AND NOW TO OUR WOMEN OF VISION SERIES. TODAY WE ARE INTRODUCING YOU TO DR. GOLDIE BIRD. SHE’S A REMARKABLE WOMAN WHO IS BEING HONORED AS THE YWCA, VA’S LIFETIME HEALTH EQUITY CHAMPION. OUR CHRISTINE CRUZ SAT DOWN WITH HER. HEALTH EQUITY IS SUCH A CHALLENGE BECAUSE MANY PEOPLE HAVE NOT HAD EXACTLY THE SAME EXPERIENCES. THEY’VE NOT HAD THE SAME OPPORTUNITY. SO THOSE KINDS OF OF SITUATIONS ARE OFTEN DUE TO HISTORICAL RACISM AND DISCRIMINATION. AND SO WHAT THAT LEADS TO IS OUR COMMUNITIES THAT ARE DISENFRANCHIZED HAVE FEWER RESOURCES, CHOICES, FEWER OPPORTUNITIES TO BE HEALTHY. DR. GOLDIE BIRD, THE DIRECTOR AT THE MAYA ANGELOU CENTER FOR HEALTH EQUITY AT THE WAKE FOREST SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, HAS SPENT HER LIFE TRYING TO CHANGE THAT TO LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD. YEARS, YEARS AND YEARS OF RESEARCH, SOMETHING SHE SAYS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, AND IT GIVES US OPPORTUNITY TO THINK ABOUT HOW DO WE BEGIN TO BALANCE IT OUT? HOW DO WE BEGIN TO INCLUDE PEOPLE OF COLOR, PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT DISPARATE BACKGROUNDS, PEOPLE IN RURAL NORTH CAROLINA AND RURAL AMERICA? HOW DO WE GET THOSE PEOPLE TO A PLACE WHERE THEY UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCES AND WHY? AND THEN WHAT WE CAN DO TO MODIFY BEHAVIOR OR MODIFY POLICY, MODIFY CHANGES IN OUR COMMUNITIES SO THAT WE CAN BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT MAKING LIFE EQUITABLE WITH REGARD TO PEOPLE’S HEALTH, SHE TELLS ME. 25 YEARS AGO, SHE WENT ON SABBATICAL AT DUKE UNIVERSITY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HUMAN GENETICS. SHE SEGUED INTO WORK TO HELP FIGHT ALZHEIMER’S. IT BECAME HER PASSION BECAUSE SHE HAD A PERSONAL CONNECTION. THERE WERE SEVERAL PEOPLE IN MY FAMILY WHO HAD ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, AND WHEN I WAS GROWING UP, I NOTICED HOW PEOPLE TOOK CARE OF PEOPLE SIMPLY, YOU KNOW, THEY ESSENTIALLY TOOK THEM OUT OF SOCIETY AND THEY TOOK THEM FOOD UPSTAIRS. AND YOU KNEW BETTER THAN TO GO INTO THAT THAT BEDROOM AND WE HAD PEOPLE WHO WOULD WALK AWAY AND THEY WOULDN’T BE FOUND UNTIL IT WAS TOO LATE. SO WE KNEW THIS DISEASE WAS AROUND, BUT PEOPLE DIDN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT. THEY ESSENTIALLY DIDN’T KNOW WHAT TO CALL IT. AND SO THEY REALLY DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO GET HELP TO A GREAT EXTENT, MY INTEREST IS REALLY BEEN WITH FAMILY AND AND NEIGHBORS AND COMMUNITY PEOPLE, AND WE STRUGGLED WITH IT. AND JUST KNOWING THAT THIS IS A HUGE DISPARITY AND THE FACT THAT IT’S GETTING WORSE ALL AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE WE’RE LIVING LONGER. SO HERE’S THE DISEASE. UNLESS THERE IS AN INTERVENTION OR A CURE, IT’S GOING TO WREAK HAVOC ON OUR MEDICAL SYSTEM BECAUSE IT’S JUST INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY ANNUALLY. DR. BIRD HAS HAD A REWARDING CAREER IN A FIELD THAT’S CHANGED A LOT THROUGH THE YEARS. THESE DAYS, WITH MORE AND MORE WOMEN BEHIND THE MICROSCOPE, THIS IS A VERY POWERFUL AND INTERESTING CAREER AND IT CAN BE DONE. AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT WE’RE IN BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE, WOMEN IN MEDICINE. AND SO WE FEEL LIKE WE’RE PARTNERING WITH MEN. WE DON’T HAVE TO COMPETE WITH THEM. WE’RE JUST PARTNERING WITH THEM TO MAKE LIFE BETTER. AND THAT WAS CHRISTINE CRUZ REPORTING. CONGRATULATIONS TO DR. BIRD. TOMORROW, YOU WILL MEET THE WOMEN OF VISION COMMUNITY ENRICHME
YWCA Women of Vision: Dr. Goldie Byrd, Lifetime Health Equity Champion
Dr. Goldie Byrd honored with YWCA Women of Vision Lifetime Health Equity Champion
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Updated: 10:35 PM EDT May 31, 2023
Dr. Goldie Byrd, the YWCA Women of Vision Lifetime Heath Equity Champion, says health equity is an enormous challenge; not everyone has the same opportunities when it comes to health access, and that, she says, is a big part of the problem.Byrd, the director at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, has devoted much of her life trying to make better health options, accessible to everyone.She’s put in the work in the lab, with copious amounts of research, and in the community, with outreach programs. Her goal: to try to level the playing field and put healthy habits within everyone’s reach, especially in underserved communities.Twenty-five years ago, she went on sabbatical at Duke University to learn more about human genetics. She segued into work to help fight Alzheimer’s. It became her passion.Throughout the years, her research has focused on the genetic influences that predispose populations to Alzheimer’s Disease. She says, now more than ever, it’s important to get a handle on the disease. The reason: As people live longer, more and more people will struggle with it. Through her work, and through the years, Byrd has had a rewarding career in a field that isn't as male-dominated as it once was, a field where women have an opportunity to shine.“This is a very powerful career with more and more women pursuing STEM careers, we don’t have to compete with men, we’re just partnering with them to make life better,” she said.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Dr. Goldie Byrd, the YWCA Women of Vision Lifetime Heath Equity Champion, says health equity is an enormous challenge; not everyone has the same opportunities when it comes to health access, and that, she says, is a big part of the problem.
Byrd, the director at the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, has devoted much of her life trying to make better health options, accessible to everyone.
She’s put in the work in the lab, with copious amounts of research, and in the community, with outreach programs. Her goal: to try to level the playing field and put healthy habits within everyone’s reach, especially in underserved communities.
Twenty-five years ago, she went on sabbatical at Duke University to learn more about human genetics. She segued into work to help fight Alzheimer’s. It became her passion.
Throughout the years, her research has focused on the genetic influences that predispose populations to Alzheimer’s Disease. She says, now more than ever, it’s important to get a handle on the disease. The reason: As people live longer, more and more people will struggle with it.
Through her work, and through the years, Byrd has had a rewarding career in a field that isn't as male-dominated as it once was, a field where women have an opportunity to shine.
“This is a very powerful career with more and more women pursuing STEM careers, we don’t have to compete with men, we’re just partnering with them to make life better,” she said.
