator Booker.  

------------------------------

LETTER OF SUPPORT TEMPLATE 

Dear Representative Sewell & Senator Booker, 

I am writing in support of S.1296/H.R.3069, the John Lewis Equality in Medicare and Medicaid Treatment (EMMT) Act of 2023.

The EMMT Act would require the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to include experts in health disparities and social determinants of health as part of the evaluation and review process for new payment models. If enacted, this bill would also require fairness of these new payment methods for women, high-risk patients, patients from racial or ethnic minorities, or patients from rural communities. Lastly, it directs CMMI to develop and test a payment model that is tailored to addressing social determinants of health.

While quality and cost are important considerations, equal consideration should be given to the impact a proposed model may have on access to care for women, minorities and beneficiaries residing in rural areas. CMMI is under no statutory obligation to account for social determinants of health when considering new payment models. Indeed, the only factors CMMI must consider when determining whether to approve a new payment model are quality and cost.

Because Medicare is the single largest health care payer in the country, and many commercial insurance plans will adopt policies based on Medicare, Congress must ensure that the models approved by CMMI incentivize reductions in minority and rural health disparities and not create barriers to care. We appreciate all that this CMS Administration has done to advance health equity. Passing the EMMT Act will ensure that all new models account for social determinants of health and how the models impact minority and rural populations.

Your leadership on eliminating health disparities for women, minorities and beneficiaries residing in rural areas is deeply appreciated.

I applaud your leadership on this important bill. The EMMT Act will go a long way towards improving access to quality healthcare for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.

On behalf or our organization: 

Sincerely,

------------------------------

Health Disparities Podcast Episode 143 (c) Movement is Life 2023

Dr. Jackson is a proven leader in empowering women to improve their health and the health of their families and communities. She was named the first Chief Community Impact Officer at Atrium Health, where she established strategies for Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health. More recently, she became the System Vice President, Population Health Innovation and Policy, at CommonSpirit Health, and is also CEO of Why Health Matters. Dr. Tamara Huff is a member of Movement is Life Steering Committee & Founder & CEO, Vigeo Orthopedics, LLC.

Excerpts: 

“There are decisions that are being made for us that actually drive health outcomes. Economic, policy and investment decisions. People may live in a food dessert. Or a maternity dessert. We have to start acknowledging that these decisions are happening outside of our own decisions about our health behaviors.” 

“Providers will often label patients as “non-compliant,” and that is a term I encourage everyone to take out of their vocabularies. I simply don’t believe that people wake up in the morning and decide that they want to be unhealthy. Our responsibility as care providers is to identify what the barriers are that people have to achieving great health, and help patients mitigate or eliminate them.”  

“I was a young African American female physician coming into a community that had only seen one other Black female physician, and I really had to build trust. I’m not going to sugar coat it, there were definitely patients who did not want to see me.”

“One of the things I love about Movement is Life is that you are providing resources to help with behavior change. And thank you, Movement is Life, for being an accelerator of these much needed conversations.” 

“What the data tells us, what the research tells us, is that people who have providers who look like them, who can connect with them, tend to have better health outcomes. Movement is Life has been culturally humble enough to say that things like food are very cultural, it’s one of the things that makes a group uniquely different, so their needs are different. Changes in Hispanic culture are going to look different to changes in African American culture, and different from the dominant culture.” 

Carol believes that we need to recognize that the systems have been broken for so long that they have “broken the place,” but the people remain unbroken.  So, when we think about building communities of purpose for children with unlimited human potential, we can find ways to create great places with a “cradle to college pipeline,” and we can change the systems to make it easier to create other great places.

With host Dr. Tamara Huff, MD, MBA, Founder and CEO of Vigeo Orthopedics, in Columbus, Georgia, and member of www.movementislifecaucus.com for transcripts of this and other episodes.

Excerpts

The secret sauce is creating a community quarterback organization. You have got to have an organization that isn’t in the service delivery business, but is thinking about how after the residents have created their vision for the community, how do they implement it? Thinking about how to work with public, private and non-profit partners to actually do the housing, to build the education pipeline, and create those health and wellness amenities.

I love Columbia Parc and I am so proud of what the district partners have been able to do since hurricane Katrina. These were three business leaders that really did not know anything about community development at the time, but our mutual connections suggested they to go to see East Lake in Atlanta and learn how it could be the model for the rebuild of New Orleans. We spent two days together and they came home committed to trying to do what nobody had been able to do in New Orleans before.

Our network members really encouraged us to elevate economic vitality within our model. Poverty is expensive, if you don’t live within walking distance of a grocery store you will be paying higher prices at the convenience store, if you don’t have a car you will be paying a driver or paying with time on a two hour bus journey.

My call to action is to look with open eyes, and think about the systems that have kept people trapped in poverty, particularly Black and Brown people, and to not blame the victims. Recognize that the systems have been broken so long that they have broken the place, but the people are not broken, and if we come at it thinking about how we are building communities for children of God with unlimited human potential we can create great places and we can change the systems to make it easier to create other great places.

The group also explores achieving workforce diversity in general and orthopedic surgery specifically, which is the least diverse specialty of all. With current trends it will take 217 years to reach parity in terms of race and gender representation, and the group shares strategies for accelerating the pace. We hear how part of the challenge is getting diverse students into schools, but once this is achieved the environment must be set up for success. Otherwise, tokenism can lead to isolation and burnout. With pointers towards actionable steps and resources, this episode takes DEI up a notch.

© Copyright Movement is Life 2022-2023

Host: Charla Johnson, DNP, RN-BC, ONC

Secretary, Board of Directors, Movement is Life

System Director, Nursing Informatics

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System Baton Rouge, LA

Featuring:

Tonya Jagneaux, MD, MSHI, FCCP

Chief Medical Information Officer – OLOL

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine, Pulmonary/Critical Care, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Baton Rouge Campus

Holly Pilson, MD, FAAOS, FAOA

Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma, Vice Chair of Social Impact, Co-Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Co-Director of Clinical Research, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Affiliate Faculty of Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Daytheon Sturges, PhD, MPAS, PA-C, DFAAPA, CHES®

Assistant Professor of Family Medicine, Vice Chair for JEDI, Associate Program Director for Regional Affairs and Academic Affairs, JEDI, MEDEX Northwest Physician Assistant Program, University of Washington School of Medicine Physician, University of Washington Primary Care – Northgate

Producer/Editor/Writer: Rolf Taylor 

Resources: 

USING Z CODES: The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Data Journey to Better Outcomes: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/zcodes-infographic.pdf

Advancing excellence in PA education through leadership, scholarship, equity, and inclusion. DEI Toolkit & Best Practices Guide: https://paeaonline.org/diversity-equity-inclusion

Fewer Words, More Action: Cultivating an Anti-Racist Environment Strategies/Solutions (CARES) Framework for Physician Assistant Education. Carl Frizell et al: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34817435/

