More To Come...
Dave Craig is a two-time cancer survivor, caregiver and patient experience champion. After 10 years of struggling to see his own experience, and the lack of diverse experiences in the research he led for the pharmaceutical industry, he co-founded Gryt Health (‘grit’). Gryt Health amplifies voices to improve health outcomes.
Gryt is a healthtech platform run by survivors and caregivers. By always putting the patient experience first, Gryt works to improve medicine development, access to equitable care, and outcomes for all.Dave has a BS in Communication and MBA in Technology Management, from Rochester Institute of Technology. He has completed Executive Education at Harvard Business School in Building New Ventures and MIT Sloan School of Management in Corporate Strategy.
In 2021, Dave stopped using his given last name because of its connection to hate groups. “The highest form of knowledge is empathy, for it requires us to suspend our egos and live in another’s world” – Plato
Oya is a podcaster, a father of 3, and a notable artist in the Delaware hip-hop community. Known as “Grand G,” he came up hard - spittin rhymes in the streets of Wilmington, eventually leading to a record deal and numerous song releases.
The day after Christmas in 2017 - after 2 years of being dismissed by PCPs and specialists, he heard these words for the first time in his life - Multiple Myeloma. Diagnosis confirmed. An incurable blood cancer that impacts the Black community twice as much as other ethnicities. This was information that others needed to know!
Since his stem cell transplant in 2018, he continues learning to live with the ever-changing reminders of cancer and subsequent daily dose of chemo.
But instead of just living with Multiple Myeloma, he's turning his pain into POWER and teaching Myeloma to live with him.Oya is the creator and host of an innovative podcast, available on all major listening platforms.The “Hip, Hope, Hooray! Black Men Talking Health Podcast” was birth to address the disproportionate cancer burden and health disparities faced by Black Americans. The podcast aims to increase health literacy and provide a platform for Black men to share their stories, struggles, and successes in improving their health. Through conversations with guests ranging from doctors to community members, practical tips, resources, and encouragement are shared
to help Black men on their journey to better health. The podcast serves as a health literacy movement to empower and educate the Black community for a healthier future.
Thanks to the invaluable support from organizations like the International Myeloma Foundation,various pharmaceutical companies, and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, he’s aligning DEI with patient advocacy, while encouraging and empowering People of Color to be proactive in their own healthcare plans.
This year, these passions inspired Oya to launch The Health, Hope, ???? Hip-Hop Foundation – a non-profit organization whose mission is to teach health literacy and address Black health disparities at the grassroots level, using the cultural juggernaut of hip-hop as the core catalyst.Today, the landscape of patient advocacy is changing. With so many new voices making noise, let’s be game changers – not spectators!
An attorney with three decades of federal public policy experience. Stephanie is a former Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. Prior to serving in that position, she ended a 25-year career on Capitol Hill after holding several key staff positions in the United States Congress, including Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, as well as Staff Director of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families. Stephanie serves on several Boards of Directors as well as an advisor to numerous academic centers, industry partners, federal agencies, and others on issues to ensure full equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all that America has to offer.
Dr. Joy Angela DeGruy is a prominent researcher, educator, and author who has spent over 30 years studying and working in the field of social work, with a focus on the impacts of racism, trauma, and slavery on African Americans. For over two decades, she served as an Assistant Professor at Portland State University’s School of Social Work and now serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Joy DeGruy Publications Inc. Dr. DeGruy holds multiple advanced degrees and is renowned for her acclaimed book "Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome – America’s Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing," which examines historical trauma in African American communities. Dr. DeGruy lectures extensively, has presented her work globally, and has received prestigious awards including the American Psychological Association's Presidents Award in 2023. Her scholarship is highly influential, with over 1,700 citations of her seminal book. In addition to her research and writing, Dr. DeGruy has developed evidence-based models to support communities of color.
Dr. Pernessa C. Seele, Founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc., a not-for-profit organization, is a phenomenal trailblazer. Dr. Seele is celebrating over 30 years of providing vision and leadership in areas of technical support to strengthen the capacity of faith institutions in the United States and Africa to eradicate health disparities by promoting health education and services within their local communities.
