Dr. Julia LaMotte is a pediatric psychologist who specializes in working with children, adolescents, and young adults with chronic medical conditions in the divisions of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology & Nephrology at Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children. As a clinical psychologist, Julia’s embedded role within an interdisciplinary medical team takes the principles of psychology, applies them to pediatric health through evidence-based methodology, and reduces access barriers to quality mental health care. Academically, Julia facilitates a cross-cultural empathy through mindful reflective practice course designed to promote critical understanding of racism in medicine for pediatric residents. She received her Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia, completed residency as an Integrated Behavioral Health Scholar at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, TX, and fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

"Eleni A. Carr MBA, LICSW is the Chief Care Integration Officer at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and oversees care management services across the care continuum, integrating clinical operations with preferred community provider agencies. Over the past ten years, they have been instrumental in the development of the population health management department at CHA - a team that strives to achieve the Triple Aim - better quality care, improved patient experience of care and enhanced healthcare value.

Eleni’s leadership experience spans the healthcare and behavioral health continuum, having served as the Director of the Children’s Community Support Collaborative in Brighton, MA. The success of this publicly funded managed care pilot served as a catalyst for systemic change in the child/adolescent behavioral health arena in Massachusetts. Their volunteer leadership includes serving on the Massachusetts Commission on GLBT Youth and local and national Board membership for NASW. "

"Tonja Santos, MSN, CNM, FACNM has worked caring for birthers and families in Springfield, Massachusetts and the surrounding area for almost 20 years. She is a leader in the Division of Midwifery at Baystate Medical Center, managing a full-scope, midwifery-led practice alongside helping oversee the activities of the three clinical practices in the Division and the Baystate Midwifery Education Program, where she is also faculty. She has a great interest in quality initiatives and case review processes. She also chairs the recently-established Racial Disparities and Health Equity Committee for the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, with the goal of improving maternal and infant outcomes for BIPOC through clinical, systemic and cultural change. She serves on several committees including the Department's Peer Review Committee and the Institution's Ambulatory Quality Council. She also serves as the Chair of the Exam Passpoint Subcommittee for the American Midwifery Certification Board, and is a member of the Massachusetts Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee of the Department of Public Health, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In 2020 she received an Outstanding Teaching Award from the Baystate Education Research & Scholarship of Teaching Program, Baystate Medical Center and in 2021 received Fellowship distinction in the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

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Dr. Alexandra Stillman is the Diversity Director for the Department of Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She additionally is the Director of Concussion, Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurorehabilitation as well as the Director of Medical Education for Cognitive Neurology at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She also has appointments at Spaulding Hospital in Cambridge as well as Encompass HealthSouth Rehabilitation Center in Braintree.

Eboni Winford, Ph.D., MPH, is the Director of Research and Health Equity and a licensed psychologist at Cherokee Health Systems in Knoxville, TN. Dr. Winford is the clinical lead for CHS’s consultation and training program, which provides individualized on-site training to other primary care organizations as they seek to integrate their practices. She oversees research initiatives including those funded by HRSA, the TN Department of Health, and the NIH. She holds membership roles in organizations such as the Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, the American Public Health Association, and the American Psychological Association. Additionally, she serves as adjunct faculty in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Meharry Medical College and a part-time lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of Tennessee Knoxville. Dr. Winford earned her doctoral degree in Clinical Health Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a proud life member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated.

Alexis Drutchas, MD is a palliative care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and a Clinical Instructor at Harvard Medical School. As a family medicine resident at Brown University, Dr. Drutchas co-founded the Rhode Island Trans Health Conference. Following residency, she provided primary care at Fenway Health, a nationally known LGBTQ+ health center in Boston.

Dr. Drutchas completed the Harvard Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Fellowship Program in 2020 and remained at MGH thereafter. She teaches residents and fellows and is involved in the fellowship’s efforts to enhance health equity education.

Dr. Drutchas is an avid writer and was selected to be a Public Voices Fellow through the OpEd Project. She also co-created a palliative care story night which builds community amongst MGB Palliative Care providers. Her narrative and opinion pieces have been featured in CNN, Newsweek, the Boston Globe, Elemental, Family Medicine, and the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Christina Bergin is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. She is an Associate Program Director for the Internal Medicine Residency there, as well as the Internal Medicine Clerkship Director. Clinically, she works as a hospitalist at Banner-University Medical Center Phoenix. She attended the University of Notre Dame for her undergraduate education, receiving her BA in Anthropology, and she received her MD from Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. Dr. Bergin is passionate about medical education and working to reduce health disparities. She has partnered with colleagues to create elective rotations for residents and medical students focusing on health equity and advocacy.

Dr. LaKesha Davison, a pediatrician who practices at Kaiser Permanente/The Southeast Permanente Medical Group, received her medical degree and completed her residency at the Emory University School of Medicine. She joined Kaiser Permanente in 2016 from private practice. Outside the office, she has been a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Section on Minority Health, Equity and Inclusion since its inception in 2017, and regularly works in the Dekalb County Refugee Clinic, caring for immigrant children, many who have been displaced due to injustice and bigotry in their home countries. She also currently serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Georgia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Throughout her career, Dr. Davison has demonstrated an interest and talent for advocacy. During her time as Chief Resident, she led a group of residents and faculty from Grady Hospital to the Georgia Capitol to discuss second impact syndrome, playing a role in the passing of legislation that mandates clearance by a medical professional before returning to sports after a concussion. She also serves the community as an ambassador for Black Girls Run. In the fall of 2020, she was appointed as the Special Advisor on confronting racism to help inform equity, inclusion, social justice, and anti-racism work at Kaiser Permanente and to use her training and skills as a means toward working to heal the persistent wounds inflicted on our communities by racism. In that role, she has helped frame discussions about systemic racism within medicine and has helped guide listening sessions where healthcare workers share their experiences with racism. She is currently engaged in creating implicit bias training for the medical group, reviewing policies to ensure equitable hiring/mentoring/promoting practices, acknowledging and addressing health disparities and their effects on clinical outcomes, and fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion at work.

Jessica McCurley, PhD, MPH, is a clinical psychologist with specialization in behavioral medicine/health psychology. Her work focuses on health behavior change and reduction of socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in chronic cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease). Dr. McCurley is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Her research involves (1) the development and evaluation of interventions to reduce cardiometabolic risk and improve mental health in low-wage workers and community populations, and (2) epidemiological exploration of psychosocial, behavioral, and socioeconomic contributors to cardiometabolic health inequities. As a clinical fellow in the MGH Department of Psychiatry, Dr. McCurley provides evidence-based psychological care to patients with a variety of medical and psychiatric conditions, including chronic and infectious diseases and post-acute or “long-haul” COVID-19.

Jessica recently completed her fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) and is now an Advanced Fellow in Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Oncology at CHLA. She attended the University of Kansas School of Medicine for her medical training and completed her General Pediatrics Residency at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago where she also received a certificate in Advocacy and Population Health. She has served on numerous diversity councils and is enjoys working to build a diverse and inclusive work environment. She is passionate about studying and eliminating health disparities in AYAs with cancer. Outside of work, she enjoys photography, bowling, traveling, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

Paige Perriello, MD, FAAP is a Charlottesville native and community pediatrician and partner at Pediatric Associates of Charlottesville. She received her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and completed pediatric residency training at Children’s National Medical Center in the Community Health Track at Howard University Hospital. She focuses her work on health inequity and mitigating the impact of childhood trauma. Dr. Perriello directed the Pediatric Associates Trauma Informed Leadership Team through the Charlottesville Trauma Informed Community Network, a project that evaluated the practice structure and changed systems for evaluating trauma. This work included design of a new survey instrument that screens for Social Determinants of Health as well as trauma exposure. She has received a Community Access to Child Health grant from the American Academy of Pediatrics to study screening for Racial Trauma in children and teenagers.

Dr. Jennifer J. Hess is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She completed medical school at the University of Alabama, Birmingham and Emergency Medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.

Dr. Hess’ interests center around building teams and developing systems that meet the needs of our patients and health care providers. An ongoing passion is to advocate for those impacted by the social determinants of health and healthcare disparities. She was involved in the formation of a fellowship in Social EM at UAB designed to educate fellows while making a community impact. She also helped establish programs for addiction management and MAT, including both clinical pathways that integrate with the community and innovative ways to mentor and educate residents and faculty through simulation. She is currently the director of a multidisciplinary elective giving VUMC residents an immersion experience into health equity and advocacy.

