Equity State Of Mind: Dr. Nwando Olayiwola, Chief Health Equity Officer, Humana

HLTH Forward Podcast

In this inspiring episode, we're joined by J. Nwando Olayiwola (Dr. O), MD, MPH, FAAFP, Senior Vice President and She shares her powerful personal story of how her aspiration to work in healthcare began in childhood when she witnessed firsthand the profound impact physicians can have on people's lives. This experience sparked a passion that has driven her career journey to the highest levels of healthcare leadership.

Dr. O discusses Humana's comprehensive approach to embedding equity into every aspect of the organization - from the boardroom strategy to the frontline delivery of care. A major focus is creating robust training programs around implicit bias, cultural competency, and how these factors influence care experiences and outcomes. She emphatically states that health equity is not just a dedicated team's responsibility but rather a core value that every Humana employee must embrace.

We also explore how even at a hyper-local level, stark inequities can exist within communities just miles apart. Dr. O leaves us with three key takeaways for healthcare's future:
1) Practice equity locally but think globally,
2) Use data and technology as tools, not solutions, and
3) Quality care and equity are inextricably linked.

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