Kimberlydawn Wisdom, MD

Kimberlydawn Wisdom is senior vice president, community health and equity/chief wellness and diversity officer, Henry Ford Health System. She has been a board-certified emergency medicine physician for 30 years and is chair of the Gail and Lois Warden Endowment on Multicultural Health. In 2003, former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm appointed her the nation’s first state-level surgeon general. In 2012, former President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Wisdom to serve on the Advisory Group on Prevention, Health Promotion, and Integrative and Public Health. She focuses on healthcare equity, infant mortality and maternal and child health, chronic disease, physical inactivity, unhealthy eating habits, and tobacco use. Most recently, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar appointed her to the Advisory Committee on Minority Health.

Dr. Wisdom provides strong leadership in diversity, population health and improvement of the health of those disproportionately affected by poor health outcomes. She founded the award-winning program African American Initiative for Male Health Improvement and the Women-Inspired Neighborhood Network: Detroit to reduce infant mortality. As the surgeon general of Michigan, Dr. Wisdom founded the nationally known Generation With Promise program, a youth leadership empowerment, nutrition education and physical activity promotion effort now housed at Henry Ford. Under Dr. Wisdom’s leadership, the health system has received numerous awards for its equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. Dr. Wisdom has authored many peer-reviewed publications; appeared on national television, including ABC’s Nightline; and has presented to audiences across the country and internationally.