Alycia Valente is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Massachusetts with an academic interest in Health Equity. After residency, she joined the Indian Health Service, where she learned that working with communities and elevating the voices of community members is needed to help patients achieve their maximum health outcomes. While in Massachusetts she has dedicated her time cultivating a nuanced understanding of the structural barriers and community health resources needed to help my new community thrive. She is using her voice to teach the importance of health equity to future physicians and develop a career elevating those most vulnerable to create effective policy change. The Health Equity Scholars Program’s focus on mentorship, formal health equity analysis, community organization, and leadership will give me the skills and confidence to take her projects to the level where they can do systemic good.

Anjali Goel MD, MPH is an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics trained physician at the University of Minnesota where she practices Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. She currently supports the learners as a faculty mentor for the Residency Diversity Council and is the newly appointed Associate Chair for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Anjali's work at the University will be working with faculty to reduce discrimination and bias in the health professionals learning environment. She is also the Minnesota chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics Diversity Champion.

Atsuko Koyama is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine (COM). She received her MD at the University of Arizona COM and her MPH from the University of California at Berkeley. She completed her Adolescent Medicine fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital and her Pediatric Emergency Medicine fellowship at Boston Medical Center. She works at a Valleywise Health Medical Center and a local family planning clinic. Her current research interests include medication abortion provision by emergency medicine physicians and adolescent sexual health in the ER. Her current teaching interests include antiracism medical education, the intersection of medicine and the carceral system, and reproductive justice. She works to improve the care of adolescents within the emergency room as well as across hospital systems and advocates for the well being of children and adolescents.

Aura M. Obando, MD was born in Bogotá, Colombia. She received her B.S. in Biology from Duke University and subsequently served in the United States Peace Corps in Paraguay as an Agroforestry Volunteer. She received her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Obando is also board certified in Addiction Medicine, and is an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School.

As the Family Team Medical Director at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Dr. Obando provides medical care to families and unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness in the Boston area, largely working in shelter-based clinics, on a medical van, and by offering care via street outreach. Dr. Obando’s primary interests lie in immigration, women’s health, childhood poverty, gender affirming care, youth homelessness, and addiction. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking with her husband and three children, gardening, and cooking.

Carine Davila, MD, MPH is an attending physician on the inpatient palliative care service at Massachusetts General Hospital. She completed undergraduate studies in public policy at Princeton and later received her medical degree from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She completed residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and fellowship at the Harvard Interprofessional Palliative Care Fellowship. Carine then served as a Commonwealth Fund Fellow in Minority Health Policy with Harvard Medical School, where she also received her Master’s in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She is passionate about palliative care for marginalized populations and has a particular interest in improving care for Spanish-speaking patients. She is active in the division’s diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and in Mass General Brigham’s United Against Racism efforts to reduce disparities in serious illness care for marginalized communities.

Chioma N. Tomlinson, PA-C is a Physician Assistant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Primary Care. She is an Adjunct Faculty Member at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) PA program and a Clinical Instructor at the Tufts University School of Medicine PA program. She also serves as a mentor for the National Society of Black Physician Assistants. Her clinical interests include the integration of obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine and culinary health education within primary care to promote holistic wellness and generational healing. She is a strong advocate for reducing weight bias/stigma in medicine, increasing equitable access to evidence-based, patient-centered care that reduces the incidence of obesity-related conditions and increasing the number of under-represented minorities in primary care.

Dr. Cabrera is an internal medicine physician in Seattle, WA. He is a Clinical Associate Professor within the Department of Medicine of the University of Washington School of Medicine. His school and training were competed at the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He works as a Hospitalist at Harborview Medical Center, a safety net hospital caring for patients from underserved and marginalized groups. Dr. Cabrera focuses on medical education efforts and issues of equity, diversity & inclusion (EDI). He enjoys teaching and mentoring learners who will become the future of healthcare. He serves as an assistant program director for the UW internal medicine residency and a core clinical faculty member of the medical school. He also serves as the chair of his department's diversity council and the UW graduate medical education EDI subcommittee. Dr. Cabrera is deeply committed to issues of equity in all aspects of medicine as way to improve patient outcomes.

