The list of noteworthy 2020 honorees was selected from over 250 of the most accomplished Black healthcare professionals in America by a panel that includes BlackDoctor.org editors and key individuals from partner organizations such as the National Medical Association and The George Washington University.

BlackDoctor.org (BDO) was launched in 2005 to address the reality that blacks have higher incidences of just about every major disease, shorter lifespans and no where to turn, at that time, for credible, culturally accurate health information. BDO quickly gained the respect and loyalty of African Americans by providing content designed to create a path to happiness and longevity, empowering our current audience of 19 million to live the life they deserve with a “you can do it – here’s how” authentic voice. We call this pathway “The BDO Roadmap to Living Your Best Life.”

By enlisting some of the nation’s top health experts to help create cutting-edge content, BDO is accomplishing one of its strategic goals to achieve health equity by eliminating health disparities and achieving optimal health for all Americans. To that end, notable achievements have been realized such as:

• Helped close the life expectancy gap from 6 years to 4 years between whites and blacks
• Played a significant role in the historical reduction in the number of premature deaths in blacks
• Reach more FB followers than any health website – including WebMD

BDO also celebrates and recognizes those individuals and institutions that contribute significantly to closing the health equity gap in the communities they serve with two signature events. Our Annual Top Blacks in Healthcare Gala and Thought Leadership event recognizes distinguished healthcare executives for their contributions to the industry and leads topical discussions to move the healthcare industry forward. Our Top Hospitals for Diversity and Inclusion Awards Ceremony and Thought Leadership event brings light to the amazing and vital healthcare institutions that consistently deliver quality and equitable care to all patients in the communities they serve while providing a platform for hospital executives to share best practices during our thought leadership panel discussions.

The GW Rodham Institute, which was established in 2013 in honor of the late Mrs. Dorothy Rodham who believed passionately in the capacity for education to achieve social change, will be co-hosting TBH with BlackDoctor.org for the first time in its 6-year history. The Institute seeks to apply the transformative power of education to achieve health equity in Washington, D.C. and was a natural fit for the event and its mission.

The Rodham Institute, housed within the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, believes that academic medical centers can and should be an active part of the solution to eliminate health disparities. To achieve health equity in our nation’s capital the institute will focus on the following three areas: 

Training Current and Future Health Professionals in Applied Health Equity:

Educating the inter- professional medical community on identifying and addressing the social determinants of health to improve the overall wellbeing of all of our patients.  

Youth Education Programming and Workforce Development:

Increasing the number of health professionals from communities in need by deepening and sustaining interest in science, health education, and establishing a pathway to a health professions career.  

Community Collaborations: Creating opportunities and supporting initiatives led by communities with a shared commitment toward health equity in the greater Washington, D.C. area.