In the late-1980s, Father Gregory Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence in his community during the so-called Decade of Death that peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992 in Los Angeles.

In the face of criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration, Father Boyle and community members adopted what was a radical approach – at the time – to treat gang members as human beings. In 1988, they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.

Father Greg Boyle spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Bonnie Simpson Mason for an episode that was originally published in 2020.

There’s no single fix to closing gaps in health care outcomes, says Dr. Maureen Bell, physician director of community impact at Vituity, where she leads efforts to identify and eliminate health disparities.

“There are multiple things that we have to work on,” Bell says, including increasing diversity in the healthcare workforce and educating providers on strategies for providing equitable care and considering the “whole patient.”

Bell spoke with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Joyce Knestrick about how systemic bias, lack of representation, and community barriers shape the care patients receive.

She said inequities persist because too often, health systems focus narrowly on medical interventions while overlooking social factors — such as affordability, access, transportation, and the environments in which people live.

The 2025 Movement Is Life Annual Summit will take place on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Registration is now open. Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

When orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lattisha Bilbrew looks at a knee X-ray, she’s not just checking for arthritis or bone alignment. She’s studying shades of muscle and fat — clues to a patient’s strength, resilience and untapped potential.

“Sometimes I’ll have a woman come in and say, ‘I’m overweight,’” Bilbrew says. “And I’ll look at her X-rays and say, ‘Yes, I see the fat — but you’ve got tons of muscle under there. You should try strength training.’”

It’s that mix of empathy and empowerment that defines Bilbrew’s approach to orthopedic care — and why she’s been tapped as the keynote speaker for this year’s Movement is Life Annual Summit, themed “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement and Community.”

In this episode, Bilbrew speaks with Movement Is Life’s Christin Zollicoffer about her passion for medicine, which began when she was a young child growing up in England. She remembers her grandmother secretly spitting out pills prescribed for high blood pressure — a moment that left a deep impression.

“My grandmother passed away shortly after that from complications of high blood pressure,” Bilbrew recalled. “I knew at that moment I wanted to be a doctor” — the kind who listens, communicates well and helps patients understand why their treatment matters.

Now a board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand and upper extremity surgery, Dr. Lattisha Bilbrew brings that commitment to every patient encounter.

A cornerstone of Bilbrew’s message is “loading” — the idea that bone and muscle grow stronger only when challenged. It’s why she encourages patients of all ages, especially women approaching menopause, to lift weights.

“It's like putting gold coins in a bank for when we're older,” she says, noting that the more you build now, the more you protect yourself later.

Dr. Bilbrew will be a keynote speaker at the 2025 Movement Is Life Annual Summit on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Registration is now open. Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

What would it take for health care providers to truly meet people where they are – and go beyond the 15-minute visit?

Dr. Razia Jayman-Aristide is a physician who blends deep clinical expertise with a powerful public health lens. She has spent the last 15 years building a career that bridges direct patient care, nonprofit leadership and systemic change.

In this episode, Dr. Jayman-Aristide shares her journey — and how she’s redefining what medicine, emphasizing the need for personalized care that addresses social determinants of health.

“My family was a family that came here with minimal in their pocket. We were getting food stamps. We were on WIC lines. I was going to the FQHC clinics,” she says. “I would see parents losing, you know, a day of the salary just to get me health care. It's crazy that we don't think about those things. And I bring that everywhere I go.”

Registration is now open for the upcoming Movement Is Life Annual Summit on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

Systemic racism continues to shape medical education, clinical practice and patient outcomes. It’s a topic near and dear to Dr. Uché Blackstock—physician, health equity advocate, and New York Times bestselling author of Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine.

In this episode, Dr. Blackstock reflects on her own experiences as a Black woman in medicine, including a misdiagnosis during medical school that left her hospitalized. She also examines how historical policies, such as the Flexner Report and redlining, continue to impact today’s health inequities.

The episode also touches on bias in clinical decision-making and the urgent need to reframe medical training around social determinants of health. This conversation with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Mary O’Connor and Dr. Hadiya Green is a call to action for everyone working to advance health equity.

Registration is now open for the upcoming Movement Is Life Annual Summit on Friday, November 14, 2025, in Washington, DC. This year’s theme is “Combating Health Disparities: The Power of Movement in Community.” Visit movementislifecommunity.org for more information.

Never miss an episode – subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts

Health misinformation is a growing challenge, as social media has become a primary source of information for many people, and influential voices are casting doubt on established medical practices.

Trusted health sources are becoming harder to find, especially in communities of color where access to care is already limited and systemic barriers persist.

The fight to bring reliable health information and resources to vulnerable communities is not new. For decades, organizations like the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health have been doing this work — building trust, educating communities and empowering individuals to take charge of their health.

To learn more, we spoke with Dr. Marilyn Fraser, Chief Executive Officer of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. Dr. Fraser speaks with Movement Is Life’s Conchita Burpee.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

There are numerous social and structural vectors for disease that are not often discussed in medical school. So, Dr. David Ansell says he had a lot to learn once he became a physician.

Ansell, author of “The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills,” writes about the stark disparities in access to treatment and outcomes for patients in the U.S. healthcare system.

“We always talk about inequities. We have frank inequities, but we have gross inequalities,” Ansell says. “The care isn't equal… And if we could get to equal, then we can take on the inequity.”

One of the most glaring examples is life expectancy; a person’s zip code can be a strong predictor for their life expectancy due to social and structural determinants of health, including structural racism and economic deprivation, he says.

“If you live in The Loop in Chicago, you can live to be 85 and if it were a country, it'd be ranked first in the world,” Ansell says. “But if you live in Garfield Park, three stops down the Blue Line from Rush, life expectancy post-Covid is 66.”

In this conversation, which was first published in 2023 for the Health Disparities podcast, Dr. Ansell speaks with Movement Is Life’s Dr. Carla Harwell about the importance of addressing systemic racism and inequality in the healthcare system.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Food insecurity is a systemic public health issue that needs to be addressed because reliable access to healthy food is critical to positive health outcomes.

Health care partnerships are forming to improve access to healthy foods in some states, including Massachusetts, which is at the forefront of addressing food insecurity with programs that allow Medicaid funding to be used to address social determinants of health.

“I would push back on the idea that things like food and housing are not actually medical,” says Jennifer Obadia, senior director of health care partnerships at Project Bread, a nonprofit focused on creating a sustainable, system-wide safety net in Massachusetts for anyone facing hunger.

“Now, I understand they're not pharmaceutical,” she adds. “But we know that 80% of a person's health is determined by social and environmental factors.”

In this week’s episode, Jennifer Obadia speaks with Movement Is Life’s Sonia Cervantes about food insecurity, Project Bread’s mission, lessons learned over the years and shares a call to action for listeners.

Project Bread's FoodSource Hotline (1-800-645-8333) is the food assistance line for all of Massachusetts, whether you need help paying for food and don't know where to start or you're simply curious about ways to boost your food budget or save on groceries.

Never miss an episode – be sure to subscribe to The Health Disparities podcast from Movement Is Life on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.