"Debra Dixon is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Division of Cardiology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for her undergraduate degree. She received her MD and Master’s in Clinical Research from the

Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. As part of Harrison Society Physician-Scientist Training Program at Vanderbilt, she completed her Internal Medicine residency and clinical Cardiology training and has transitioned to her postdoctoral research. Her research focuses on the relationship between social determinants of health (SDoH) and cardiovascular risk. Her interests include understanding and addressing upstream SDoH to promote health equity, improving workforce diversity, and advocacy. "

Elizabeth is a family medicine and palliative care physician based in Brooklyn, NY. She most recently served as medical director and director of home based care at Cityblock Health working with the team to build and deliver an integrated medical, behavioral health and social service model for low-income Medicaid populations with complex needs. Prior to this, Elizabeth was associate director of Mount Sinai Visiting Doctors Program providing primary and palliative care to homebound patients and teaching medical students, residents and fellows about home based medical care. This fall she will be joining the team at Prospero Health as part of their growing home based medical care team in Brooklyn and assisting with educational development. She is passionate about teaching on home based primary and palliative care, advocating for patient needs and is currently serving as co-chair to the American Academy of Home Care Medicine’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force. She enjoys spending time exploring the cities museums and parks with her husband and two young sons.

Geraldine Malana is a family medicine physician at Cambridge Health Alliance and clinical instructor for medical students at Tuft’s Medical School, Harvard Medical School and the Tuft’s Family Medicine Residency. A proud immigrant who was born in the Philippines, she came to the United States as an infant. Geraldine has been inspired throughout her life by hard working families, like her own, who want nothing but a better life for themselves. While receiving her dual degree DO, MPH, at A.T Still University and residency training in Chicago at McGaw Northwestern University she had the privilege to train in Federally Qualified Health Care Centers. These experiences intensified her desire to provide health care in medically underserved areas. She is passionate about delivering equitable health care to the many immigrant families that she serves everyday. She is excited to continue to fight for social justice through developing outreach and support programs for her patients.

Iris Chandler, MD is and Instructor of Emergency Medicine and the Associate EM Clerkship Director at the Yale School of Medicine. She did her undergraduate studies at Rice University, where she obtained a BA in Art History, and completed both her MD and Emergency Medicine residency at Yale. As the Associate Clerkship Director, she is responsible for assisting with the design, implementation, maintenance and improvement of the emergency medicine curriculum for third and fourth year medical students. Dr. Chandler’s primary area of scholarship is in medical student and Emergency Medicine resident education. In the coming year, she plans to focus on developing a longitudinal Health Equity Curriculum for Emergency Medicine Residents.

Dr. Ward-Gaines joined the University faculty in 2006 after completing her training in Emergency Medicine at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. Prior to getting her board certification, Dr. Ward-Gaines served in the United States Army as a General Medical Officer and Flight Surgeon. After graduating from Florida A&M University she matriculated to The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine for a medical degree and initial training. Early on, she was an instrumental member of the Hospital’s Emergency Management Committee responsible for the hospital’s Continuity of Operations Planning (COOP) program. Dr. Ward-Gaines developed a disaster tabletop series to train the hospital administration on command structure and incident management. She was the CO-PI for NIH funded research in development of disaster integrated computer technology. She presented such research at the World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine Conference. As with most faculty, she enjoys teaching, including all aspects such as guest lecturer in the community outreach program P.A.R.T.Y. (Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth). Dr. Ward-Gaines’ past leadership includes Assistant Course Director of 3rd Year Medical Students Emergency Medicine Clerkship and her appointment as Medical Director of the Emergency Department Medics. Dr. Ward-Gaines now holds an important leadership role on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the CU Department of Emergency Medicine. She is working to improve equitable education and is spearheading a DEI curriculum for emergency medicine residents with a focused health equity simulation day. She also works within the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine to bring DEI resources to the forefront of medicine. Dr. Ward-Gaines serves tirelessly to deliver high quality care to patients, while rising to meet extraordinary new challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic.

Kate is from Pittsburgh, PA and lives in Minneapolis, MN. She is a full time clinical primary care pediatrician with an interest in health equity. Through the MN chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, she works to help provide children with healthcare that is anti-racist and equitable. She’s a mom of boys and recharges by reading and running, though not at the same time!

Laura Wetherbee is a primary care psychologist at a hospital in Boise, ID. She has a background in Diversity and Community Mental Health and has interests in integrated clinical care, training, and advocacy. She is chairperson of the hospital’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and takes part in a collective of healthcare providers advocating for health equity in their communities.

Lauren is a a physical therapist. She studied Exercise Physiology and Physical Therapy at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI. Following graduation, she continued on to complete her orthopedic residency at Massachusetts General Hospital to specialize in orthopedic physical therapy. Currently, she works at The Brigham and Women's Health Center in Chestnut Hill, where she sees patients with a variety of health conditions including orthopedic, vestibular, and oncology management. She loves working together with her coworkers, interdiscplinary care team, and patients to find the most authentic, accessible types of movement for each person. She is particularly passionate about the care for the whole person and working to facilitate care beyond the clinic. She loves to run, play soccer, listen to music, cook, and is a huge Patriots fan! She is so looking forward to participating in this program to build skills in community organizing, communication, advocacy, and social justice.

Laurie Thibodeau received her MD from Tufts University and is now a Professor and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education in emergency medicine (EM) at Albany Medical Center. As core teaching faculty, her career has centered on medical education and she served as president of Clerkship Directors in Emergency Medicine helping create resources, national EM curricula and assessments. Beyond teaching, her passion includes health equity, environmental stewardship, and global medicine. She has participated in international medicine as well as projects at home involving diversity and equity through employee development and community outreach. Realizing how environmental factors disproportionately impact vulnerable communities, her newest focus is to study the impact of climate change on health. Her work now includes bringing climate health education to Albany Medical College and creating an Environmental Health Task Force to reduce the carbon footprint of her institution

Leslie Lin, PharmD, MPH is a primary care clinical pharmacist with VA Connecticut. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, and completed her pharmacy practice residency at VA Connecticut. While working full-time, she received her Master of Public Health degree from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in May 2021. She is passionate about addressing health disparities and health education among disadvantaged populations, particularly rural and homeless veterans. She is also an advocate for pharmacists to incorporate a public health focus within their own practice sites. In her spare time, Leslie enjoys spending time with her family (husband, son, and 14 year-old beagle), traveling, and Netflix binges.

Lisa Mashburn is a Nurse Practitioner in OBGyn at CHA in Cambridge, MA, with particular interest in sexual and reproductive health, contraceptive care and abortion access. She received her Masters degree and Bachelors in Nursing from MGH Institute of Health Professions, as well as a Bachelor of Arts from Vassar College in NY. A mother of two young girls, Lisa enjoys spending time with her family, reading, completing jigsaw puzzles and supporting a number of local community organizations.

Dr. Logan Jardine is an Emergency Medicine attending at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. He received his Master of Public Health and attended medical school at the State University of New York. He completed residency in Emergency Medicine at Kings County Hospital Center/SUNY Downstate Medical Center. His research and advocacy work focus on improving care for transgender patients by improving provider knowledge and reducing provider bias through cultural humility.

Mary Hough is a pediatrician practicing in Southern Oregon. She graduated from Stanford University. Prior to attending medical school at University of California San Francisco she worked as a community organizer for 2 years with Oregon Fair Share in Portland Oregon. While in medical school she completed her MPH at University of California - Berkeley. She completed her pediatric residency training at Seattle Children's Medical Center. She and her husband spent 3 years working at Gallup Indian Medical Center on the Navajo Reservation before joining a group pediatric practice in Medford Oregon. Areas of special interest include expanding collaboration between pediatricians, parents and schools with a focus on inclusion and belonging. She has also been actively engaged in developing a behavior health program as an integral part of the medical home.

Mellena Giday was born and raised in Ethiopia. She came to the Pacific Northwest as a teenager and have been in this area for most of her adult life. She attended Morehouse School of Medicine for my medical degree and trained in Internal Medicine at University of Washington. She is currently practicing as a Hospitalist at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. In her free time, she spends time with her two-year-old daughter, garden, and have recently taken up acrylic painting.

Nadia Villarroel is an emergency medicine physician in the Department of Emergency Medicine at UMMS- Baystate Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA and completed her residency in emergency medicine at UMMS- Baystate Medical Center. She completed an Emergency Ultrasound Fellowship at UMMS- Baystate Medical Center. She is an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She has interests in medical student and resident education, emergency ultrasound, health equity and is passionate about caring for underserved populations.

Olutosin “Tosin” Ojugbele is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics at Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Ojugbele completed her MD and an MPH in community health science at SUNY Downstate, pediatric residency at Northwell Health/Cohen Children’s Hospital as well as a post-doctoral fellowship in primary care research at Dartmouth Hitchcock. Dr Ojugbele precepts learners as well as provides direct patient care serving as the director of the Fostering Health Clinic, a medical home to pediatric patients involved in the foster care system in Rhode Island. Her research and advocacy focus are healthcare delivery in pediatric primary care and medical education, as it pertains to health equity and racial justice.

Samara Grossman, MSW, LICSW is a Clinical Social Worker with Brigham Psychiatric Services at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar (2018-2021) having worked with an inter-disciplinary team at Brigham on a trauma-informed care initiative in the ED. She is a member of the Mass General Brigham Trauma-informed Care Initiative, co-chairing the Education and Training Committee of that Initiative. She is the co-chair of the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee of Brigham Psychiatric Services and co-lead for the Social Work Racial Justice Committee of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Her clinical interests are in using trauma-informed, social justice and empowerment-informed approaches to bring healing to those who have experienced trauma in their lives.

Susan Mendes, MPAP, PA-C, is a family medicine physician assistant at Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Spanish at University of California, Santa Barbara, she went on to complete her Master in Physician Assistant Practice at USC Primary Care Physician Assistant Program.

Susan worked in private practice caring for patients in clinical, long-term care, and hospital settings, then joined the faculty of the Department of Family Medicine at Keck in 2018. She cares for people of all ages with a focus on disease prevention and management of chronic illnesses and enjoys working together with her patients to achieve their healthcare goals. Susan is especially passionate in caring for the LGBTQ+ community, reproductive and sexual health, and mental health. She is currently working on developing the Gender Affirming Care Program within Keck Medicine of USC to provide inclusive healthcare for gender diverse populations. She also is a clinical preceptor for medical and physician assistant students and hopes to address health equity through education of future health care providers.

Tim Gallagher studied photography at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts and was a professional dancer in Boston for many years before pursuing a career in medicine. Now he is an emergency medicine doctor at NYU and Bellevue hospitals in New York City. He has conducted research pertaining to social determinants of health, and has published numerous essays on the practice of medicine in both medical and literary journals.

Dana Bogan (she/her) is a Clinical Social Worker currently working in the outpatient medical specialty clinic at Cambridge Health Alliance. She received her undergraduate degree from Boston College where she majored in Psychology and minored in Faith, Peace & Justice studies, culminating her degree with a thesis on the inequities of the public school system and the impact of such disparities. She later pursued a Masters Degree in Social Work at Boston College where she completed internships in both public school and private mental health settings.

Dana is passionate about providing clinical support to vulnerable populations, with a particular emphasis on advocating for racially and culturally inclusive care. As a biracial Black woman, Dana is focused on identifying the ways in which racial bias and discrimination compromise the quality and integrity of medical care provided to patients. In addition, her work centers around improving care for patients with minimal resources who often face innumerable barriers to accessing medical care and treatment. She has been instrumental in implementing the distribution of a Psychosocial Needs Assessment to all new oncology patients within her clinic as well as supporting the development of a grant fund that offers financial support to patients in active treatment within the organization.

Outside of work, Dana is a co-leader for the Boston-based fitness organization ""November Project"" which strives to build community and connection through free workouts. She is also a certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness instructor at several local fitness clubs.

Pablo is a general internist and preventive medicine physician with a longstanding interest in health care education and the impact of patients’ attitudes, health beliefs and social determinants of health (SDOH). He provides clinical care to a majority of Latinx patients, an underserved population in healthcare. He is also Program Director of the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) Preventative Medicine Residency and an Assistant Professor of Medicine. He is the clinical lead for Boston Medical Center THRIVE, a program that systematically screen patients for SDOH and refers them to resources when requested. Additionally, he is passionate about the use of emerging educational technologies, including virtual worlds, virtual reality, and mind mapping, to develop interdisciplinary experiences to teach about health equity and SDOH.

Dr. Rose Ashraf is a psychologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Rose’s research and clinical work focuses on immigrant and ethnic minority mental health, complex trauma, and multiculturalism. She is also active in training and mentorship. Rose’s past health equity work involve collaborations with community organizations to provide no-cost psychological services, testifying in support of immigrant health equity at the state level, and publications for research and community audiences regarding BIPOC representation in the 2020 census.

