Author: Tezel Lightbourne

Tezel hails from New Providence, The Bahamas and is passionate about addressing global racial and ethnic health disparities. She is particularly interested in increasing access to high quality resources and using culturally relevant strategies to enhance patient activation levels for meaningful and sustainable health behavior change. She is a former Healthy Equity Intern with the Directors of Health Promotion and Education program, where she was placed at the Arkansas Department of Health to serve its Office of Minority Health. Her work included planning a cardiovascular health promotion initiative that was hosted in local African American and Hispanic serving barber shops and beauty salons to address the disproportionate heart disease risk, especially those living in rural counties with the poorest health outcomes and limited health facilities. When Tezel faced challenges with gaining employment in the United States as an international student, she continued with the Arkansas Department of Health as a volunteer for almost two years afterwards to support the implementation, evaluation and scaling up of the initiative. She is currently trying her hand in public health entrepreneurship by developing social enterprises to promote mentally healthy and dignified living in the African diaspora (Regal State of Mind) and increase Black moms' confidence in initiating and continuing breastfeeding (Mommy's Nectar). In her spare time, Tezel enjoys practicing yoga and going to as many concerts and music festivals as she can. Tezel earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Philander Smith College, and a Master of Public Health with an epidemiology concentration from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.