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Public Health Culture


Join Leonore Okwara, MPH as she discusses public health research, initiatives, and how to engage the community in it all.

Sep 9, 2020

Okey Enyia, MPH is a Political Strategist, Thought-Leader, Scholar-Activist, Mentor, and Health Policy Advisor working at the intersections of policy, social justice and public health in Washington DC. The oldest of six siblings, Okey’s family’s roots are in Nigeria and he grew up in Chicago. He is currently working on his doctorate focusing on race, gender, equity, and health policy and how it relates to Black men and boys. He is an author of the book “Indisputable: The Story of the Favored Son” and has a consulting business focused on helping people advance their careers in health policy.

 

In This Episode We Cover:

  • How his passion for becoming a medical doctor took a turn and he found his true calling in public health.
  • How his faith and family have been the main inspiration for his life and career journey.
  • His passion for exploring and understanding the health and wellbeing of Black men and boys.
  • The inspiration for his book and how he wrote it in 90 days.
  • His interest in exploring and understanding how Black men experience more racism and microaggressions as they build more wealth.
  • His deep dive into the heart health of Black men.
  • Why collecting quantitative data is important for health policy work.
  • Why it is important to monetize your passion and turn purpose into profit.
  • The importance of understanding your “why.”
  • Why self-care is crucial for people of color and what he does to take care of himself.
  • How free-writing/journaling are both therapeutic and often offer clarity.
  • His newest publication “Men and Covid” looks at the social, psychological, and economic factors why men were more likely to die from covid than women and how policy can be enacted as a result.

 

Stand-Out Quotes:

  • “What impact do you want to have on the world stage?”
  • “How can I package my life experience to help other people?”
  • “I had this natural affinity for seeing and assuring the best of black men in terms of their health and wellbeing.  As a conscious black man, I’ve lived it.  So how can I affect change in that context?”
  • “We know that black men have the shortest life expectancy of any group in the United States.”
  • “For black men the more money you make or the more wealth you have the more likely and intense the microaggressions and (the more) discrimination and racism manifest.”
  • “Why is it with even more money that we (Black men) make, why are we still dying at disproportionate numbers? 
  • “If money weren’t an issue, what would you consider doing for free?” 
  • “In the policy world, numbers matter.  Data matters.”

 

Action Steps:

  • Take the time to figure out your motivation, purpose, and your “why.”  Check out Enyia’s online courses on his website to dive deeper.  See email link below.
  • Identify your strengths and outsource what you need to.  Get help when you need it!
  • Building a career is a process- just keep doing the work.
  • Check out Okey’s book “Indisputable: The Story of a Favored Son” on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Indisputable-Story-Favored-Okechuku-Enyia-ebook/dp/B07KRWGT9B

 

Reach Out:

To be a guest on the show, submit an application here: https://www.publichealthresearchconsulting.com/podcast-guest-application/