Amy Goh (she/her) has been a midwife for the past decade. She is currently undertaking a PhD at Boston College. She also works as midwife at Boston Medical Center and as a digital health coach for Ovia Health. She is a graduate of the Duke-Johnson & Johnson Nurse Leadership Program where she examined the barriers preventing Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking pregnant people from birthing at a birth center. Previous to her midwifery career, she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde then completed her MPhil thesis in International Development on the socio-political aspects of maternal mortality in Brazil. While working for a maternal health organization in Ethiopia, was inspired to become a midwife after observing a midwife assist her patient to safely birth her baby. She currently lives in Boston with her husband and 2 young children. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking/eating Korean food, practicing yoga and running/wandering in the woods.

I’m a bilingual medical social worker. I had worked in my country of origin as a hospital SW in primary care, general hospital, specialized pediatric hospital and inpatient physical rehab facility. Currently, I’m the social worker with the internal medicine team at UCSF.

I enjoy hiking and travel, especially to see friends and family.

"

Dr. Richard-Davis serve as Executive Director (ED) for UAMS Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DDEI). I am also a tenured Professor in Obstetrics and Gynecology and, Division Director for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) as well as Medical Director for the Physician Assistants program. She joined the UAMS faculty in January 2013. Additionally, I am board certified REI and Obstetrics and Gynecology. I served as a previously served as Professor and Chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Meharry Medical College and Executive Director for Center for Women Health Research (CWHR) from January 2007–2012. She joined the DDEI at UAMS as executive director in 2019. She is responsible for execution of pipeline programs from K to medical school, as well as student and faculty professional development and mentorship across UAMS 5 colleges (medicine, nursing, pharmacy, college of public health, college of health profession) and graduate studies. Throughout her career she has been a fierce supporter and advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion. Much of her research work has been and continues to be focused on health disparities.

Born in Jamaica WI and raised in Queens, NY. Shellyann grew up in a diverse community. After graduating from college, she spent two years as a PRE-CRTA Fellow at National Cancer Institute in Bethesda Maryland. She matriculated to medical school and completed training in Bronx, NY. Shellyann currently practices Emergency Medicine at a level-1 trauma academic center, and a community-based hospital in the Bronx. She currently serves dual roles as Assistant Director of Emergency Services at community hospital and Associate Program Director for Emergency Medicine Residency. She is committed to working within a diverse underrepresented population, a choice which was emphasized while working through the COVID pandemic in the Bronx where the population continues to be adversely affected by the virus. Shellyann is passionate in her exploration of how Social Determinants of Health impact how patients access, receive and are offered care. She is excited to be a part of the 2021 CHA Health Equity Scholars program.

Kate Wallis is an attending physician in Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Division of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, assistant professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania, and faculty member at CHOP’s PolicyLab. Dr. Wallis has long been interested in understanding what is driving disparities in the identification and age of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder among children from minoritized backgrounds. Her recent work has explored referrals made after young children screen positive for autism in primary care pediatrics. She aims to continue to improve the equity of identification of young children with developmental disorders and autism spectrum disorder, to help children from diverse backgrounds access earlier intervention. Dr. Wallis earned her MD/MPH degree at Stony Brook University School of Medicine and completed pediatrics residency at NYU School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital and fellowship in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at CHOP.

Chandana Banerjee, M.D., M.P.A., HMDC, is the Director and Designated Institutional Official for Graduate Medical Education at City of Hope National Medical Center. As Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Supportive Care Medicine, she specializes in Palliative and Hospice Medicine. Her focus is specifically on all educational and clinical aspects related to Complex Symptom Management and End of Life Care. Dr Banerjee was instrumental in developing City of Hope's ACGME accredited Hospice & Palliative Medicine Fellowship. Dr Banerjee also developed the End of Life Symposium which was first held at City of Hope in September 2019. The symposium has now been endowed for multiple years. She is the Physician Lead for Schwartz Rounds at City of Hope and serves as Chair on the End of Life Option Act Subcommittee.

Dr Banerjee was Chair for the American Academy of Hospice & Palliative Medicine's Humanities and Spirituality Special Interest Group from March 2020-2021. She serves on AAHPM's Editorial Board for the publication AAHPM Quarterly and has served on the assembly's Abstract Review Board for multiple years. She is a reviewer for Evidence-based research articles in hospice and palliative medicine submitted to McMaster University, Canada. She currently serves as First Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for Compassion & Choices.

