The first conversation will be grounded in "The First Wave," a documentary from National Geographic Documentary Films and director Matthew Heineman, and will focus on the issues facing health care workers both since and before the start of the pandemic, as well as the disproportionate impact of COVID-19. It comes on the heels of Congress' passage of the Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, which aims to improve mental and behavioral health among health care providers and health care workers, and is a timely reminder of the inequities pervading our health systems.
The conversations are moderated by Sandra Bookman of WABC-TV/ABC7 New York's "Here and Now" public affairs program, and KTRK-TV/ABC13 Houston Race and Culture reporter Rosie Nguyen. The panelists include the following:
- Dr. Nathalie Dougé - A board-certified physician in internal medicine and one of the primary subjects of the documentary "The First Wave." A first-generation Haitian American and born and raised in the Bronx, she is the first in her family to become a physician, receiving her medical degree from the Penn State College of Medicine. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York, she served as a hospitalist and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center, an affiliate of Northwell Health.
- Dr. Christine Crawford - Associate medical director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). An adult and child psychiatrist based in Boston, Dr. Crawford is also an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine.
- Corey Feist is a health care executive with over 20 years of experience. Feist is the co-founder of the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes' Foundation and recently served as the chief executive officer of the University of Virginia Physicians Group, the medical group practice of UVA Health comprised of 1200+ physicians and advanced practice providers. Feist also holds an adjunct faculty appointment at the UVA Darden School of Business where he recently taught a course entitled "Managing in a Pandemic: The Challenge of COVID-19. Feist is also the chair of the board of the Charlottesville Free Clinic.
- Dr. Mona Masood is the founder and chief organizer of the Physician Support Line. Board-certified in general adult psychiatry, Dr. Masood is an outpatient psychiatrist in the greater Philadelphia area and a board member of the non-profit community mental health organization Muslim Wellness Foundation, which provides mental health educational services to the community.
- Dean Michelle Williams is dean of the faculty at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and Angelopoulos Professor in Public Health and International Development, a joint faculty appointment at the Harvard Chan School and Harvard Kennedy School. She is an internationally renowned epidemiologist and public health scientist, an award-winning educator, and a widely recognized academic leader.
Our America: Health Equity & COVID | Part 2
Watch "Our America: Health Equity & COVID" in the player above or wherever you stream: Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku.