BLACK DOC VILLAGE
We are a non-profit organization fiercely committed to dismantling racial bias in medicine. Our focus centers on the alarming disparity in dismissal rates of Black resident physicians, who constitute only 5% of residency programs yet account for a staggering 20% of dismissals. Through raising awareness about these inequities and conducting vital research, we aim to drive policy change within the medical field. At the heart of our mission lies the unwavering belief that a more diverse physician workforce is essential to improving health outcomes for Black communities. By fostering a more equitable healthcare system, we strive to ensure that all patients receive the quality care they deserve.
OUR TEAM
Bethanie Hines Photography
Vanessa Grubbs, MD, MPH
President & Founder
www.thenephrologist.com
Dr. Grubbs is a double board-certified internist and nephrologist and published author. She completed undergraduate and medical degrees at Duke University and primary care residency at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, California. She went on to complete an MPH from UC Berkeley and general medicine clinical research and nephrology fellowships at UC San Francisco. After nephrology fellowship, she maintained a clinical practice and research program with a focus on palliative care for patients with end-stage kidney disease at San Francisco General Hospital for a decade. She currently works part-time as a primary care physician; contributes to the California Health Care Foundation blog and her own blog at thenephrologist.com; produces relatable educational videos on her YouTube channel, Real Kidney Talk with The People’s Nephrologist; and is working on her next book projects.
Stacey Senat, MPH
Program Manager
Stacey Senat earned her MPH in Health Promotion and Education from Loma Linda University. She has over a decade of experience implementing health equity strategies and advocating for underserved communities across multicultural environments. She has an extensive background in renal clinical research, public health curriculum design, program planning and program management.
Robert Phillips
Treasurer
www.linkedin.com
Robert Phillips is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), West Oakland Health, the only predominantly Black community-serving Federally Qualified Health Center in California. Robert has spent over 25 years empowering communities, addressing health and race equity issues, and working to improve people’s health and lives. Robert specializes in race/gender equity, social health and health care service, and community health and development initiatives. Before joining West Oakland Health, Robert has been a CEO and Founder of a social tech firm, an executive director at Kaiser Permanente, managing director of The Center at the Sierra Health Foundation, a managing director at The California Endowment, and served in various roles for the Service Employees International Union and the AFL-CIO. He has a BA from Morehouse College, an MPH from the H.T. Chan School at Harvard, an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse, and is ABD from UNC Chapel Hill.
Melanie Tervalon, MD, MPH
Secretary
www.melanietervalon.com
A pediatrician by training, Dr. Tervalon’s seminal article on cultural humility* together with her hands-on leadership with public, private, and nonprofit organizations has helped to change the way professionals, service providers, institutions – and entire fields – approach their work in the community and within institutions and organizations.
In her current role as an independent consultant, Dr. Tervalon tailors services and products anchored in the principles and practice of cultural humility for clients in both the public and private sector, spanning the disciplines of health care delivery, public health, education, public service and advocacy.
* Cultural Humility versus Cultural Competence: A Critical Distinction in Defining Physician Training Outcomes in Multicultural Education, Melanie Tervalon and Jann Murray-Garcia, Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 1998.