Dr Banerjee's work has been published in in newspapers, journals and books. She has spoken at conferences and has been interviewed for her thought leadership in End of Life Care and Medical Aid in Dying. She is the editor for an upcoming book by Springer Publishing's CTAR series exploring views on end-of-life care, death, burial and bereavement within different cultures and religions. Dr Banerjee is a contributing member on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Fatigue Panel. Her leadership activities in education include excellence in teaching, faculty development and mentoring, and curriculum and program development.

Dr. Banerjee earned her Bachelor’s Degree in English with an Honors Scholar Designation and Magna cum laude from the University of Connecticut. She received her Master’s in Public Administration from New York University and her Medical Degree from Saba University School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Pediatrics and her Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine from Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles. She is also certified as a Hospice Medical Director.

Dr Banerjee loves to write poetry and her first collection, ""Ashen Leaves,"" was published in July 2020. Her second book of poems, Neruda in Bed will be published in currently in production.

I came into the health equity and advocacy space somewhat sideways, through global health. After finishing an emergency medicine residency at SUNY Stony Brook, I completed a fellowship in international EM and global public health at George Washington in DC. As I got deeper into global health, the centrality of health equity to the work became clearer. The perspective and skills that I gained from my MPH training have been valuable as I have become more involved in the growing field of social emergency medicine. Working in Newark, NJ, especially during this current pandemic has made me more skeptical about the limits of academic public health knowledge without robust advocacy to implement it.

Dr Catherine Crosland, an internist who completed her medical training at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, has dedicated her career to caring for vulnerable populations and fighting for health equity. For the past twelve years, as a physician with Unity Health Care in Washington DC, she has managed the homeless outreach program and provided direct care to people experiencing homelessness in a variety of clinical settings from shelter-based clinics to street outreach. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has worked with the DC Department of Human Services to envision, develop and operationalize DC’s response to the pandemic for people experience homelessness. Finally, through her work with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and DC’s Interagency Council on Homelessness, she brings her clinical experience to bear on addressing gaps in care and advocating for systems changes to end homelessness and improve health outcomes for her patients.

Carolyn is a speech-language pathologist who has practiced in various hospitals and cancer centers in Massachusetts and Texas, and she will be based at Massachusetts Eye and Ear starting this fall. She specializes in head and neck oncology and cancer rehabilitation, which involves working with cancer survivors to retain and rebuild their speech, voice, and/or swallow function for better quality of life. In addition to her clinical responsibilities, she teaches in the Speech@Emerson online master’s program. She earned her master’s degree in speech-language pathology at MGH Institute of Health Professions and her undergraduate degree in neurobiology and psychology from Northwestern University.

"Jitana Benton-Lee is the CEO of Cultured Remedy, a patient advocacy organization based out of Central Kentucky and an Assistant Professor, Graduate Nursing at Northern Kentucky University. She has obtained multiple degrees, including a Doctor of Nursing Practice and Master of Science degrees in nursing, health, and business administration. Her Bachelor’s degrees are in Nursing and English. She is obtaining a nursing Ph.D. at Texas Woman’s University.

Jitana gleans knowledge on creating inclusive healthcare environments for marginalized populations through nursing care provisions to rural African Americans, migrant farmworkers, Appalachian Americans, LGBTQ+, and the deaf and hearing-impaired community. She conducts studies on the cross-cultural development of healthcare providers and systems. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, CommonHealth Action, and the National Collaborative for Health Equity selected her as a Culture of Health Leader for dedication to healthcare inclusivity. "

Gina Robinson is a General Pediatrician at the Cleveland Clinic. She joined the Clinic after 18 years of private practice in an inner ring suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Her interest in health equity has always been present, but has been heightened in light of events that have occurred in recent years. Her hope is to lead people to an understanding of the real and lasting impact that inequities have health, and to be able to empower individuals to make a difference.

"I’m a bilingual medical social worker. I had worked in my country of origin as a hospital SW in primary care, general hospital, specialized pediatric hospital and inpatient physical rehab facility. Currently, I’m the social worker with the internal medicine team at UCSF.

I enjoy hiking and travel, especially to see friends and family.