Webinar Date: November 19, 2025, 1 pm ET/12 pm CT
Health is shaped long before someone walks into a doctor’s office. For Black boys and men, systemic inequities — from environmental hazards and housing insecurity to racial discrimination and limited access to quality care — have created deep and persistent health gaps. While progress has been made through expanded coverage, improved health outcomes, and
reductions in certain structural stressors, disparities in life expectancy, mental health, and violence remain urgent challenges.
This webinar, informed by the Our Dreams Won’t Be Deferred report, will bring together health leaders, community advocates, and informed stakeholders to explore how we can heal system — not just symptoms. Together, we’ll examine strategies to:
- Address social determinants of health and eliminate medical racism
- Expand mental health supports tailored to Black boys and men
- Reduce violence and its health impacts
- Strengthen family engagement as a pathway to well-being
By centering community voices and advancing policy change, this conversation will focus on building a future where every Black boy and man can thrive in mind, body, and spirit.
Karla Higginbotham, M.D. (she/her)
Founder, Legacy Direct Primary Care
Bio
Dr. Karla Higginbotham is a board-certified family physician with multifaceted experience spanning clinical practice, medical education, and corporate healthcare. As a third-generation physician, she carries forward a legacy of healing while blazing a modern path in health empowerment.
Dr. Higginbotham is especially passionate about teaching diverse communities the foundations of lifestyle medicine—honoring the unique challenges and strengths that shape the Black health experience. She firmly believes that while pharmacologic treatments have an essential role, lifestyle medicine should be the cornerstone of care for many of today’s most common and debilitating illnesses. Through relatable, culturally relevant discussions, she makes complex medical concepts accessible and inspires action across diverse audiences.
Dr. Higginbotham’s mission is to equip individuals and organizations with the knowledge and tools to make informed, practical decisions that improve health outcomes and, when possible, reduce reliance on medications.
Kenn L. Harris (he/him)
Fatherhood Expert, Consultant, Prior Healthy Start Leader
Bio
Alvin P. Akibar, Ph.D. (he/him)
Systems Change Director at Prepare + Prosper
Bio
Dr. Alvin P. Akibar is a psychologist, researcher, and passionate advocate for social justice. With extensive experience in both academic and applied settings, he contributes his expertise as Systems Change Director at Prepare and Prosper. Dr. Akibar’s work focuses on developing community advocacy initiatives, enhancing service outreach, and shaping policies to financially empower vulnerable and exploited communities. He delves into the complex interactions between individuals and social systems, with emphasis on vulnerability at intersections of race/ethnicity and LGBTQ+ identity.
Formerly, he served as the Director of the Center for Social Justice Research, Policy, and Advocacy at the Urban League Twin Cities, and as Member-at-Large for the American Psychological Association Graduate Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Dr. Akibar earned his PhD in Experimental Psychology from the University of North Texas.
Shawn Blue, Psy.D.(she/her)
Clinical Psychologist, DEI Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Thomas Jefferson University
Bio
Shawn Blue, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist, Clinical Associate Professor and DEI Chair for the Department of Psychiatry at Thomas Jefferson University. She also conducts individual, couples and group therapy for Jefferson’s Emotional Health and Wellness Program for Residents and House Satff. Dr. Blue integrates equity and healing in her clinical practice, which spans individual, couples, and group therapy with specializations in diversity, trauma, grief, eating disorders, and energy psychology.
Dr. Blue holds Diplomate in Comprehensive Energy Psychology (DCEP) and bridges traditional psychotherapy with innovative mind-body approaches. She has extensive campus mental health experience at over 6 academic institutions and teaching hospital systems. Her scholarship includes two published books—most recently The Psychology of Modern Dating and a forthcoming work on racism—plus numerous chapters and therapeutic audio resources.
Dr. Blue provides consultation and training on mental health, wellness, and DEI. She serves on multiple boards, where she champions accessible, culturally responsive mental health care and education.
Yolanda Whyte, M.D. (she/her)
Pediatrician and Environmental Health Consultant
Bio
Dr. Yolanda Whyte is a holistic pediatrician who provides virtual consultations in environmental health, nutrition, and special needs. Her mission is to purify our ecosystem and restore health equity. For nearly two decades, Dr. Whyte has advocated for protecting children and families from the hidden health impacts of pollution. She presents at medical conferences, community forums, and schools nationwide to raise awareness, and provides expert testimony at public hearings to strengthen our health protections.
Dr. Whyte serves on the board of the Food Ingredient Health Institute, which focuses on the intersection of environmental exposures, nutrition, and chronic disease. She graduated from Howard University and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, and participated in medical missions in Ghana, Jamaica, Vietnam, Haiti, and Guyana. Dr. Whyte’s mission for our webinar is to inspire boys, men, and fathers to take proactive steps to safeguard their health, families, and the environment they live in.