Excerpts: 

We need to do a rebranding and a paradigm shift, so that we don’t view diversity as a risk, but we view it as a strength, and we view it as beautiful. I use that term because this is not only hard work it is heart work, and there is some emotional exhaustion that comes with that.” ~ Daytheon Sturges PA-C

“It’s voluntary in 2023 then mandatory in 2024 to be screening for social determinants of health for Medicare and Medicaid for reimbursement. So, people really need to understand the importance of this, and it can’t be just another check the box. At Our Lady of the Lake we have a marketing slogan, “we listen, we heal,” – which is perfect alignment with integrating social determinants of health.” ~ Charla Johnson, DNP

“Just like we look at things like A1C, I’d like to see Z codes be reviewed routinely so we ask the questions, have we resolved food insecurity, have we resolved homelessness, and we can report on that and close that loop. And I really appreciate a provider wanting to use Z codes.” ~ Tonya Jagneaux, MD

“From the vantage point of the good, the bad, and the ugly, the good is that the trend for gender and race diversity is that orthopedic surgery has got better. But the bad is that we remain, year after the year, the least gender, race and ethnically diverse specialty in all of medicine, recruitment efforts alone have not reversed that. To get to parity at the present rate would take 217 years.” ~ Holly Pilson, MD

“I liked how you laid it bear that your zip code is more of a social determinant than your genetic code, and speaking of codes, I really like that you introduced the Z codes as well because that introduces a level of accountability. When you document it, you then have to have a plan about it.” ~ Daytheon Sturges PA-C

“We had two great talks from Cara McLellan and Frank McLellan, and I am going to start using that term: The power of the purse. Until you incentivize it, it does not become a priority. When people see a target then they see this is the journey we are taking.” Tonya Jagneaux, MD

“My part of the session was about workforce diversity, particularly in orthopedic surgery, and what better specialty to talk about in terms of workforce diversity than the one that struggles the most with it.” ~ Holly Pilson, MD

“When you fix policy at the system level then you are able to see more results. We need to look at policy with a JEDI lens, so Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, but I also add in anti-racism, to become anti-racist we have to center and discuss race. We are looking at our policies using an equity impact tool, and we are looking as possible harm as well as alternative approaches.” ~ Daytheon Sturges PA-C

“One of the quotes I heard recently is “Nothing about us without us,” it takes bringing those stakeholders to the table, working alongside them and with them, to figure out how we get to more equity in this space.”  ~ Holly Pilson, MD

“It’s important that the minority people who are leading these efforts are doing it alongside and with the majority members of our departments and institutions, because it takes both together. “It’s important to equip the champions and provide education. I have my lived experience as a gender and racial ethnic minority, but I’m not a (DEI) expert.” ~ Holly Pilson, MD

“Medical students have consistently said that orthopedics as a specialty is less welcoming. I don’t know if it’s the surgical culture, some the other specialties mentioned as being less welcoming were also surgical.” ~ Holly Pilson, MD

“I like to offer a DEI toolkit that the Physician Assistant Education Association (Diversity and Inclusion Advancement Commission) has developed.  It’s 6 steps of a quality improvement loop.” ~ Daytheon Sturges PA-C

“Target the leadership structure: what is the racial composition? What voices are there? Do you have buy-in? These are the people who are yielding and wielding power. We need to look at admissions and ask how can we kick the door open and look at our applicants holistically, because this is where the gatekeeping is. We will never have a diverse medical workforce if the schools are not admitting these students.” ~ Daytheon Sturges PA-C

Workshop 1: Is Health Equity the New Startup?

Workshop 2: Playing the Race Cards, Conversations on Racial Healing and Equity.

Workshop 3: The Art of Storytelling – Changing the World One story at a time. 

Workshop 4: The JEDI Journey – This is the way.

To learn about our 4 “Movement” workshops, tune in to part 2 of this discussion which is episode 127. 

Caucus & Registration information: www.movementislifecaucus.com

In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, host Christin Zollicoffer sits down with Dr. Giridhar Mallya — family physician, policy leader, and Senior Policy Officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — to explore the future of health and racial equity work.

Dr. Mallya shares how his family’s immigrant story shaped his belief in the power of policy, and why funders must stay committed to equity even as restrictive laws and legal challenges grow across the country. He breaks down what organizations can do to stay mission‑aligned, legally sound, and resilient.

In this episode, Dr. Mallya discusses:

• Why health equity remains a core priority for major funders
• How philanthropy is supporting legal defense strategies
• Practical ways organizations can navigate legal uncertainty
• Why equity should be integrated — not hidden — in health initiatives
• Lessons from states like Florida, Mississippi, and Alabama
• How personal experience and clinical practice shape Dr. Mallya’s approach

A powerful conversation for funders, practitioners, and community leaders working to advance equity in challenging times.

Subscribe to The Health Disparities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite platform.

As founding director of the Center for Reducing Health Disparities at UC Davis, Dr. Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola has decades of experience with this approach.

“It is possible to overcome the barriers of access to care if we can change our paradigm,” he says. “

In this episode of the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Aguilar speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Zachary Lum about his work, which focuses on health disparities, mental health in underserved populations, community-engaged research and Latino health. 

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

In this episode, Dr. Blackstock reflects on her own experiences as a Black woman in medicine, including a misdiagnosis during medical school that left her hospitalized. She also examines how historical policies, such as the Flexner Report and redlining, continue to impact today’s health inequities.

The episode also touches on bias in clinical decision-making and the urgent need to reframe medical training around social determinants of health. This conversation with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Mary O’Connor and Dr. Hadiya Green is a call to action for everyone working to advance health equity.

Registration is now open for the upcoming Movement Is Life Annual Summit on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

“There are multiple things that we have to work on,” Bell says, including increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce and educating providers on strategies for providing equitable care and considering the “whole patient.”

Bell spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Joyce Knestrick about how systemic bias, lack of representation, and community barriers shape the care patients receive. 

She said inequities persist because too often, health systems focus narrowly on medical interventions while overlooking social factors — such as affordability, access, transportation, and the environments in which people live.

The 2025 Movement Is Life Annual Summit will take place on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Registration is now open. Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

Health care partnerships are forming to improve access to healthy foods in some states, including Massachusetts, which is at the forefront of addressing food insecurity with programs that allow Medicaid funding to be used to address social determinants of health.

“I would push back on the idea that things like food and housing are not actually medical,” says Jennifer Obadia, senior director of health care partnerships at Project Bread, a nonprofit focused on creating a sustainable, system-wide safety net in Massachusetts for anyone facing hunger. 

“Now, I understand they're not pharmaceutical,” she adds. “But we know that 80% of a person's health is determined by social and environmental factors.”

In this week’s episode, Jennifer Obadia speaks with Movement Is Life’s Sonia Cervantes about food insecurity, Project Bread’s mission, lessons learned over the years and shares a call to action for listeners.

Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333) is the food assistance line for all of Massachusetts, whether you need help paying for food and don't know where to start or you're simply curious about ways to boost your food budget or save on groceries.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Ansell, author of “The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills,” writes about the stark disparities in access to treatment and outcomes for patients in the U.S. healthcare system.

“We always talk about inequities. We have frank inequities, but we have gross inequalities,” Ansell says. “The care isn't equal… And if we could get to equal, then we can take on the inequity.”

One of the most glaring examples is life expectancy; a person’s zip code can be a strong predictor for their life expectancy due to social and structural determinants of health, including structural racism and economic deprivation, he says. 

“If you live in The Loop in Chicago, you can live to be 85 and if it were a country, it'd be ranked first in the world,” Ansell says. “But if you live in Garfield Park, three stops down the Blue Line from Rush, life expectancy post-Covid is 66.”

In this conversation, which was first published in 2023 for the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Ansell speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Carla Harwell about the importance of addressing systemic racism and inequality in the healthcare system.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The concept is known as weathering, and it’s the focus of the aptly named book by Arline Geronimus, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a professor in the school of public health at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research.

Weathering is exacerbated by racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination, and can contribute to health disparities, leading to earlier onset of diseases like cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. 

Geronimus compares modern-day stressors to the literal predators of the past and urges listeners to come together to explore systemic solutions that can help mitigate the effects of weathering.

“We all have to commit to seeing each other, to understanding the differences in our lived experience,” she says, “to seeing that different people have different ‘lions’ and ‘tigers’ …and figuring out what it is we have to do to change that.”

Geronimus joined Movement Is Life’s summit and spoke with Board Member Christin Zollicoffer for this podcast episode.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Health equity researchers have conducted "secret shopper" studies, revealing how healthcare providers limit appointments — and even treatment recommendations — to people with certain types of insurance.

“Patients with Medicaid were significantly less likely to be offered appointments compared to those with Medicare or private insurance, and in many cases, clinics told us they weren't accepting any new Medicaid patients or that they didn't take Medicaid at all,” says Dr. Daniel Wiznia, Associate Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation at Yale and a former member of Movement Is Life’s Steering Committee.

“But when we would call back with private insurance, suddenly they have plenty of appointments available for the private insurance patients,” he says.

Wiznia and his colleagues also found that even when Medicaid patients were offered appointments, wait times were often much longer — delays which can have serious consequences. 

“So if a Medicaid patient has to wait six weeks or eight weeks for an appointment, while a private patient just waits maybe a week, that can really impact outcomes, especially for patients with chronic conditions or urgent needs,” he says.

Wiznia joined Movement Is Life’s Dr. Mary O’Connor to discuss these findings in detail. He offers advice to patients who may find themselves in a situation where they’re denied care due to their insurance status and explains how raising reimbursement rates for Medicaid could help address the problem.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

But in the midst of all this, there is hope. There’s greater awareness of the importance of rural health care and public health resources, and a growing number of federal agencies dedicated to supporting data-driven solutions aimed at addressing rural health challenges.

Two individuals behind some of those efforts join the Health Disparities podcast to discuss rural health challenges and opportunities:

• Tom Morris, Associate Administrator for the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy at HHS
• Diane Hall, Director for the Office of Rural Health in CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Center

“There's been a lot of focus on access to health care in rural areas, which is absolutely incredibly important,” Hall says. “But I also think we need to really pay attention to the public health infrastructure, which has also been decreased because of budget issues [and] because of the impact of the pandemic.”

Addressing rural health needs is a bipartisan issue, says Morris.

“There may be disagreements about how you get to the outcome, but there's no disagreement about what the challenges are,” Morris says. “...The partisan divide sort of falls apart when you dive into the issues.”

Morris and Hall speak with Health Disparities podcast host Bill Finerfrock about the priorities of their respective offices, common myths about rural America, and what gives them hope as they consider the future of rural health.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“If hospitals were to focus more on health equity, they would be fulfilling both a moral responsibility as well as a legal responsibility,” says Tavia Binger, a health data analyst at U.S. News and World Report. “Nonprofit hospitals are actually required to spend portions of their revenue on community benefit activities – like providing care that is free or at a reduced cost for patients who can't afford to pay – in exchange for their tax exempt status.”

In addition to the latest U.S. News Best Hospitals rankings, published on July 16, U.S. News has also introduced health equity measures and has released a list of hospitals excelling in health equity by “providing vulnerable populations with substantial access to high-quality care,” Binger says.

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor speaks with Binger about how U.S. News and World Report is working to promote health equity. They also discuss how healthcare consumers can use hospital rankings to understand whether the hospitals in their communities are doing their part to provide care that is both high-quality and equitable.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Through a historic 1115 Medicaid waiver, Massachusetts hospitals have made a commitment to come together with the state to embed equity into the foundation of their operations. 

“This really does entail an intentionality on the part of our hospital systems that I think is unmatched in many ways — an intentionality and a will and a drive and a desire to do this work," says Izzy Lopes, Vice President of health equity for the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor speaks with Lopes about the statewide initiative that aims to address healthcare disparities. Lopes explains why it’s important to prioritize people over percentages, use data to drive health equity strategies, and collaborate with community partners to address patients’ health-related social needs. 

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

It’s even being used to identify patients at risk of disease and predict patients who might be good candidates for medical procedures. 

Done well, AI tools can help ensure patients with the greatest need for orthopedic surgery are prioritized for care, and help reduce health care disparities, says Luke Farrow, an orthopedic and trauma surgeon and clinical researcher at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. 

But without proper considerations, “you can ultimately end up with AI systems that worsen those health disparities, which is obviously the last thing we want. And there is definitely evidence out there to suggest that does happen if we're not careful.”

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor spoke with Farrow about AI and health equity, and about his ongoing research on the use of AI to help general practitioners in the UK know when it is appropriate to refer patients to orthopedic surgeons for consideration of hip and knee replacement surgeries. 

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

But this doesn’t mean that every healthcare provider needs to develop an encyclopedic knowledge of every culture in order to provide equitable, high-quality care to every patient.

“The truth of the matter is: that could never be done. I'm Puerto Rican, Latino, and even among Puerto Ricans, there's a great difference in lived experience, exposure to health care and the like,” says Dr. Joseph Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund.

But there will be times when a person’s cultural background affects their ability to access the health care they need. In those cases, Betancourt says it’s important that providers be equipped with the right tools and resources to assess how those cultural factors may come into play.

Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor speaks with Betancourt about the importance of culturally competent care — what it is, and what it’s not. They also discuss the need for ongoing training to address cultural differences and structural barriers, and share about recent developments in health policy and health care that give them hope.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

One thing influencers do is share information throughout their communities to spread awareness about important issues, says Beth O’Connor, the executive director of the Virginia Rural Health Association, 

“People want to know more,” O’Connor says. “And people who are often in those mineral age groups are thrilled to be able to share that information with the people in their communities helping to influence health care policy.”

