Pfizer Executive Outlines Solution to Fixing Racial Healthcare Disparities — Karen Boykin-Towns
Karen Boykin-Towns, a change catalyst, and transformative leader was interviewed by Black Enterprise — a premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans.
Boykin-Towns spoke with Black Enterprise about Pfizer’s initiative, “Three Virtues” — discussing racial healthcare disparity and how African Americans can take matters into their own hands.
Read some interesting excerpts from the interview below.
“For over 10 years, Karen Boykin-Towns has been dedicated to solving the systemic issues plaguing African Americans’ healthcare. “Healthcare disparities exist for African Americans, and there are several systemic contributors, including racism, classism, the prevalence of the chronic disease, poor health outcomes, and limited access to healthcare,” said Boykin-Towns. As one of the few C-suite executives of color in the healthcare field, Boykin-Towns was also Pfizer’s first chief diversity officer. Now, as Pfizer’s VP of corporate affairs, Boykin-Towns is working on a new initiative called “Three Virtues” to improve health disparities among the African American community.”
“Beyond Boykin-Towns’ work in healthcare, she’s also focused on hiring and developing high-performance teams. “I’m proud that I’ve been able to mentor others through connections made by volunteering in the community, civic work with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), my sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., and at the office,” said Boykin-Towns. “I believe there are three things you need to do consistently: inspire, drive, and stretch to make performance transformative and cultivate team energy that is impactful and engaging.”
“Three Virtues” mission includes:
- Create a measurable reduction in health disparities, increased clinical trial participation, and improved health outcomes for African Americans
- Ensure we leverage the expertise and insights of African American colleagues here at Pfizer to help solve this persistent problem and continue the robust pipeline of African American talent at all levels to drive our business results.
- Develop a strong reputation in the African American community based on our consistent efforts to address health and wellness needs.”
Read the original article here.
