Patients are People: Improving Cultural Competency to Reduce Healthcare Disparities

Brad Love works to help people thrive. At the University of Texas at Austin, he serves as University Distinguished Teaching Professor and an associate professor in the Center for Health Communication, where his work largely focuses on improving quality of life for young adults affected by cancer.  In particular, his research focuses on boosting access to mental health, social, and informational support. Love's projects have been supported by MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Livestrong Foundation, and the American Cancer Society, among others.

Rachel M. Bond, MD, FACC is a board-certified attending cardiologist in Arizona who has devoted her career to the treatment of heart disease through early detection, education, and prevention. She is a women's heart health & prevention specialist and the author of several review papers referencing maternal health, sex and gender differences and cardiovascular conditions that predominantly affect women, along with opinion pieces aimed at addressing health equity, reducing health disparities, and promoting the professional development of women and minorities in the health-science profession. She has a passion for advocacy of education and mentorship and has advised as an expert source through news and media outlets. Her clinical interests include heart health prevention and maternal health. Dr. Bond is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, Association of Black Cardiologists, and the American Heart Association, where she is a national spokesperson for the “Go Red for Women” campaign and sits on the board of directors.

A native New Yorker and former senior executive in five preeminent marketing and communications companies, Sheila has spent more than two decades designing marketing, media and health education campaigns for the top 50 pharmaceutical companies across a broad range of therapeutic categories from molecule to market. A former high school teacher of foreign languages, she has worked on behalf of the healthcare industry throughout North America, Western Europe and Latin America with a focus on communities of color. She teaches and has lectured on health equity and cultural competency at Quinnipiac University School of Medicine, Rutgers, New York University and Queens College. She has given over 250 keynote presentations and conducting workshops on cultural competency, anti-bias and diversity. She is published in Pharmaceutical Executive, PharmaVoice, Medical, Marketing & Media and numerous articles published in a variety of consumer health and ethnic publications. Sheila is known for her unique ability to galvanize communities of color around health and social justice issues. She has been featured in Essence Magazine, Black Enterprise, The Positive Community, Madame Noire, The Network Journal and a frequent panelist during the sessions of the annual Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, Congressional Hispanic Caucus Health Institute and the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum. Sheila has received numerous awards for her innovative health marketing strategies to reach people of color.