This week on the Health Disparities podcast, hosts Sharon LaSure-Roy and Sarah Hohman discuss strategies for being an influencer and making a difference with O’Connor, along with Taelor Bakewell, vice president of influence marketing with Edelman, Jerail Fennell, director of marketing and communications at 904WARD, and Dr. Maria Portela Martinez, chief of family medicine at the department of emergency medicine with George Washington Medical Faculty Associates.

Belgrave challenges people to consider self-care as an investment in their future selves.

“The mindset shift I challenge folks to have is: thinking about the future version of you,” Belgrave says. “...The reality is: Taking care of yourself now could be the difference between your independence and being in a nursing home.”

This week on the Health Disparities podcast, host Dr. Tamara Huff and Ariel Belgrave debunk self-care myths and explore alternative approaches to prioritizing yourself using the P.A.U.S.E. method.

For Bree Jones, a central solution is revitalizing neighborhoods – without gentrification. Her organization, Parity, a non-profit equitable real estate development company, is working in Baltimore to do just that. Visit https://www.parityhomes.com/ for more information. 

In this episode of The Health Disparities Podcast, Bree Jones tells the story of Parity, and discusses why building Black wealth and impacting social determinants is so important to health, and why so many high profile investors are getting behind the initiative. 

With host Dr. Michelle Leak, Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida,  and member of the board of directors for Movement is Life. 

The Health Disparities Podcast is a program of Movement is Life. This episode was recorded live and in person at Movement is Life’s annual health equity summit. The theme this year was “Bridging the Health Equity Gap in Vulnerable Communities.”

(c) Movement is Life 2023

According to the Legal Defense Fund, "the Supreme Court has bowed to pressure from anti-civil rights activists, finding that Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s affirmative action programs violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This radical decision comes at a time when efforts to advance opportunity in education have been under attack across the country, and the need for such programs remains acute."

Although the ruling is widely considered as a barrier to DEI efforts, Michaele Turnage Young shares an optimistic analysis of the ruling with Dr Huff. She outlines the many areas of DEI activity that the ruling does not affect, and discusses strategies which admissions officers can adopt. Central to this approach is supporting the mission of the many institutions aiming to address health disparities in underserved communities, where lived experience is a key qualification. 

For further information on LDF please visit: www.naacpldf.org & www.defenddiversity.org

© Movement is Life Inc., 2023

Excerpts: 

“It’s really important to understand what this ruling does and does not cover.”

“It seems to be a coordinated effort to cause a chilling effect, to lead people to retreat from efforts to further equal opportunity. These efforts have not been successful thus far.”

“Black students were 13% of US high school graduates, but only 6 % of students enrolled in large selective public colleges, while white students were 50% of US high school graduates and 56% of students enrolled in large selective public colleges.” (2020-2021 academic year).

“If you are charged with looking for talent, you want to do so in an objective way that serves your mission, and it might be that the mission of your school has something to do with serving communities that have long gone underserved.”  

Producer: Rolf Taylor

In 1995, Dr. Simmons became the first African American woman to head a major college or university upon being named president of Smith College. Here, she established the first engineering program at a woman’s college. In 2001 she was selected president of Brown University, making her the first African American woman to head an Ivy League institution. She was later appointed President of Prairie View A&M University, the second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state of Texas. Most recently she joined Rice University, in her home state of Texas, as a President’s Distinguished Fellow, and is an advisor on HBCU engagement to Harvard University.

(1) “From Hopwood to Harvard: Anti-Affirmative Action in Higher Education Admissions Amidst Systemic Racism and Historical Racial Inequities in Health.”

© 2023 Movement is Life, Inc.

Host:           Dr. Tamara Huff, Vigeo Orthopedics 

Production:          Rolf Taylor, Project Advocacy

Executive Producer:     Dr. Randall Morgan, Cobb Institute 

Excerpts:

“Merit has often been defined in the past in a political context. We cannot give so much credit to assertions of merit that are fundamentally rooted in something that is corrupt.”

“I want us to begin to talk about human worth in different terms, and not these, I would say, lazy ways of classifying people.”

“Seeing yourself as worthy of healthcare, seeing yourself as worthy of education, seeing your family and your children as worthy of something better – is powerful.”

The recent study focused on better understanding some of the psychosocial influences on health behavior change among African Americans, and in particular following those activities as defined by The American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8TM.” These include eating well, being active, quitting tobacco, healthy sleep, weight management, controlling cholesterol, managing blood sugar, & managing blood pressure. 

The study found that increased church attendance and spirituality was associated with higher levels of physical activity and less smoking, suggesting that having social support and an optimistic outlook may also encourage individuals to practice healthy behaviors.

Today’s discussion features Robert “Clarence” Jones, M. Ed., CPH, CHW, CPE, Executive Director at the Hue-MAN Partnership and a Community Engagement Strategist, along with Mayo Clinic cardiologist and study lead author Dr. LaPrincess Brewer, MD, MPH, whose primary research focus is in developing strategies to reduce and ultimately eliminate cardiovascular disease health disparities in racial and ethnic minority populations and in underserved communities. Dr. Brewer is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Mayo Clinic.

This episode is hosted by Dr. Mary O’Connor, Chair of Movement is Life and Co-Founder of Vori Health.

Copyright Movement is Life 2023

For this episode of the podcast, one of the authors, a UVA Professor, explores the findings of the white paper with two surgeons, one of whom is her father. Together they discuss the importance of inter-generational change, "positive weirdness" and some unique aspects of DEI in healthcare.

The white paper references the following framework:

Five barriers and pathways to DEI    1) The Identity Regulation Barrier, 2) The Authority Barrier, 3) The Things Are Working Well for Me Barrier, 4) The Inertia Barrier, 5) The Motivation Barrier.

Five pathways to DEI    1) Build a More Inclusive Hiring Process, 2) Design for Intelligent Inclusion, 3) Enable Mindful Conversations, 4) Empower Mentorship and Sponsorship, 5) Leverage Identity. 

Featuring Professor Laura Morgan Roberts, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Darden Business School, & CEO and Founder, The Alignment Quest Enterprise, LLC; Randall C. Morgan, Jr., M.D., M.B.A., Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Florida State School of Medicine, President & CEO, Cobb Institute; and episode host Mary O'Connor, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer, Vori Health, & Chair, Movement is Life. 

“Normalize DEI in Your Organization” (link to article & White Paper): https://news.darden.virginia.edu/2022/09/02/new-white-paper-normalize-dei/  "Positive Organizing in a Global Society" https://www.amazon.com/Positive-Organizing-Global-Society-Roberts/dp/1848725760     Excerpts 

“Practice expressing your positive weirdness. It gives others permission to bring out their weird. Differences are assets and resources for organizations, not problems to be solved.”

“Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the corporate world remain a vortex of passion, malaise, hope and cynicism, despite overwhelming evidence that diverse and inclusive workplaces simply perform better.”  

“DEI does not often generate the short-term benefits that people would like to see. It requires a long-term, sustained, and often inter-generational investment for us to see those returns.”  

“A perpetual learning environment should be a goal of any organization that really wants to make an advance with regard to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

“We need diversity in thought, and diversity in culture and background, because people bring their life experiences into that filtering process. That all matters if we are going to make good decisions, especially in healthcare, with how we take care of people.”

© Copyright 2023 Movement is Life Inc.

Host: Mary O'Connor, MD

Research & Production: Rolf Taylor 

“Diversity is like being asked to attend the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance at the party, equity is having the same space as everyone else in which to dance. But belonging is being involved in the planning of the party and which kind of music is there. So, you are completely immersed with the other participants, and your input is equal to everyone else’s input.”  ~ Dr. Garfield Clunie

“The take home message is that diversity is important in all realms of our life. In business, medicine, in healthcare. And it’s very important to have different lived experiences come to the table, to create solutions that will be beneficial to tall.” ~ Dr. Garfield Clunie

“When it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and also belonging, I personally believe that out of all of those belonging is the most important.” ~ Dr. Garfield Clunie

“Many medical students comment on the positive value that diversity brings to their experience in education. When you bring all the dimensions of diversity together, all the benefits that these dimensions bring to an organization, and to patients, is seen in better quality of care, better decision making, and better leadership.” ~ Dr. Michelle Leak

“Not everyone has the same background or pathway, but they have the same perseverance. A holistic review application (to medical school) takes into account and places value on unique experiences and attributes beyond the standardized tests. But once you have a place, you are still going to have to pass the same exams.” ~ Dr. Garfield Clunie

“In maternal and child health, to try and remove bias, we have moved as much as possible towards standardized care. Every patient is an individual, but it’s unfortunate that in medicine we have adopted different thoughts for different races and ethnicities. In New York City we have made a big effort to remove instances where race is used as part of treatment algorithms. I think that using race or ethnicity to determine treatment pathways is absolutely the wrong way to go.” ~ Dr. Garfield Clunie

Emergency room physician and public health leader Dr. Priya Mammen, MD, MPH, still misses her acute care patients, but building on her clinical experiences has enabled her to find ways to advance both urban innovation and health equity.

In this interview, recorded at the annual Movement is Life caucus, episode host Dr. Charla Johnson invites Dr. Mammen to talk about her work with the Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation, her role as Senior Medical Director, Office of Clinical Integrity at Walgreens, and as adjunct faculty at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Mammen also discusses some of the themes from her presentation at the caucus, Walgreens: Advancing Health Equity with Community Engagement. 

Featuring:  

Dr. Priya Mammen, MD, MPH Senior Medical Director, Office of Clinical Integrity, Walgreens, Emergency Physician,  Public Health Specialist, Adjunct Faculty, University of Pennsylvania,  Fellow at Lindy Institute for Urban Innovation

Hosted by:  

Dr. Charla Johnson, DNP, RN-BC, ONC Movement is Life Steering Committee,  Immediate Past President, National Association of Orthopedic Nurses,  System Director, Nursing Informatics Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System

Production:  Rolf Taylor, Project Advocacy

All opinions expressed are the participants own.

Copyright © Movement is Life 2023. 

Selected Excerpts

“It is not only my profound responsibility, but it is a deep, deep honor to take forward the stories and the voices of patients that have taught me for my entire career.” 

“I miss my patients and I miss touching people. There is that tactile component that I did not realize I would miss. Apparently, I am always checking my husband’s pulse!”

“The populations who are marginalized and disenfranchised often get missed if you look at the health system as a whole.” 

“Cities are engines of innovation, a group of people who have chosen or remain in a finite community. We learn how to coexist. Everything we do is intertwined with the rest of the city. Cities can answer their problems if you bring their leaders, their champions, and the voices of all the cities communities together.” 

“Emergency medicine is the only part of the US health system that is user-triggered, and as Prof. McClellan pointed out, the only truly equitable part of the US health system is EMTALA (The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act). What becomes grueling is to try and help in situations where you need to move people beyond the emergency room.”

Dr. Adela Valdez describes the concept of community intersectionality, a framework that allows us to better understand the intersecting social and demographic drivers for our communities in order to better meet their needs. Dr. Ramon Jimenez discusses how learning about the intersectionality concept has enabled him to unpack some of his personal experiences and history to better understand his own journey as a Hispanic orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Ilan Shapiro explores the limitations of speaking “medicalish” and the importance of creating culturally appropriate conversations about health within our communities, using tools and language that make health information accessible to everyone, using social and other media. Dr. De Alba Rosales discusses how achieving health equity will require broader approaches that address social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health. This episode is co-hosted by Claudia Zamora, National Hispanic Medical Association, and Dr. Ramon Jimenez, American Association of Latino Orthopedic Surgeons.

All viewpoints are the participants own.

Co-hosts

Claudia H Zamora, MPA

Founder and CEO, Zamora Consulting Group, LLC

Board Member, National Hispanic Medical Association

Washington, DC

Ramon Jimenez, MD, FAAOS

Executive Board, Movement is Life

Treasurer, Board of Directors, Movement is Life

Co-Founder and President, American Association of Latino Orthopaedic Surgeons

Salinas, CA

Guests

Armando De Alba Rosales MD, MPH

Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Student Programs

College of Medicine, Faculty Member of Family Medicine at UNMC

University of Nebraska Medical Center

Omaha, Nebraska

Adela Valdez, MD, MBA, FAAFP

Associate Dean, Diversity, Inclusion and Health Equity

Associate Dean of CME at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Professor, Family Medicine

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine

Harlingen, Texas

Ilan Shapiro MD, MBA, FAAP, FACHE

Chief Health Correspondent and Medical Affairs Officer

AltaMed Health Services

Los Angeles, California

© Copyright Movement is Life 2023.

Addressing the under-representation of racial minorities in the health professions is considered central to reducing overall health disparities and inequalities. Multiple “race-conscious” laws and policies have been introduced that seek to help marginalized communities, ranging from affirmative action to voting rights, reproductive rights, and environmental protections. Legal action now brought before the Supreme Court by conservative activist Edward Blum calling for all higher education admission applications to be effectively “color-blind” could end affirmative action as we know it, with wider ramifications for race-conscious legislation.

In this episode of the Health Disparities Podcast, Cara McClellan, JD from the Advocacy for Racial and Civil (ARC) Justice Clinic at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law in Philadelphia unpacks the origins of affirmative action with Dr. Mary O’Connor, Chair of Movement is Life. Together they discuss the foundational impact of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, the role of the Freedmen’s Bureau, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Higher Education Act of 1965, and current judicial deliberations. Depending on how SCOTUS rules on overturning affirmative action, the long battle to desegregate higher education in the United States could take a backwards step. But are there alternative approaches?

