The Bio
For three decades as a television journalist, I have crafted and shared thousands of stories. Although I brought my perspective to each story, it was within the confines of journalism's dictates of objectivity and always at the direction of someone else. Now my passion, in this, my "third act" in life, is to take my experience, melded with the relationships and collaborations I have developed over the decades to do those stories I believe cry out for telling.
I am especially interested in stories that impact women and health disparities that result from racial and economic inequality
So whether you are a small non-profit, community organization, business, or only an individual with an idea, my mission is to use stories, dialogue and documentaries to help us effect change and together make an impact.
Latest News and Opinion Pieces (for earlier articles go to media section)
Washington Post, Jan.29, 2024
New Alzheimer’s drugs bring hope. But not equally for all patients.”The medications have not been widely tested in Black people with the disease, underscoring stark — and persistent — disparities”
New Year. Same story.
Black and Brown people are not represented in clinical trials in proportion to their population or their risks for Alzheimer’s. This was highlighted in this Washington Post article by Laurie McGinley which discussed the low participation of Black and Brown people in the clinical trials for the groundbreaking drug Leqembi.
This omission means we do not know whether drugs like Leqembi will in fact be as beneficial for African American people as for White patients.
This issue goes to the very heart of why I made "In Our Right Mind: Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias’ Impact in Communities of Color."
Please find some time to read The Washington Post story. It is excellent, comprehensive and nuanced. For example why was there a small number of black participation in the trial. The answer is not what one would expect. The threshold for clinical participation for Leqembi is an elevated level of amyloid. As it turns out, elevated amyloid levels are not as prevalent in African American as Whites which begs the question: why would amyloid levels vary, based on race when people had similar cognitive decline. It's not skin color, but could it be health conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes? And thus sometimes could an Alzheimer’s diagnosis actually be vascular dementia which we know is prevalent in Black and Brown communities. To find answers to these questions requires focus, research and funding. Again,this article is important for starting a conversation. Please take the time to read and share
The Bottom line:
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We have to increase diversity in clinical trials and research.
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Black and Brown people are at twice the risk for Alzheimer’s so let's make it a priority to find out why! It will lead to drug discoveries that benefit this population.
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Let's get information that is tailored to the needs of various communities
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We have to advocate on these issues and support those entities, organizations and government administrations that have our back.
Picture of Dr. Goldie Byrd, PHD Director, Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Wake Forest University and Pioneer increasing African American participation in clinical trials.
Baltimore Sun, Jul.11, 2023
A Constitutional Amendment To Stop Gun Violence
Philadelphia Inquirer, Jun.29, 2022
A Reaction to Roe v. Wade
I wrote a letter to my staff at Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity in the wake of the Dobbs decision and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The letter was republished as an Opinion piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer.