With over 50 years in the healthcare industry, John Bluford III, MBA, FACHE shares what he has learned, what has changed, and what he hopes to see. As the President and founder of the Bluford Healthcare Leadership Institute, John Bluford discusses what it means to be a rising leader in healthcare and how he hopes to lift up today's scholars and advance health equity.

Is it impossible to align corporate, civic, and philanthropic interests to make grantmaking in healthcare more equitable? Olivia Jefferson, Vice President of Social Responsibility & Head of UnitedHealthcare Children’s Foundation, thinks so. This discussion focuses on merging three disparate communities and their interests while showing how healthcare professionals can apply a health and racial equity lens to fund, develop, and evaluate health initiatives.

We continue our discussion with licensed social worker and nonprofit co-founder of the Wellspring Second Chance Center, Deseria Galloway.  She talks about how the murder of George Floyd impacted the social work efforts that were already in progress, and how social services fit into the larger healthcare landscape.

We hear from licensed social worker and nonprofit co-founder of the Wellspring Second Chance Center, Deseria Galloway.  She discusses the history and current realities of Black social work — as well as Black Lives Matter and the role Black social workers are taking.

Dr. Anthony Coleman, DhA, serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Iowa's Broadlawns Medical Center, a nonprofit healthcare organization that works to provide quality and cost-effective healthcare. In this episode, we chat with Dr. Coleman about how his 16-year naval experience informs his leadership, what it's like for him as a Black man in the healthcare industry, and how healthcare professionals might rise to meet the challenge of health inequity in Iowa.

Too many Black professionals see opportunities and unmet needs in the healthcare space, but they’re anxious about leaving steady paychecks and benefits to go for an entrepreneurial endeavor, whether as a consultant or a business owner.  André Blackman, CEO and founder of Onboard Health, sits down to discuss whether or not health equity can be better addressed through the entrepreneurial route.

The term John Henryism was coined in the 1970s by epidemiologist Sherman Hames. It refers to the way Black executives work to the point of sacrificing mental and physical health to convey their professional value. In this episode, we're speaking with Lisa Mallory, PhD, Executive Director at NAHSE and CEO of LMM & Associates, LLC. Dr. Mallory shares her insights on this phenomenon to help listeners self-reflect on whether they are living examples of John Henryism and how to overcome it. 

Health equity means that everyone has the chance and support they need to access health services and live a healthy life. But even with the best health interventions, optimal health can’t be achieved when someone is living in a community filled with violence, brutality, and fear. Jazz Hampton — CEO, General Counsel, and one of the founders of TurnSignl — discusses how police brutality is connected to health equity, and how technology solutions can address it.   

Our conversation continues with Dr. Ronald Wyatt, Vice President and Patient Safety Officer, MCIC Vermont, LLC. He shares both instruction and therapy on how to navigate being a DEI officer and avoid the glass cliff — and another space he calls "the Black bluff." 

Everyone in healthcare rushed to hire a DEI leader in the last three years, but what really makes this officer successful — or not? When Black professionals are hired to leadership in times of crisis or recession, they may have been set up for failure. So, how can we avoid this "glass cliff?" Dr. Ronald Wyatt, Vice President and Patient Safety Officer, MCIC Vermont, LLC, shares his thoughts.