We develop population health strategies to improve the health and well-being of women, people of color, and the under-served.
Michelle A. Gourdine, M.D.
CEO
Dr. Michelle A. Gourdine is a primary care physician, health policy specialist and expert in preventive health and wellness. Throughout her medical career of nearly 20 years, she has felt compelled to not simply treat disease, but keep people from getting sick in the first place. She noticed that people of color and poor people always seemed to get sicker and die younger, and grew weary of seeing people who look like her suffering the most from the consequences of poor health. She wrote her new book, Reclaiming Our Health: A Guide to African American Wellness (Yale University Press, April 2011), because African Americans are affected by obesity, high blood pressure, cancer, and other serious health conditions at far greater rates than other Americans. Her book reveals the unique cultural factors that influence African American health, and provides motivation and practical steps for the readers to follow to live longer, happier, and more prosperous lives. Her advice and book have been recently highlighted in the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, USA Today and Essence Magazine.
As an author and speaker, she seeks to empower individuals to make better health choices for themselves, their families, and their communities. As CEO and Principal Consultant for Michelle Gourdine and Associates LLC, her belief in the right of every human being to be healthy drives her firm’s special emphasis on improving the health of disadvantaged communities. Michelle Gourdine and Associates is dedicated to creating a health care system in which all people benefit equally by developing policies that make the healthy choice the easy and affordable choice.
She is a Board-certified Pediatrician who earned her medical degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She currently is Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Senior Associate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and is the former Deputy Secretary of Health and Chief Public Health Physician for the state of Maryland, and former Health Commissioner for Baltimore County Maryland.
Dr. Gourdine’s practical advice has won her the trust of audiences nationwide and garnered numerous speaking requests from organizations including the National Urban League, the American Diabetes Association, the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the Black Entertainment Television Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Institute of Medicine, Howard University, 100 Black Men of America, and the National Association of Health Services Executives
As an author and speaker, she seeks to empower individuals to make better health choices for themselves, their families, and their communities. As CEO and Principal Consultant for Michelle Gourdine and Associates LLC, her belief in the right of every human being to be healthy drives her firm’s special emphasis on improving the health of disadvantaged communities. Michelle Gourdine and Associates is dedicated to creating a health care system in which all people benefit equally by developing policies that make the healthy choice the easy and affordable choice.
She is a Board-certified Pediatrician who earned her medical degree at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She currently is Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, and Senior Associate faculty at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and is the former Deputy Secretary of Health and Chief Public Health Physician for the state of Maryland, and former Health Commissioner for Baltimore County Maryland.
Dr. Gourdine’s practical advice has won her the trust of audiences nationwide and garnered numerous speaking requests from organizations including the National Urban League, the American Diabetes Association, the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the Black Entertainment Television Foundation, the American Cancer Society, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, the Institute of Medicine, Howard University, 100 Black Men of America, and the National Association of Health Services Executives
Charlisa R. Watson, MHSA
Sr. VP Strategic Initiatives
Sr. VP Strategic Initiatives
Charlisa Watson is a senior consultant with nearly 26 years of health care experience that has analyzed, developed and implemented policies and programs to improve health delivery systems serving Medicaid beneficiaries to include women and children and other special needs populations. Most recently she was the Vice President for Community Development in the southeastern region for United Health Care Community Plan with responsibility for building strategic alliances and relationships with community and faith based organizations to include hospitals and health care delivery systems, and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) . Prior to this position she served as the Executive Director of a UnitedHealth Group Company Medicaid plan in Washington, DC. In this position she was responsible for the day to day operations, overall market performance, directing and managing the organization’s financial performance and partnering with corporate teams and sister segments to deliver various support services and ensuring access to quality care for the membership and overall compliance of a multi-million dollar contract with the state Medicaid agency.
Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group Charlisa was the former executive director of the National Association of Health Services Executives where she established close working relationships with C suite executives, industry leaders, key policymakers and legislators at federal, state and local levels. She also helped develop innovative programs to strengthen the membership base, fund raising and created initiatives to retain members. Previously, she served as chief administrative officer and interim executive director of the National Association of Black Accountants where she oversaw daily operations including budgeting, staffing, revenue growth, program development and administration. Charlisa also served as operations manager/House of Delegates liaison to the National Medical Association; executive project director of Foster America a managed care program for children and youth in the foster care system; Vice President of Provider Relations for Health Services for Children with Special Needs, Inc. and other various leadership positions with managed care organizations.
She has dedicated most of her entire career to serving disadvantaged vulnerable women and children and is a recognized leader in both the health care and non profit industries for energized vision and keen management skills, and has worked extensively in partnership with targeted private and public sector companies, employers, health care management corporations, and health care professionals, as well as with state and local government officials. In 2012 Charlisa was one of the recipients of the UnitedHealth Group Community and State Innovation Award for the Heart Smart Sisters a bilingual signature cardiovascular risk screening, prevention education and outreach initiative with activities focused and customized to help women live healthier lives.
Charlisa maintains active involvement in community service organizations and has served on the board of the Tigerlily Foundation, Lupus Mid-Atlantic serving as the Board Chair and First Vice Chair DC Healthy Start Community Consortium, Inc.
Watson holds a master’s degree in Health Services Administration from Central Michigan University.
Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group Charlisa was the former executive director of the National Association of Health Services Executives where she established close working relationships with C suite executives, industry leaders, key policymakers and legislators at federal, state and local levels. She also helped develop innovative programs to strengthen the membership base, fund raising and created initiatives to retain members. Previously, she served as chief administrative officer and interim executive director of the National Association of Black Accountants where she oversaw daily operations including budgeting, staffing, revenue growth, program development and administration. Charlisa also served as operations manager/House of Delegates liaison to the National Medical Association; executive project director of Foster America a managed care program for children and youth in the foster care system; Vice President of Provider Relations for Health Services for Children with Special Needs, Inc. and other various leadership positions with managed care organizations.
She has dedicated most of her entire career to serving disadvantaged vulnerable women and children and is a recognized leader in both the health care and non profit industries for energized vision and keen management skills, and has worked extensively in partnership with targeted private and public sector companies, employers, health care management corporations, and health care professionals, as well as with state and local government officials. In 2012 Charlisa was one of the recipients of the UnitedHealth Group Community and State Innovation Award for the Heart Smart Sisters a bilingual signature cardiovascular risk screening, prevention education and outreach initiative with activities focused and customized to help women live healthier lives.
Charlisa maintains active involvement in community service organizations and has served on the board of the Tigerlily Foundation, Lupus Mid-Atlantic serving as the Board Chair and First Vice Chair DC Healthy Start Community Consortium, Inc.
Watson holds a master’s degree in Health Services Administration from Central Michigan University.