Copyright: Movement is Life 2022 

Our guest is Dr. Arline Geronimus, a member of the National Academy of Medicine and a professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health and Institute for Social Research. She is also affiliated with the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health, and is the author of Weathering: The Extraordinary Stress of Ordinary Life in an Unjust Society.

Dr. Geronimus joins us to unpack the science behind weathering, the lived realities it reflects, and what it means for public health, policy, and equity.

Today’s discussion features the founders of two organizations that aim to promote physical activity — and build community while doing it. 

Walk with a Doc began in 2005 after Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist in Columbus, Ohio, invited his patients to go for a walk with him in a local park. The program has since spread to more than 500 locations.

Semilla Cultural, founded by Isha M. Renta López, is a non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C., area that promotes the development and cultivation of a community that embraces Puerto Rican culture and arts, including by teaching and performing the Puerto Rican musical genre of Bomba.

Sabgir and López spoke with Health Disparities podcast hosts Dr. Hadiya Green and Christin Zollicoffer. This conversation was recorded in person at the 2023 Movement Is Life annual Health Equity Summit.

The 904Ward organization evolved the Jacksonville 904 dialing area code into a nonprofit whose mission is to create racial healing and equity through deep conversations and learning, trusting relationships, and collective action. 

Dr. Kimberly Allen served as the inaugural CEO of 904WARD from 2020 to 2025. 

“I think we all make judgments all the time because that's just the nature of our brains and how it works, but what I would encourage us to do is to call those judgments out and, I say, ‘Say the quiet part out loud.’ Call those judgments  out so that you can start to work through where they come from,” Dr. Allen says. 

In this conversation, which was first recorded in 2022 for the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Allen is joined by 904 resident Sharon LaSure-Roy. They spoke with Movement Is Life’s Sarah Hohman.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Physicians of color are more likely to build careers in underserved communities, which can contribute even more toward the goal of reducing healthcare disparities.

So, what does it take to cultivate a strong and diverse health care workforce? On this week’s episode, we gain insights from two knowledgeable guests, who spoke with Dr. Hadiya Green at  Movement Is Life’s annual summit:

• Dr. Cheryl Brewster, Senior Executive Dean for Access, Opportunity, and Collaboration and a Professor in the Department of Bioethics, Humanism, and Policy Roseman University College of Medicine
• Dr. Jarrod Lockhart, formerly an instructor at Morehouse School of Medicine, now Assistant Vice Provost, Education Outreach & Collaboration at Oregon Health & Science University

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Today, Health Disparities podcast host Sarah Hohman talks with two rural health providers:

• Russell Wimmer is a physician associate practicing in a single provider clinic in the small rural town of Brownsville, Oregon.
• Dr. Caylor Johnson is a Family Medicine Physician with Medical Specialists, Inc., in Waynesboro, Georgia.

Johnson explains some of the unique challenges facing rural communities, which are incredibly diverse.

“In my county alone, I have multiple communities, and they each have their own challenges, their own culture, their own history and beliefs,” Johnson says. “And that all comes to the table when they come to the doctor, and I have to be prepared for that.”

Wimmer also shares what he loves about providing care in his rural community.

“When you walk around, people talk to you and you know them personally, and they know you,” Wimmer said. “They're not ignorant to the fact that you're working with limited resources. They know that they're remote, they know that it's hard for you to sometimes help them with what they need. But the fact that you're there with them every day is not lost on them. They appreciate everything that you've done. They know that you're what they've got.”

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Health systems that are serious about centering health equity need to put their money where their mouth is, says compliance and DEI consultant Linda Howard. In practice, this means centering equity in both their mission statements and their budgets.

“You have to allocate resources. When people start seeing resources being allocated towards things, they start to take it more seriously,” Howard says. 

Howard speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Christin Zollicoffer about what it takes to bring about real, lasting change in health systems. They also discuss the possible compliance and legal consequences health systems can face if they fail to address health inequities, and why the investment in health equity is worth it.

This episode rounds out our 5-part series on Hospitals & Health Equity. Find previous episodes from this series by subscribing to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Registration is now open for Movement Is Life’s annual summit! Find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Dr. Kimberly Allen is the inaugural CEO of 904WARD. Her organization evolved the Jacksonville 904 dialing code into a new nonprofit whose mission is to create racial healing and equity through deep conversations and learning, trusting relationships, and collective action. Episode host Sarah Hohman invites Dr. Kimberly Allen and 904 resident Sharon LaSure-Roy to reflect on the practical application of The Race Cards and report on their use in a workshop at the Movement is Life annual caucus.

Link to 904WARD resource page: https://904ward.org/racecards/ 

Copyright © Movement is Life 2023. All opinions expressed are the participants own. 

Workshop 5: Social Influences of Health – Opening Doors, Opening Minds, impacting lives, Strategies to Improve Well Being.

Workshop 6: Shared Decision Making - Beyond the Hype.

Workshop 7: Move Your Mind, Move Your Body.

Workshop 8: Engaging the Body and Brain Through an African Drumming & Dance Experience.

Caucus & Registration information: www.movementislifecaucus.com

Trusted health sources are becoming harder to find, especially in communities of color where access to care is already limited and systemic barriers persist. 

The fight to bring reliable health information and resources to vulnerable communities is not new.  For decades, organizations like the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health have been doing this  work — building trust, educating communities and empowering individuals to take charge of  their health. 

To learn more, we spoke with Dr. Marilyn Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Dr. Fraser speaks with Movement Is Life’s Conchita Burpee.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

After experiencing months of dismissed symptoms, delayed testing, and uncertainty, Maria created FoXX—a daily health companion designed to help women track symptoms, prepare for appointments, and advocate for better care. Her story reflects a reality many women face in healthcare, and FoXX was built to ensure no woman has to wait months to be heard.

Maria shares how her personal health scare became the catalyst for a tool that turns lived experience into clarity, confidence, and actionable data. She explains the gaps she encountered—missed warning signs, lack of preparation tools, and the emotional toll of not being believed—and how those moments shaped the core features of FoXX from day one.

Desiree and Maria explore FoXX Health’s approach and discuss the broader landscape of women’s health, including:

• How daily symptom tracking helps women communicate more effectively with clinicians

• The importance of clinical credibility, privacy, and safety in digital health tools

• Why women’s health is often treated as “niche,” and how that leads to worse outcomes

• What developments give Maria hope for progress in women’s health equity

• Lessons from fundraising and the challenges of building consumer‑focused health technology

Maria also reflects on earning third place at Movement Is Life’s 2025 PowerHER Pitch Competition—a recognition of her vision, momentum, and commitment to improving women’s health experiences.

