On This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
In this engaging conversation, Dr. Raymona Lawrence joins Dr. Huntley and shares her journey from a young girl in the South to a prominent figure in public health. She discusses her unique perspective shaped by her experiences with sickle cell disease, her academic career, and her entrepreneurial ventures. Dr. Lawrence emphasizes the importance of community engagement, psychological safety in partnerships, and the need for individuals to challenge existing systems to advocate for social justice. She also provides valuable advice for aspiring academics and entrepreneurs, encouraging them to discover their brilliance and choose their areas of disruption.
Meet Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence
Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Raymona H Lawrence Coaching, LLC where she is a dynamic Keynote Speaker, Corporate Trainer, and Consultant. Her life's work and heartfelt mission is to challenge broken systems that keep people from reaching their highest potential. Therefore, she uses evidence-based principles of community engagement, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Psychological Safety to curate transformational change strategies within teams and companies.
Dr. Lawrence also delivers engaging and thought-provoking speeches and training to thousands of individuals across the United States and Globally. She has facilitated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Psychological Safety training and consulted within companies such as Arbonne International, Rodan & Fields, Forma Therapeutics, the Georgia Council of Court Administrators, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) and Novo Nordisk.
Dr. Lawrence is highly intrigued by the breadth and depth of human difference and is passionate about helping individuals and organizations develop curated strategies to connect to diverse communities, customers, and team members. Dr. Lawrence has a doctorate in public health (DrPH), extensive training in community engagement, health disparities, and health inequities, has a Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University’s eCornell, is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®, has a certificate in the Intercultural Conflict Inventory®, and holds the Certified Diversity Executive® Credential.
Dr. Lawrence was recently promoted to the rank of Full Professor of Health Policy & Community Health in the Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. Her main research focus is community engagement in rural, hard to reach populations-especially those with Sickle Cell Disease. Dr. Lawrence has been an investigator on numerous rural health and sickle cell disease-related grants. She is currently a dual principal investigator with Dr. Ify Osunkwo (now Payal Desai) on a $9.7 million Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) grant entitled, Comparative effectiveness of peer mentoring versus structured education based transition programming for the management of care transitions in emerging adults with sickle cell disease. Dr. Lawrence is an award winning coach for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. She also serves as the Director of Research for the Sickle Cell Community Consortium and as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association.
Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence seamlessly bridges academia and entrepreneurship, combining her expertise in community engagement, psychological safety, and DEI with her passion for empowering professionals through effective systems. As the founder of The Systems Boutique, she supports authors, speakers, coaches, and consultants in streamlining their businesses with innovative systems that save time and reduce overwhelm. This dual focus allows her to advance academic research while offering practical solutions that help professionals bring their ideas to life and thrive in their work.
Listen To This Episode Of The Public Health Epidemiology Conversations (PHEC) Podcast
Conversation Highlights
Your lens shapes how you see the world.
Public health can impact entire communities, not just individuals.
Transitioning from pediatric to adult care is crucial for chronic disease patients.
Psychological safety is essential in multi-stakeholder partnerships.
Community engagement should be authentic and not performative.
Individuals must start the work of inclusion within themselves.
Choose your area of disruption to make a difference.
Entrepreneurship can complement an academic career.
Discover your own brilliance to find your path.
Mentorship is key to navigating academic and entrepreneurial journeys.
"Choose your area of disruption. It doesn’t have to be marching in the streets—it can be raising your hand in the room and saying, ‘Did the community say that?’ And are we translating that into action?" - Dr. Raymona Lawrence
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DrCHHuntley LLC is a public health consulting firm that specializes in epidemiology consulting, supporting large nonprofit organizations in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Florida that serve Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). We also provide nationwide public health consulting and epidemiology consulting support to BIPOC organizations across the United States.