Eboni Winford, 39, director of research and health equity, Cherokee Health Systems

Getting a doctorate is no easy feat; being the first in your family to do so is even harder. Dr. Eboni Winford embraces the role. Her work centers around equity in healthcare. She hopes to do a data-driven analysis of racial disparities in health outcomes.

When you reflect on your career so far, which achievement stands out most?

I am the first person in my family to earn a doctorate degree. When I am called Dr. Winford, it is not just me who responds. I respond on behalf of my family members who were denied access to educational spaces because of their skin, social status or economic barriers. I respond on behalf of the ancestors who endured unimaginable horrors in their attempts to exist in spaces not created for them. I respond on behalf of all of my nieces and nephews who get to see that their highest educational pursuits are more than possible.

What is the greatest professional obstacle you’ve had to overcome and how did you overcome it?

I am often the only Black person and only woman in professional spaces and that can be challenging at times. I’ve had to learn to trust my voice and my place in spaces where those who look like me are not often present while also being aware of how my identities carry stereotypes that may undermine my position. I’ve learned the power of mentorship from Black women who have walked in paths similar to mine. Being vulnerable enough to ask for help and to listen to their stories has helped me reconcile these challenges.

What will you focus on in 2023?

Obtaining Health Equity Accreditation for Cherokee Health Systems. Completing data collection and analysis of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Leaders Program Project on the relationship between racism and health outcomes at a federally qualified health center along with my colleagues Dr. Jennifer Jabson Tree and Dr. Judson Laughter. Developing processes and policies to facilitate research, training and other community-based partnerships between Cherokee Health Systems and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Considering pursuing Board Certification in Clinical Health Psychology.

What is your biggest professional dream?

I dream big! As of today, one of my biggest professional dreams is to ensure that all applications for federal funding include a requirement that applicants specifically address health equity. This component would require applicants to provide an overview of equitable ways to conduct research and identify measurable outcomes that demonstrate their commitment to equity. This approach would work to counteract all of the research that has been done with researchers’ professional growth in mind over and above the participants on whom they conduct the research.

What mistake did you learn the most from?

Failure to delegate and trust others has hindered my professional and personal wellness. Believing that I am the only one who can complete a task goes against my values of collaboration and shared leadership and undermines the talents and strengths of those with whom I routinely work. Not trusting my team members contributes to exhaustion and fatigue, which significantly limits my ability so show up as my fullest and most authentic self.

What motivates you?

Justice, equity, reduced disparities, eliminating barriers and root causes.

What is the most overrated piece of business advice you’ve heard?

Anything related to “grind culture” or the “no pain, no gain” narrative causes more harm than one can imagine. Our lives have become consumed with productivity as a marker of our value and our contribution; however, failure to account for wellness and radical acts of self care reduce our ability to show up as our whole selves. Only focusing on productivity and economical outcomes diminishes our self-worth and invokes feelings of guilt when one does not produce as much as expected to be successful in one’s career. This is a recipe for burnout.

What trait do you most want in a co-worker?

Reliability, flexibility, authenticity, fun, compassion, organization and honesty.

What about Knoxville would you like to improve?

Increased availability of mental health and substance use disorder inpatient treatment facilities for low- and no-income residents. Expanded affordable public transportation that would allow East Knoxville residents to readily access other areas and businesses that extend beyond this community, for example West Knoxville's health resources. Additional specialty providers who are willing to provide care to low- and no-income residents. Medical legal partnerships for low- and no-income residents who lack resources to advocate for themselves when legal concerns may negatively affect their health and wellness. The process of obtaining assistance for someone who is facing a mental health crisis including employing mental health clinicians as first responders rather than law enforcement officers. Protected spaces and places for spaces for individuals without homes to exist without negative repercussions. Affordable grocery stores in East Knoxville.

What don't people know about you?

I am an introverted extrovert. I’d prefer to spend time at home with a 1,000-piece puzzle or a good book than being out in public settings with larger groups of people. I even prefer this to spending time in more intimate settings with smaller crowds. I feel refreshed and recharged in my own space. I am truly a homebody despite my energy and big personality.

• Family: Husband Dr. Brandon Winford and parents Adrienne and Ronald Stewart

• Years worked at current company: Nine

• Degrees and certifications: Ph.D., University of North Carolina at Charlotte; MPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; BA, Duke University

• Community involvement: Volunteer Ministry Center Board of Directors; Centro Hispano of East Tennessee Board of Directors, secretary and parliamentarian; Planned Parenthood of Mississippi and East Tennessee, chair of Knoxville Community Board; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority president, first vice president, secretary, parliamentarian, regional secretary, International Mental Health Team; National Association of Community Health Centers, second vice chair of LGBTQ and HIV Task Force; Governor’s Rural Healthcare Task Force; American Psychological Association Health Equity Committee, Task Force on the Eradication of Racism, Discrimination and Hatred; Collaborative Family Healthcare Association Board of Directors, co-chair of Primary Care Behavioral Health Special Interest Group; American Public Health Association secretary of community health policy and planning section

This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. 

-Areena Arora

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox News 40 Under 40 awards: Eboni Winford, Cherokee Health Systems