Doctors discuss importance, benefits of diversity in health systems leadership

Natalie Barr, Staff Writer

Just under 6% of doctors in the U.S. are Black, according to data from the Association of American Medical Colleges — yet, 2020 census data states 12% of the U.S. population is Black. 

The VCU Health webinar “Black in Excellence” hosted four panelists to highlight the importance of Black representation in healthcare leadership. 

K.C. Ogbonna became the university’s first Black dean of pharmacy last year, according to a VCU News article. 

Michael Elliott, chief operating officer, became the health system’s first COO last year, according to a VCU Health article. 

The conversation focused on diversity at the leadership level. A broader conversation centered around the importance for future Black professionals to “take up space and feel important,” even if they are the only Black person in the room, panelist Richelle Webb Dixon, senior vice president and COO of Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee said.

Elliott, an alum from VCU’s pharmacy school, knew since childhood he wanted to pursue health care after he visited his grandmother in the hospital and became curious about her care, he said. Elliott started his profession in the clinical setting prior to transitioning into the administrative side, but even before he began his career, his focus has always been on the patient, he said.

“I realized it’s not just the medical treatment, but it’s the treatment of the whole person and their families,” Elliott said. “That’s what really matters.” 

A big priority for the university’s health system is to understand the community and solutions for how to provide long-lasting care, Elliott said. Social determinants of health, the economic and social conditions that affect individual care for the greater Richmond community, are looked at very closely to best serve patients, according to Elliott.

“We’re actually trying our best to make sure that people stay healthy,” Elliott said. “Not that you just come to VCU Health when you’re sick.”

Elliott remembered a time when diversity, equity and inclusion was not a topic discussed in health systems, he said. Communities are becoming more diverse, and health systems benefit when a variety of backgrounds and perspectives are at all levels of the hospital to determine the best patient care, according to Elliott. 

“We need as much diversity as possible. We make better decisions when we have more perspectives,” Elliott said. “We do things better for our communities when we have those different perspectives.”

To close out Black History Month, the webinar focused on Black representation at the leadership level, but diversity does not solely mean race or stop with increasing Black representation; but all races, socioeconomic statuses, religions and sexual orientations, Elliott said.

“Once we bring those things together, then we can start really saying ‘hey we’re here for the entire community, we’re here to make sure that we’re providing the type of care that everyone wants,’” Elliott said. “That takes time and it takes effort. It takes pushing for diversity.”

Chelsea Perry, first year MBA student at Wharton College, was one of four speakers on the panel; Perry is an alumna of both the University of Maryland and VCU. 

Perry excelled at chemistry and biology during middle and high school, and this led her to pursue pre-medicine in college, she said. Perry found the classes she used to perform well in were more challenging in college and became unsure if health care was right for her, she said.  

“I kind of lost a passion for the subject,” Perry said. “I started to think a little bit differently about the profession and whether or not being a doctor was the only way to make an impact in the health care field.”

A new path became clear for Perry when her younger brother collapsed on a football field during a game, she said. Her family’s understanding of health care and ability to pay for her brother’s care were a privilege many families do not have, she said.

“It was sort of an incentive for me to think about ‘how can I have an impact in helping people get access to care and navigate the health care industry?’” Perry said. “I realized I could do that without necessarily being a physician.”

Perry changed her major from pre-medicine to community health because she wanted to understand how government and agencies play a role in the industry, she said. She learned about health care disparities and how different communities are affected by inequity in health care opportunities, especially minority communities, who face a greater number of disparities than white communities, according to Perry. 

Across the U.S., Black, American Indian and Alaska Native communities live fewer years on average compared to white communities, according to findings from the 2021 Commonwealth Fund, Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equity in U.S. Health Care study. 

Black communities are more likely to die from treatable conditions, have a higher risk for chronic health conditions, suffer higher pregnancy-related complications and have higher rates of death during or after pregnancy, the study found. COVID-19 worsened life expectancies for Black, Latinx and Hispanic communities compared to white communities, according to the study.

“It’s a really exciting opportunity to delve more into the subject and think about what was my role as a future health care professional, and making sure that my community was educated about how people can live dignified lives, regardless of their racial or ethnic background,” Perry said.

Perry recognized the role of technology to deliver more affordable and accessible health care for rural and urban communities, so she co-founded a company called Appcelerator in 2019, she said. 

Appcelerator helps get more minority representation at all levels of the industry, Perry said. The company is still in its early stages, with partnerships with Deloitte and Accenture and the signing of the first health company, Fraser Hospital in Milwaukee, according to Perry. 

“I think my immediate plan is to continue to be an intrapreneur at some of these larger organizations, and hopefully, found another company in the next 10 years,” Perry said.

Nat Araia, president of VCU student organization Black Men in Medicine, knew since high school he wanted to work in the health care field. Araia remembered, at times, being the only Black person in his pre-college, upper level math and science classes, he said. He wants to be a support for other Black individuals and classmates, according to Araia.

“As we see more people like us, like myself, who want to pursue this goal, I feel like I want to let other Black individuals know they’re not alone in this,” Araia said.

Araia participated in a medical school summer program last year where he learned about health care disparities and the impact they have on minority communities, he said. He understood the importance Black perspectives bring toward health care, especially when treating Black patients, he said.

“Since there is a distrust between African Americans and the health care system, when we see more African Americans in the health care field, it kind of rebuilds that trust between Black communities, improving the system overall and promoting health equity,” Araia said. 

Araia mentors students in middle schools, and when he asked the youth what they wanted to be when they grow up, most of them told him “an athlete or an entertainer,” as these industries are known to be dominated by Black individuals, according to Araia. He thinks if the younger Black generation sees people like themselves, it will inspire them to pursue jobs they may not think they can do, he said.

“I feel like as they see more people that look like them, they can feel they can do it as well,” Araia said. “I think that’s important.”