The Intersection: Where Anti-Racism and Healthcare Meet

The U.S. healthcare system needs transformational change, but where do we start? Host Anton Gunn talks with Jamila Michener (Cornell University), Robin Wright-Pierce (Transforming Change), and Jennifer Wells (Community Change) about how accountability, inclusive leadership, and community organizing can improve care and health outcomes for everyone. Examples of communities tackling entrenched barri...

Special episode 2 of 2. In recognition of Black Maternal Health Week, this episode features Ashlei Spivey (I Be Black Girl) and Omari "Muz" Maynard (ARIAH Foundation)—both advocates whose very personal, first-hand experiences with reproductive care called them to reproductive justice. They open up about the power of lived experience in connecting with communities facing reproductive inju...

Special episode 1 of 2. Healthcare providers can support safe and respectful reproductive care that considers bodily autonomy, cultural competence, and personal experience. This inspiring conversation with Jenice Fountain (Yellowhammer Fund), Jennie Joseph (Commonsense Childbirth Inc.), and Sonya Shin, MD (Harvard Medical School) focuses on using midwifery and birth center models to improve reprod...

Special episode 3 of 3. Embracing rest offers the opportunity to envision a future where the people leading a movement towards equity in healthcare can achieve their goals without exhaustion or burnout at work. By viewing rest as a vital public good, each generation can breathe a little easier as they work to create antiracist systems where everyone has equitable access to basic resources. Host Ca...

Special episode 2 of 3. Achieving optimal wellness while working towards equity in healthcare begins with leaders actively investing in rest. Implementing sustainable practices for rest and emotional wellbeing is not limited to large-scale organizational leadership; individuals can also lead by inviting others to participate in rest to encourage renewal and prevent burnout at work. Host Carmen D....

Special episode 1 of 3. People working towards equity in healthcare often experience burnout at work from high demand and busy schedules that result in decentering their needs. By designing a culture of rest, leaders and staff in healthcare careers can experience optimal wellness and emotional wellbeing. Carmen D. Harris hosts Cultural Strategist Esther Boykin and Founder of Huru Imani Joye Samuel...

Host Anton Gunn leads a reflection on health equity successes from a tough 2025, with Jerry Jones  (RWJF), Angela Hanks  (Century Foundation), and Becky Payne  (Rippel Foundation). They discuss how organizations can stay hopeful, motivated, and innovative as they continue to fight for equity in 2026. They also share insights from their personal journeys, advice for up-and-coming health equity lead...

On this episode of The Intersection podcast, host Anton Gunn talks to Aija Nemer-Aanerud (People’s Action Institute) and Lindsey Muniak  (Debt Collective)––two changemakers helping people access the healthcare they need without falling into debt. They discuss strategies that organizations can use to help those facing debt, protect the safety net, advocate for a more equitable system, and understan...

What happens when millions of people currently enrolled in Medicaid risk losing their coverage? Host Anton Gunn is joined by  Deanna Williams and Laura Colbert (Georgians for a Healthy Future), Jennifer Flynn Walker (Popular Democracy), and Stan Dorn (UnidosUS) to explore strategies for navigating the Medicaid enrollment crisis. They discuss approaches to prevent coverage gaps, barriers facing peo...

From funding cuts to conflicting federal and local priorities, public health is facing new and old challenges. Healthcare advocates need support as they strive to establish anti-racist health systems amid a rapidly evolving landscape.  What is it like right now to work in public health? How can we address communities’ needs in real-time?  Anne Carter  (Linn County (IA) Public Health),  Shelina Dav...

Midwives? Doulas? Lactation Consultants? Obstetricians? The choice should be yours. All reproductive health professionals should have a shared vision: providing compassionate and patient-centered reproductive care that doesn't discriminate. Star August Ali  (Black Midwifery Collective) and  Cassaundra Jah  (National Association of Certified Professional Midwives) join host  Anton Gunn  to disc...

From the right to decide, to the right to thrive, reproductive justice champions are advocating to ensure people have the option to have—or not have—children, and the ability to raise them in safe and sustainable communities. Jamarah Amani  (Southern Birth Justice Network),  Chanel Porchia-Albert  (JustBirth Space),   and  Leseiley Welch  (Birth Center Equity) join host  Anton Gunn  to break down...

The landscape for those working in the field  diversity, equity and inclusion  is rapidly changing.  Host  Anton Gunn  talks with  Giridhar Mallya  from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation,  Kathryn Haines  from Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, and  Loren Robinson  from CHRISTUS Health about educating people on what DEI is—and isn’t—and how to navigate threats to health equity. And eac...

Anton Gunn chats with advocacy and healthcare partners from Houston about how to measure progress and report success. In this episode, Melanie McGuire (Houston Food Bank), Shreela Sharma (University of Texas School of Public Health), and Esperanza Galvan (Harris Health) share how they measure the impact of their equity collaboration—and how others can model their efforts. The views and opinions ex...

Data analysis is a powerful tool people inside and outside of healthcare can use to identify health disparities, inform research initiatives, and build organizational trust and accountability. In this conversation, the panel explores how healthcare advocates, both in community and within health systems, can harness data to improve health outcomes. Kimberly Alexander (Greensboro Health Disparities...

People inside and outside of healthcare systems are working to understand and concretely define responsibilities of health equity leaders in a range of healthcare organizations. In this discussion, we’re diving into what it means to be a successful health equity leader. Anton speaks with Amy Delaney (Carle Health), Christina Harris (Cedars Sinai Medical Center), and Rochanda Hiligh-Thomas (Advocat...

Engaging hospital and health system CEOs in equity efforts is possible, but staff and community leaders must understand how the CEO thinks—and CEOs, likewise, must understand what the community needs. In this podcast, experts share how building strong relationships with CEOs, and speaking in their language, can motivate CEOs to help push equity efforts forward. The views and opinions expressed in...

How should those advancing anti-racism in healthcare talk about the work? An expert panel discusses this, and other community-submitted questions, before sharing personal stories of how they came to work in healthcare and community advocacy. Sinsi Hernández-Cancio (National Partnership for Women & Families) stresses the importance of storytelling. Shari Suchoff (Brooklyn Communities Collaborat...

How do we form community relationships that go beyond the surface level? An expert panel gets real about the challenges of creating meaningful partnerships. Marshall Chin (University of Chicago) emphasizes the importance of hard discussions about power dynamics. Sinsi Hernández-Cancio (National Partnership for Women and Families) says that patients' distrust of health systems comes from person...