This episode offers insights for anyone working in women’s health, digital health innovation, patient advocacy, community health, or health equity.

Subscribe to hear more conversations about community‑driven solutions, women’s health, and efforts to eliminate disparities.

In the face of criminal justice policies of  suppression and mass incarceration, Father Boyle and community members adopted what was a radical approach – at the time – to treat gang members as human  beings. In 1988, they started what would eventually become Homeboy  Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of  social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of  men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.

Father Greg Boyle spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason for an episode that was originally published in 2020.

This year’s theme is: "Health Equity: Solutions from Healthcare Leaders.” The summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 14 to 15. 

Movement Is Life is honored to have Joel Bervell as a plenary speaker at our upcoming 2024 annual summit. Bervell is a Ghanaian American medical student and science communicator known online as the “Medical Mythbuster.” Through viral social media content, Bervell addresses racial disparities, the hidden history of medicine, and biases in healthcare.

Bervell says he appreciates Movement Is Life’s emphasis on community-based programs, clinician education about health disparities, and health policy. He’s excited to attend the summit and meet other like-minded people who are passionate about health equity.

“By breaking that cycle of understanding that disparities exist and talking about it, we can start to reach equity,” Bervell says.

Bervell speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Mary O’Connor about the 2024 Movement Is Life summit and the exciting slate of hands-on workshops and plenary speakers, including Dr. Arline Geronimus, Dr. Louis Sullivan, and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice.

Registration is now open for Movement Is Life’s annual summit – find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Watkins is spearheading a mission to eradicate food insecurities, paving the way for a healthier America. 

“If we’re going to change the way America eats, we have to lead around making sure we have a variety of foods in our stores that represents an adequate format of foods that makes sense for Americans to purchase at the right price,” Watkins says. 

This week on the Health Disparities podcast, host Dr. Mary O’Connor and special guest Marc Watkins, M.D., discuss the strategy Kroger Health is using to empower customers to make informed and health-conscious choices at the grocery store.

And research shows health disparities are rampant, with health care access — and outcomes — worse for people of color and other marginalized groups.

The new State of Patient Access report from the PAN Foundation breaks down these disparities and highlights next steps for creating more equitable access to care. 

“Our goal with the project was really to understand the challenges that adults living with chronic conditions every single day face accessing the care they need,” says Amy Niles, the PAN Foundation’s health policy expert and Chief Mission Officer. “More importantly, our goal was to understand what disparities exist, and there were some significant disparities between various groups and communities.”

To learn more about the report, and what can be done to help overcome barriers to care for underserved communities, Health Disparities podcast host Dr. Ramon Jimenez spoke with  Niles, along with Adrianna Nava, president of the National Association of Hispanic Nurses.

Many funders want to understand an organization’s impact — and quantifying and conveying that impact can take many forms, says Velma Monteiro-Tribble, former director of grants and programs for the Florida Blue Foundation.

“People think that there is money lying around; money is tighter today,” she said. “And people are looking at those that really can tell the story... Quantifying, to me, doesn't mean that it's always in data and statistics. It’s also through storytelling. And I think that organizations, nonprofits especially, should be in the business of doing that today.”

This week on the Health Disparities podcast, hosts Rev. Willis Steele and Dr. Erick Santos join Monterio-Tribble and Al Reid, the former VP of corporate development with Abbott Laboratories. Together, they delve into valuable insights and strategies for attracting funders during challenging times.

Together, they unpack the lived experiences, grassroots strategies, and relationship‑building that fuel their work across the country. From disrupting harmful systems to investing in local leadership, Dr. A and ReGina share what it truly means to listen to communities, partner with them, and build solutions that last. Drawing from their work with the Center for Thriving Communities, they discuss:

• Why lived experience is essential to leadership
• How grassroots organizations are transforming health outcomes
• The importance of listening before acting What funders and institutions must do differently
• Why hope, collective care, and community power still drive the movement
• How real relationships — not extractive engagement — create lasting change

Dr. A also reflects on her book, A Life Worth Saving, and the belief that every life and every community deserves to thrive. A must‑hear conversation for anyone working in health equity, community engagement, philanthropy, public health, or systems change.

Subscribe for more conversations on health equity, community leadership, and the movement to eliminate disparities.

A program in Boston aims to  address mental health disparities by disrupting traditional health care models. The Boston Emergency Services Team, or BEST, is led by Dr. David Henderson, chief of psychiatry at Boston Medical Center. 

BEST brings together mental health providers, community resources, law enforcement, and the judicial system to deliver care to people in need of mental health services.

Henderson says bringing mental health providers alongside police responding to calls for service for mental health needs has helped reduce the number of people with mental illness ending up in jails and prisons.

“The criminal justice system has, by default, become one of the largest mental health systems … around the country as well,” Henderson says. “People with mental illness are in jails and prisons, at a percentage that they really should not be.”

Henderson speaks with Health Disparities podcast host Hadiya Green about what it takes to ensure people in need of mental health services get the help they need, why it’s important to train providers to recognize unconscious biases, and what it means to provide trauma-informed and culturally sensitive care.

The mission of Healthcare Ready  is to help build resilient community health infrastructure that is prepared for, can respond to, and able to recover from disasters and disease outbreaks. One of their specific goals is to ensure historically underserved communities and medically fragile populations can access medications and medical care during a pandemic or natural disaster.

In this episode, Healthcare Ready’s Executive Director Tom Cotter shares some of the ways that the organization goes about helping to prepare communities for disasters, and how these approaches target the drivers for better health equity. With host Rolf Taylor.

© Movement is Life 2023

The Joint Commission has recognized the horrible impact of health disparities in America, and the group is taking action, says Kathryn Petrovic, vice president for accreditation and certification product development at the Joint Commission. The accrediting organization launched a new health care equity certification program in 2023 that recognizes hospitals that are “making health care equity a strategic priority, and collaborating with patients, families, caregivers, and external organizations to identify and address needs that help translate equitable health care into better health outcomes,” Petrovic says.

Health Disparities podcast host Claudia Zamora speaks with Petrovic to learn more about TJC’s health equity initiatives. Petrovic also explains how resolving healthcare disparities is both a moral and ethical requirement, and a fundamental patient safety and quality of care imperative. 

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Copyright © Movement is Life 2023. All opinions expressed are the participants own. 

“We need to learn to speak in a language that resonates with folks,” Adams says. “When that happens, you will get better policy making.”

Adams recounts his experience – both as the 20th U.S. Surgeon General and as the former state health commissioner for Indiana – in an interview with Health Disparities podcast host Claudia Zamora.

He also discusses his new book, Crisis and Chaos: Lessons From the Front Lines of the War Against COVID-19, explains why diversity in medicine matters, and talks about the importance of dismantling stigma to increase access to mental health care and addiction treatment.

