Celebrating Black History in Public Health #2

Our next powerhouse in public health is Dr. J. Nadine Gracia!

This woman has made monumental contributions to minority health and communities and is one of my role models.

This Stanford graduate obtained not only her Masters of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania, but also an M.D from the University of Pittsburgh, specializing in Pediatrics. She worked as a White House Fellow on Michelle Obama's, Lets Move initiative, in addition to the U.S Department of Health and Human Service's teen pregnancy prevention program.

In 2010, she served as Chief Medical Officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, working on issues surrounding child and adolescent health, emergency and disaster preparedness, climate change, and global health.

But wait, there's more...

As if all of this wasn't enough to define her career, Garcia chose to focus on minority health after became the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health at the U.S Department for Health and Human Services focused on increasing health equity and the elimination of health disparities! She has worked with community members, leaders and stakeholders to be a responder to issues such as the Flint Water Crisis, the Opioid Epidemic, and community violence. And only a few weeks ago she was named the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer with Trust for America's Health!

This woman is committed to working with the both the government and the community to combat the quality gap in healthcare for minority communities. Congratulations, and thank you Dr. J. Nadine Garcia!