about
To improve health care outcomes in marginalized communities through strategic partnership, advocacy, education, and innovation
To create a healthcare solutions system that starts and ends with
the communities and people it serves
We think outside the box, but inside the block:
With innovation comes much responsibility. We create open lines of communication and clear balances to ensure the solutions we promote are in line with the needs of the individuals and communities we serve.
We believe empowerment begins with equity.
Serving individuals and communities with the highest level of need is our priority. Through community engagement, we seek to understand their strengths, previously overcome challenges, and current roadblocks. We know that in order to build, we must also challenge and dismantle structural barriers.
We share
MEET THE MEMBERS
Michael Okronkwo, MD,
Dr. Michael Okoronwo is a New Orleans native who used the discipline and ingenuity developed as a collegiate football wide receiver at Nicholls State University to become an Emergency Medicine physician. He has clinical and research interest in trauma informed care, adverse childhood experiences, gun violence prevention and sports-based health interventions. He enjoys leading community based health initiatives, with the goal of improving physical and psychosocial health access and outcomes in marginalized communities.
Russell J. Ledet, PHD, MBA
Russell J. Ledet is a Louisiana native with a remarkable journey colored with resilience, antiracism advocacy, and community activism. A Navy veteran, cancer biologist, and soon-to-be psychiatry resident, Dr. Ledet co-founded The 15 White Coats and is one of the founders of Community Rounds. His goal is to be a force of nature for minority mental health nationwide.
Alsion Smith, MD, PHD,
Dr. Alison Smith is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Surgery at LSUHSC and a full-time Trauma/Critical Care surgeon at UMCNO. Her research interests include gun violence prevention, improvement of trauma care, and wound healing.
Ariel Harrison, MPH,
Ariel C. Harrison is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Management, Policy and Community Health at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health (UTHealth), focusing her studies on Health Economics and Health Services Research. Her dissertation proposal focuses on examining how the eviction moratorium presented during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health outcomes of those covered by it compared to those who were at risk for or experienced evictions in major U.S. cities. She currently works as a Research Coordinator at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.