BlackDoctor’s Chief Content Officer Kristin Vaughan with Breaking Generational Health Patterns panelists at our co-created Generational Health: Blueprint for Longevity Summit at USA TODAY, where we reframed generational health as a systems problem vs an individual issue.

Panelists addressed health as something intentionally passed down alongside stories, traditions, and care.

According to Dr. Megan Wanzo, Global Health Equity at Bristol Myers Squibb, “When we design systems that work for those who have been historically overlooked, we create care that is clearer, kinder, and more effective for everyone. This is the work. Not just awareness. Not just intention.
Design. Because dignity should be built into the system — not negotiated at the bedside.”

Shown with Yolanda Lawson M.D., F.A.C.O.G., Past President, National Medical Association, Executive Medical Director, Medicaid Markets, HCSC and Sherrita Dorsey, Patient and Professional Advocacy and Health Executive.

For too long, health narratives center on disparity. Generational Health flips the script toward possibility, longevity, and vitality as the expectation — not the exception.

> Generational Health is on Tour! Join us at Martha’s Vineyard in mid-August!

> Email [email protected] for speaking opportunities, complimentary tickets, and sponsorships.

When stories surface, silence and misinformation end.

According to Dr. Emma Andrews, Vice President of Patient Advocacy (PA) and U.S. Business Unit
Policy and Public Affairs (BPPA) at Pfizer, there is strong evidence that positive health narratives
drive real change in families and communities: “Stories can gift agency and empower, and they can
make health information accessible and actionable. They can encourage positive health behaviors,
reinforce supportive social networks, and connect us — bringing joy and optimism too.”
During the Narratives That Drive Us panel at APHA, Dr. Andrews shares a deeply personal story that underscores the need for Generational Health. Dr. Andrews’ six-year-old sister passed away from sickle cell disease, and her family later learned that both parents carry the sickle cell trait. A well-educated family, the family said it stops here and got everyone tested for the trait. Knowing your generational health history is a road map for generations to come.

“What I experienced growing up shapes how I share health narratives with my daughters and how I
work professionally as a research pharmacist in the pharmaceutical industry. The environment for
sharing health information is changing. Social media is democratizing access — with challenges
around quality and trust — while also opening up conversations. Health narratives surround us, and
our ability to contribute to them is literally at our fingertips.”

Generational Health convenes voices across sectors to break silos and uncover solutions. Filmmaker Denise Pines, during the Narratives that Drive Us panel, demonstrates how film becomes a catalyst for empowerment. When stories are told well, audiences don’t just listen — they seem themselves in the story and act. Better questions emerge, stronger advocacy follows, and power shifts back to patients and families.

Brian Bragg, Chief Mission Officer, ZERO Prostate Cancer, underscores a simple, life-saving truth at our recent Summit at the American Public Health Association conference, “A PSA blood test saves lives. Generational Health means shared accountability — for ourselves and for those who come after us.” Bragg urges men to get the blood test.

Joy Jones, PhD, Executive Director, Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Award Program, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center, reported data that clinical trials led by Winn scholars are significantly more representative than industry norms. Inclusion is not optional — it is foundational to Generational Health and to building a workforce that reflects the communities it serves.

“We aim to provide guidance that makes complexities clear,” Vaughan shared during our USA TODAY Summit. “Our community trusts us to provide data and studies through a ‘how-to’ lens while emotionally connecting through shared lived experiences.”

During a fireside chat, Aki Garrett, President and COO, BlackDoctor and Dr. Yele Aluko, MD, MBA, Principal, Aluka Advisors, Health System Performance & Equity Leader reframed generational health not as a list of symptoms, but as a systemic challenge, urging the medical community to look at the factors—like access and representation—that determine outcomes across generations.

Generational Health calls for greater transparency and accountability in 340B to ensure the program fulfills its promise to patients and communities.

Equity is not a singular event; it is won through the accumulation of marginal gains that transform how care is delivered at the local level. In Generational Health, we explore how small, consistent actions—like utilizing plain language and intentional community outreach—compound into massive, population-level change.

Generational Health is not a moment or a campaign; it is a long-game systems change. It moves beyond individual behavior to create a system and pathways that shape health across generations. This work recognizes that lasting health equity is built through systems, not shortcuts — through trust, accountability, and shared responsibility over time.

This movement is about building frameworks that endure, so future generations don’t start from zero.

Generational Health calls on all of us — healthcare leaders, policymakers, advocates, creators, and families — to get involved, share stories and make an impact.

BlackDoctor is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically for the Black community. BlackDoctor understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BlackDoctor gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.