Our Work
HEALTH IS MORE THAN HEALTHCARE
Rebecca Lee Crumpler
Crumpler was the first Black woman to earn a medical degree and practice medicine as a physician in the USA. In 1883, she published A Book of Medical Discourses, a treatise on treating illnesses in infants and young children and women of childbearing age.
Feb 8, 1831 - March 9, 1895
“I early conceived a liking for, and sought every opportunity to relieve the sufferings of others.”
“The most fatal threat to freed people’s health was the lack of shelter, clothing, and nutrition.”
Reimagine
re·imag·ineˌ rē-i-ˈma-jən:
reinterpret imaginatively; rethink
Black women physicians are more than healthcare providers or clinicians —they are trusted leaders, change agents, and bridge-builders in the fight for health equity.
Architecture
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BUILDBWPA brings affected individuals and impacted communities directly into research studies, analysis, and publication. We end health disparities by centering those who have lived the problem to help design the solutions. We serve communities, traditionally excluded, by including their experiences and the expertise of diverse physicians, fostering community, building trust and producing knowledge that empowers.
Reshape research models for health, we:
Ensure diverse voices are reflected in research studies.
Focus on real experience, not just academic interests.
Share openly and accessibly, knowledge is power.
HOW: Research collaboratives content that are more culturally appropriate.✣
Engineering
PROCESSBWPA bridges clinical expertise, lived experience, and community action to create better healthcare programs, policies, and press. We collaborate, not from a distance, but from within the impacted communities to go beyond "top-down messaging" and redistributing accountability. We turn the learnings and evidence into collective action for lasting systemic change across the social determinants of health.
A better process is layered, we:
Amplify community voices. Let them speak for themselves.
Focus on structural change. Stop blaming individual behavior.
Build coalitions across housing, food, education, and the social determinants of health.
HOW: Strategic partnerships that transform the policies and systems shaping healthcare.Legacy
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FOUNDATIONBWPA advances workforce development and economic mobility to improve community health. We encourage diverse medical professionals to build entrepreneurial solutions, e.g. IMPATH app, that serve underserved populations. We connect and support medical professionals across generations—yesterday, today, and tomorrow—to address provider shortages and deliver culturally competent care.
A strong foundation saves lives, we:
Support entrepreneurial clinicians from underrepresented backgrounds.
Invest in medical pipelines that reflect all communities.
Share wisdom, knowledge, and access to accelerate culturally competent medicine.
HOW: Innovation entrepreneurship that hyper-connect and/or generate revenue to strengthen medical professions.
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BWPA’s Foundational Purpose is Health
What Exactly is Health Equity?
On June 11, 2024, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) defined Health Equity as “the state in which everyone has a fair and just opportunity to attain their highest level of health.”
The CDC elaborated that “achieving health equity requires valuing everyone equally and examining and addressing the social determinants of health (SDoH) that are interrelated and influence a wide range of health and quality-of-life risks and outcomes.”
SAY NO TO ZIPCODE HEALTH
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SAY NO TO ZIPCODE HEALTH ✻
Not widely known or publicized information: Medical care is estimated to account for only 10-20 percent of the modifiable contributors to healthy outcomes.
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The remaining 80 to 90 percent is determined by factors known as SDoH. SDoH are socioeconomic and environmental factors, such as: income, education, employment, access and quality of medical care, health insurance, neighborhood conditions, access to healthy foods, clean water & air.
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