Over the last year, we've been reminded that systemic racism has had a devastating impact on our society. For centuries, health inequities have contributed to Black Americans and people of color suffering worse health outcomes than their white neighbors. This six-episode series, hosted by Michael Sneed, Executive Vice President, Johnson & Johnson, features conversations with Black doctors and nurses on the front lines of health equity with the hope that by Starting the Conversation and listening, we create empathy. Through empathy, we gain understanding. And, through understanding, we inspire change.
Episode 5
Los Angeles: Dual Pandemics
In the latest episode of Starting the Conversation, Michael Sneed, Executive Vice President, Johnson & Johnson, travels to Los Angeles, where he speaks with two community healthcare heroes fighting the dual pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism. They reveal why we’ve heard so much about “vaccine hesitancy” among Black and other people of color—and the answers have more to do with practical barriers such as a lack of transportation or a lack of trust in healthcare and government programs than concerns about vaccines themselves.
Michael Sneed most recently served as Executive Vice President, Global Corporate Affairs & Chief Communication Officer, and a member of the Executive Committee at Johnson & Johnson. He is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Thomas Jefferson Health System and a member of the Board of Directors of Wayfair. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Macalester College.
Expert Guest
Jerry P. Abraham, M.D., MPH
Jerry P. Abraham, M.D., MPH
Dr. Abraham holds a master of public health from Emory University and completed a post-graduate fellowship in Global Injury Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. He received his medical degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio and completed his Family & Community Medicine Residency Training at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Currently, Dr. Abraham serves as the Director of COVID-19 Programs at the Kedren Community Health Center in South Los Angeles, where his patient population is Black and Latino. In his time at Kedren, he has become an advocate and bulwark for equity and justice for his community, especially when it comes to COVID-19, the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and better representation of marginalized individuals and populations in healthcare delivery and public health.
Expert Guest
Alice Benjamin, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, FNP-C
Alice Benjamin, MSN, APRN, ACNS-BC, FNP-C
Benjamin is a board-certified Clinical Nurse Specialist and Family Nurse Practitioner with over 20 years nursing experience specializing in cardiovascular, critical care and emergency medicine. She is also the Chief Nursing Officer and a contributor at Nurse.org, where she hosts the weekly “Ask Nurse Alice” podcast. She has a dual B.A./BSN from San Diego State University in nursing and psychology, MSN in nursing education from Point Loma Nazarene University and a family nurse practitioner post-master's certificate from the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science. She is a recurring on-air health medical contributor for NBC 4 in Los Angeles and has appeared on local and national news networks including CNN, HLN, FOX News, TV One, BBC and KTLA Morning News.
Our Race to Health Equity
Johnson & Johnson is committed to eradicating racial and social injustice as a public health threat by eliminating health inequities for people of color. The company is committing $100 million over the next five years to invest and promote health equity solutions.
The third annual You Belong: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Impact Review reflects on our diversity, equity and inclusion journey.