Archives

Posted On December 18, 2020 11:14 pm
Director of Community Engagement Thrive, Inc. FOCUS Ronneal Mathews is a public health professional with over 20 years of experience. Her primary focus areas are improving maternal health of Black women, advancing reproductive justice, increasing accessibility of doulas, and helping organizations implement comprehensive diversity, equity, and inclusion frameworks. Mrs. Mathews is building connections with professionals… View Article

Posted On December 18, 2020 11:10 pm
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry University of Arizona FOCUS Noshene Ranjbar, MD, is originally from Iran and now lives in Tucson, Arizona. She is an assistant professor of psychiatry, training director of the Integrative Psychiatry Fellowship and medical director of the Integrative Psychiatry Clinic at the University of Arizona. Additionally, she serves as faculty with the… View Article

Posted On December 18, 2020 10:33 pm
Creative Facilitator FOCUS Weaving practices from the creative arts, placemaking, ecology, health, and trauma-informed care, Jennifer facilitates workshops at Zoe’s Place—a residence program designed to provide access to safe housing and support services for young mothers and their children. Since 2016, the collaboration has grown from a small handful of women sharing their stories to… View Article

Posted On November 20, 2020 12:17 am
Assistant Director of Programming, COO Dreamcatcher Initiative, Inc. FOCUS Alexis recognizes how essential it is for youth, especially youth transitioning from system involvement back into the community, to be the co-authors of their transition plan. Her focus is on bridging the gap between youth and community dialogue, introducing entrepreneurship and effective decision-making to youth. Alexis… View Article

Posted On March 5, 2020 10:45 pm
Senior Program Officer for Embedding Equity New York Academy of Medicine FOCUS Shaneah has leveraged her capacity to innovate systems change, internal and external, to public health organizations by relentlessly approaching her work with an equitable lens through co-creating novel community engagement frameworks; building robust partnerships with city agencies; transforming local resident capacity building approaches;… View Article

Posted On March 5, 2020 10:18 pm
Physician/Pediatrician Hidalgo Medical Services FOCUS Brian Etheridge, MD, FAAP, is a pediatrician at Hidalgo Medical Services, a federally qualified health care center in Silver City, N.M. Growing up poor in southern New Mexico, he developed an understanding of how socioeconomics and poorly designed systems impact people’s access to resources, health outcomes, and potential. Dr. Etheridge… View Article

Posted On March 3, 2020 9:59 pm
CEO & Founder Conscious Cultura FOCUS Imagine Mia, a senior at Calexico High School. Her parents are immigrants from Mexico, her father is imprisoned, and her mother suffers from depression. Mia is raising her two younger siblings, while holding a part-time job and applying to college. During COVID-19, she lost an uncle to the virus… View Article

Posted On July 23, 2019 2:33 am
Founder and Executive Director Diana’s PLACE FOCUS Although LGBTQ youth represent just 10 percent of the general population, it is estimated that they make up 20 to 40 percent of all youth experiencing homelessness. Unaccompanied LGBTQ youth have a higher likelihood of engaging in commercial or survival sex work, and face disproportionate levels of risk… View Article

Posted On July 23, 2019 2:13 am
Founder and Executive Director Youth Rise Texas FOCUS Being a teenager is hard for everyone, but when a teenage child unexpectedly loses a parent, it changes their life forever. This loss becomes even more difficult when shrouded in the shame, silence, and economic hardship that too often accompany the sudden loss of a parent to… View Article

Posted On July 23, 2019 2:10 am
Vice President Health Equity Spectrum Health – BHSH System FOCUS Health is a non-negotiable human right. Yet, in Berrien County, Michigan, a stark racial divide exists between those who have good health and those who do not. More than 75 percent of African-Americans, who comprise 15 percent of the population, live in census tracts where… View Article