Tyneka shares how her own journey through exhaustion and imbalance fueled her mission to help women lead with strength, clarity, and sustainability. From dismantling fitness myths to building workplace cultures that actually support well‑being, she breaks down what true wellness looks like—beyond the gym and beyond the highlight reel.

She also reflects on the systemic barriers that shape women’s health, the importance of accessible wellness spaces, and why taking imperfect action is the key to lasting change.

Plus:

• Upcoming events you won’t want to miss
• How organizations can champion health equity
• Why more women are finally prioritizing their health and wealth

Never miss an episode—subscribe to The Health Disparities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you listen.

Deploying the Just Culture model and collaborative change principles, the team fostered adoption of improved practices and documentation, resulting in a “B” rating in 2022, and at the time of publishing this episode in May, 2023, St. Bernard Hospital has now scored an “A” Grade.

For this episode of the podcast, three members of the team that led those changes share their experiences with our host and Movement is Life Chair, Dr. Mary O’Connor. Featuring Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Daria Terrell MD, Medical Director of Clinical Programming and Health Outcomes, and President of Medical Staff; Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Vietta L. Johnson, MD; and Michael Richardson, RN, Chief Clinical, Quality & Patient Safety Officer.

© Movement is Life 2023

It's a vicious cycle of pain, immobility, chronic illness, all of which impact underserved populations most. It’s why Movement is Life created Operation Change – an evidence-based behavioral change program focused on grassroots community interventions. 

Operation Change has programs running in cities across the U.S. In today's episode, Health Disparities podcast host Chiara Rodgers speaks with two people involved in the Operation Change chapter in St. Louis:

• Dr. Darlene Donegan, program director for Operation Change St Louis
• Dr. Kiaana Howard, assistant professor of physical therapy and orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis

A note to our listeners: Operation Change will be featured at Movement Is Life’s upcoming annual summit, which brings together stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to discuss healthy equity challenges and actionable solutions. 

This year’s theme is: "Health Equity: Solutions from Healthcare Leaders.” The summit will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, from November 14 to 15. Registration is now open – find all the details at our website, and get signed up today!

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

“There's a lot of dying that's happening now, and it's primarily among poor, Black and Brown people,” says Dr. Cheryl Holder, who’s on a personal mission to inspire clinicians to act on climate change. 

Holder explains that a person’s health and well-being is directly impacted by the environment they’re surrounded by.

“In celebrating and recognizing the environment, we recognize that this is how we define humanity, and how we create the environment for us to grow and thrive,” she says.

In honor of Earth Day, which is coming up this month, we’re dipping into our archives to bring you a conversation with Dr. Cheryl Holder. She’s now retired, but at the time this conversation was recorded and produced for the Health Disparities podcast in 2021, Dr. Holder was serving as the Interim Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity and Community Initiatives, and associate professor at the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, Florida International University. 

This episode was originally published in 2021 with host Elise Tolbert.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

In our latest podcast series, we are digging into rural health: the challenges, and the opportunities. We’re highlighting the diversity of rural communities and addressing common misconceptions..

In today’s episode, Health Disparities podcast host Sarah Hohman checks in with three people who work in rural hospital leadership and administration, doing incredibly important work, often with limited resources:

• Michael Calhoun, Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director for Citizens Memorial Healthcare, an integrated healthcare system serving over 130,000 residents in southwest Missouri. 
• Mandy Shelast, the  President of Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Michigan and Southern Regions, and the President of the National Association of Rural Health Clinics.
• Dr. John Bartlett, a practicing primary care physician and the Vice President of Medical Affairs for the Michigan Region of Marshfield Clinic.

Some of the biggest challenges are related to the health care workforce and staffing, in particular for specialty care.

“If we lose a chemo nurse in a town of 10,000 there's not five other ones looking for that job,” Bartlett says. 

“What I'm concerned about is just our aging population and how we're going to be able to train a workforce enough to be able to care for all the people that need it, that's a real concern,” Calhoun says. 

All three guests addressed common misconceptions about rural America, and emphasized the benefits of rural, including a slower pace of life and having providers who are passionate about the mission of providing excellent, personalized health care.

“The patients that we care for are our friends and our family and our community members,” Shelast says. “We take care of them on the very best days of their life — maybe when they're welcoming a life into the world — and on the worst days, when they're having a medical emergency or they've received a terminal diagnosis, and it is just such a great experience to be able to go up to that person and say, 'I'm here for you.’”

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

We learn how information shared during the Operation Change sessions ripples out into the wider community through family connections, via participants who are community health workers, and passed on by San Diego’s famous Kitchenistas. Featuring participants from the Operation Change San Diego community, Program Coordinator Sonia Cervantes, Dr. Ramon Jimenez, and Prof. Christina Jimenez. Produced and narrated by Rolf Taylor. 

Our esteemed panel of healthcare stakeholders and health equity advocates share personal experiences of how affirmative action has benefitted them, and the Hispanic and African American healthcare workforces in general. The discussion also explores affirmative action policy milestones, the positive impact these policies have had on overall workforce diversity and STEM education programs, and other knock-on effects such as increasing diverse participation in clinical trials.

Featuring Mary O’Connor, MD, Oly, Chair of Movement is Life, Co-Founder & Chief Medical Officer, Vori Health (host); Prof. Frank McLellan, Esq., Professor Emeritus, Beasley School of Law, Temple University; Elena V. Rios, MD, MSPH, MACP, President & CEO, National Hispanic Medical Association; Bonnie Mason Simpson, MD, FAAOS, Medical Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, American College of Surgeons; Ramon L. Jimenez, MD, Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, Treasurer of Movement is Life. Copyright © Movement is Life 2022.

All this comes at a time when rural health disparities are rampant. In the final episode of our rural health series, we consider solutions: What does it take to prevent rural hospital closures? What evidence-based solutions can policymakers consider to ensure all Americans have access to critical health services, regardless of where they live?

Health Disparities podcast host Bill Finerfrock speaks with Harold Miller, president and CEO of the Center for Healthcare, Quality and Payment Reform and adjunct professor of public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon University. 

Miller says many people assume that when a rural community loses a hospital, it’s one of several options, when in reality, “in many small rural communities, the hospital is the only place to get any kind of health care. It is the only place where, not only where there is an emergency department, but because there's no urgent care facility in the community, there's no other place to get a lab test, there may not even be primary care physicians in the community.”

When it comes to policy considerations to prevent rural hospital closures, Miller says there need to be a greater emphasis on the role private health insurance plans play in putting hospitals at risk.

“The myth, unfortunately, is that the problem of rural hospital payment is all about Medicare and Medicaid, and that has led people to focus, I believe, inappropriately and excessively, on Medicare and Medicaid,” he says, “when what we have found is that the biggest problem for most rural hospitals is private insurance plans who don't pay the rural hospital even as much, in many cases, as Medicare or Medicaid does. … We need to start thinking about how to solve the real problems and to solve them now, rather than waiting until the hospital is faced with closure.”

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.