Born in the heart of the south, this Lincolnville native always share a special love for South Carolina. Dr. Seele received her Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Science from Clark Atlanta University in 1976 & 1979, respectively, later receiving her Doctor of Humane Letters from the College of New Rochelle, NY, in 2007.
As a pioneer and community activist, Dr. Seele is known for her work in forging public health & faith-based partnerships for engaging individuals in health promotion and disease prevention interventions. Time Magazine 100 named Dr. Seele One of the Most Influential Persons in the World in 2006; Essence Magazine, in its 35 Anniversary issue, named Dr. P one of the 35 Most Beautiful and Remarkable Women In The World. Clark Atlanta University honored Dr. Seele with the 2008 Pathway of Excellence Award, citing her as one of its most outstanding graduates of all time. In May 2010, Dr. Seele was selected as 21 Leaders of the 21st Century of Women E-News in New York City.
October 2017, His Eminence, Timothy Michael Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, bestowed the Pierre Toussaint Medallion upon Dr. Seele.
Publishing her first book Stand Up to Stigma! How to Reject Fear & Shame in 2017. Dr. Seele is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Bishop Horace E. Smith is a man gifted with a passion for God's Word coupled with a love for God's people. He has a contagious spirit of generosity that overflows in every facet of his life. As pastor of the Apostolic Faith Church and an attending physician specializing in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial Hospital), Dr. Horace E. Smith has treated bodies and souls for three decades. Bishop Horace E. Smith M.D. was born and raised on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. Bishop Smith graduated as an honor student from Lindblom High School and went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree (with honors) Chicago State University, and M.D. from University of Illinois Medical Center.
Dr. Barbara Louise Shaw is the Immediate Past International President of The Women’s Home and Overseas Missionary Society of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. A product of four generations in the A.M.E. Zion Church, born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Barbara L. Shaw was spiritually developed and reared in the Pennsylvania Avenue A.M.E. Zion Church (Baltimore, Maryland) where she served in many positions. She was consecrated a Deaconess in 1993. She is a dedicated mother and grandmother who understands and values the importance of family. Dr. Shaw was educated in the public schools in Baltimore; Morgan State University; and graduate studies at The Johns Hopkins University, School of Writing. Professionally, she has served as a teacher in the Baltimore City Public School System; Associate Producer at Maryland Public Television; and a Chief Administrator with the State of Maryland Department of Public Safety. In October, 1997, she retired after 30 years of service in the state of Maryland. In August 2003, Dr. Shaw was elected the 16th General President of the Women's Home and Overseas Missionary Society of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. In this position, she presided over 800,000+ women on five continents. In August of 2007, she was re-elected as General President and retired in July, 2011. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Hood-Speaks Theological Seminary of the University of Calabar, Nigeria, West Africa, June 2005. In February 2006, she received an Honorary Doctorate from Livingstone College, Salisbury, North Carolina.
Pamela D. Price currently serves as the Deputy Director for The Balm In Gilead managing the various health initiatives of the organization. Under her leadership, the organization provides support to faith institutions in areas of program design, implementation and evaluation, which strengthen their capacity to deliver programs and services that contribute to the elimination of health disparities. In addition to her role as Deputy Director, she also serves as the Director for The National Brain Health Center for African-Americans.
As the Center’s director, she co-developed a six-part educational curriculum for nurses and allied healthcare professionals aimed at addressing knowledge gaps related to Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias affecting African Americans. She also co-authored and facilitates an accredited training for healthcare providers and clinicians; aimed at increasing cultural competencies related to the screening, diagnosis, and treatment of dementia in African Americans among providers.
Mrs. Price holds a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Public Health and has more than 20 years of experience in public health, epidemiology, and healthcare. She has served as a member of the U.S. Army Nurse Corp and excelled in both government and non-governmental agencies providing leadership and guidance on program management, quality improvement, and project development. Mrs. Price has conducted hundreds of training sessions across the country with various nursing associations, healthcare organizations and conferences.
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