Lisa Ling
Ling is the Executive Producer and host of This Is Life on CNN. She has also been a field correspondent for The Oprah Winfrey Show and a contributor to ABC News’ Nightline.
Adaora Okoli, M.D., MPH
Dr. Adaora Okoli not only treated patients during the 2014 Ebola epidemic in Nigeria but was also infected and recovered from the virus herself. She’s now working to strengthen health systems in order to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in low-income communities and achieve equitable access to health for all. She’s currently an internal medicine resident physician in New Orleans and an Aspen New Voices Fellow.
Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Hotez is the founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, as well as director of the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, in addition to other prestigious academic posts he holds. He has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed articles and editorials as well as books, including “Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel’s Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad.”
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Cato T. Laurencin is University Professor at the University of Connecticut and Chief Executive Officer of the Connecticut Convergence Institute at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Laurencin is an expert in health disparities and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, as well as a Core Faculty Member of the Africana Studies Institute at the University of Connecticut.
Seema Kumar
Kumar is Vice President, Innovation, Global Health and Science Policy Communication at Johnson & Johnson and a world-renowned champion of the value of science and science journalism. Kumar drives public engagement and trust in science through development of storytelling initiatives and programs that create positive societal impact.
Mary Woolley
Woolley is the President and CEO of Research!America, the nation’s largest not-for-profit grassroots public education and advocacy organization committed to making medical and health research a higher national priority. Woolley is a longtime leader of advocacy for science, especially medical and health science. She’s also a high-profile speaker, writer and promoter of public engagement by scientists.
“We have a health disparities problem in America": Meet a woman on a mission to improve healthcare for black women
The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world, with women of color especially at risk. Dr. Robyn R. Jones, Senior Medical Director at Johnson & Johnson, is determined to change that and find ways to address this urgent crisis.
