Category Archives: Diversity Equity & Inclusion

2021 Junior League of Nashville Paragon Award Recipient

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Gratitude, Inspiration, Junior League of Nashville, Leadership, Success, Uncategorized by

2021 Junior League of Nashville Paragon Award Recipient for Outstanding Active Member of the Year

I’m so very honored to have been chosen as one of the 2021 Junior League of Nashville Paragon Award Recipients!

There are 3 categories of this honor given each year and the award I’ve received is the “Outstanding Active Member of the Year” Award. This annual award is presented to the Junior League of Nashville member who best exemplifies the purpose of JLN and is committed to promoting volunteerism and improving the community through effective action & leadership of trained volunteers.

This is icing on the cake to end a great League year, even in the midst of a global pandemic! The Junior League of Nashville is near and dear to my heart and I’m committed to the dual mission of serving the community and developing the leadership potential of women. I’m more than honored to be a recipient!

Dr. Carmen April

Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a 2021 Junior League of Nashville Outstanding Active of the Year Paragon Award recipient, 2020 Nashville Business Journal Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She served as one of the chairs of the Inaugural RiseUp! Women’s Summit presented by Junior League of Nashville in 2021. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

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Racism is a Social Determinant of Health

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Junior League of Nashville, Self Care by

Racism is a Social Determinant of Health

Junior League Of Nashville Racial Disparities Panel
2021 Junior League of Nashville Health Disparities in the African American Community Panel: Dr. Carmen April (Upper Left) | Dr Herve Damas (Upper Right) | Mr Kwane Drabo (Lower Left) | Dr. Renee Williams (Lower Right)

I enjoyed moderating a great panel discussion last evening on the topic of Health Disparities in the African American Community, for Junior League of Nashville. In my opening remarks, I shared a little bit about exactly what social determinants of health are.

There are very real and structural reasons for these disparities and these reasons have absolutely nothing to do with some sort of genetic or physiologic inferiority. The concept of race is, in fact, a made-up construct with no biological or physiological basis. It’s a social construct created to divide and conquer. The disparities are a result of factors such as geography, where African-Americans live and play, lifestyle factors, education, access to healthcare, economic stability, and a distrust of the healthcare system by some in the African-American community. And racism….

Racism, not race, is a major social determinant of health.

How can we affect change? Social Determinants of Health are responsible for 80-90% of health outcomes while clinical care only accounts for 10-20% of health outcomes! Knowing this, it’s appropriate to say that financial resources, proper funding, and physical resources (and as was mentioned in the chat box during the discussion – “Where the money resides!!”) invested into long-term programs that address food desserts, inequities in education, poverty, and safety issues that disproportionately affect minority neighborhoods can make a huge difference and result in meaningful impact.

I’m proud that we, as a League, held this panel discussion to breakdown the issues surrounding Health Disparities and ways to positively affect change ♥️

To Dig Deeper into Health disparities & Social Determinants of Health, check out the following resources:

Structural Racism: The Root Cause of the Social Determinants of Health from Harvard Law: https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2020/09/22/structural-racism-social-determinant-of-health/

Racism as a Social Determinant of Health Inequities from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: https://healthequity.globalpolicysolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/RacismasSDOH.pdf

Social Determinants of Equity & Social Determinants of Health from the Department of Health and Human Services (96 page PDF) : https://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/Assets/pdf/Checked/1/CamaraJones.pdf

Dr. Carmen April
Dr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She served as one of the chairs of the Inaugural RiseUp! Women’s Summit presented by Junior League of Nashville in 2021. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

It starts with 2 simple questions

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Inspiration, Leadership, Mindfulness, Motivation, Success, Uncategorized by

It starts with 2 simple questions

It starts with 2 questions

Microsoft Founder Bill Gates asks 2 major questions every time he’s facing an issue he is trying to address. They are “Who has dealt with this problem well? And what can we learn from them?”

“Ever since I was a teenager, I’ve tackled every big new problem the same way: by starting off with [those] two questions. I used this technique at Microsoft, and I still use it today,”

I love this approach because it’s similar to how I solve issues. I enjoy learning from others and people who have traveled a similar road before. I love podcasts, self-help books and documentaries for this very reason. It’s also why I created this blog many years ago…..I love sharing info that not only inspires me, but helps others along their journey as well.

Check out the entire CNBC article on Gates’ approach HERE.

Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.

Dr. Carmen April: 2020 Nashville Business Journal Woman Of Influence

Posted in Diversity Equity & Inclusion, Inspiration, Leadership, Motivation, Success by

Dr. Carmen April: 2020 Nashville Business

Journal Woman Of Influence

Dr Carmen April Nashville Business Journal Women of Influence 2020

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  I’m honored to be among the 2020 Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence Award recipients. I’ve attended the recognition luncheon as a guest the past couple of years and am humbled to be one of those being recognized this year 🙏🏽
❐ Updated, full-length feature from the Nashville Business Journal 8/14/2020: https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2020/08/13/women-of-influence.html
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“The Nashville Business Journal is pleased to introduce you to 35 Nashville women making a difference.
From holding leadership roles at top companies to starting their own successful businesses to having a positive impact on the community, these are the female leaders making tomorrow’s history today.”
Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence
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Dr. Carmen AprilDr. Carmen April is an entrepreneur and community leader recognized as a Nashville Business Journal 2020 Women of Influence Award Recipient, Nashville Emerging Leader (NELA) Award Winner, a Nashville Business Journal Top 40 Under Forty Award Recipient, is a Graduate of the New Leaders Council Institute – Nashville Chapter, Young Leaders Council (YLC) Leadership Institute and is a Nashville Power Moves Award Winner. She is a Podiatrist and Owner of The Foot And Ankle Healthcare Center, PC in the Nashville area. She is a Reiki Master, a Law of Attraction Practitioner, and an advocate for the power of positive thinking! Dr. April is available for speaking engagements on Leadership & Life Leadership for College Students and Young Professionals and is the creator of the “Design Your Story” Women’s Empowerment Series.