From the President

Everyone deserves high-quality health care and the necessary support to thrive, yet the disparities and inequities we see in health care are deep and persistent. This is a critical moment for our industry.

Lloyd H. Dean, the former chief executive officer of CommonSpirit Health, once said, “Led by kindness, but called by justice and fairness, will we make the courageous decision to change?” It is time to focus on lifting up all of our communities and truly change our approach to taking care of one another in a way that amplifies our shared humanity.

This is why I’m honored to serve as the inaugural president of the Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness & Health Justice. The Institute, which we launched in late 2022, serves as a convener and catalyst for humankindness and health justice initiatives across CommonSpirit and beyond.

Humankindness isn’t just our identity. It’s science at work. We know that health justice starts with humankindness, so as we continue to grow the Institute, we are focused on establishing a reputable resource that leads to humankindness practices.

I invite you to join us as we seek to elevate humankindness, advance health equity and improve the health of our communities.

Sincerely,

Alisahah Jackson, MD
Inaugural President
Lloyd H. Dean Institute for Humankindness & Health Justice

Accelerating improvements in health equity and social justice through:

Kindness

Compassion

Empathy

Trust

Our team

Alisahah Jackson, MD

President

Dr. Jackson is a staunch advocate for health equity. For more than 20 years, she has designed strategies to improve population health, help vulnerable populations and drive health equity as a clinical, academic and operations leader for large health systems. She was most recently System Vice President for Population Health Innovation and Policy for CommonSpirit, where she focused on strategy development for vulnerable populations, health equity and innovative care delivery models. She sets the strategic direction for the institute, collaborates across CommonSpirit to develop and expand humankindness research and health justice programs, and partners with the Foundation to raise external funds to support the work.

Nisha Pasupuleti, JD, MHA

System Director, Strategy and Governance

Nisha specializes in value-based population health and community-based strategic development. Her primary responsibilities include creating high-level business recommendations and strategic plans that drive systemic goals. Nisha accomplishes this by providing definition, structure and phasing to achieve meaningful outcomes through program activities and closely collaborating with vendor and national partners (health care systems, advocacy groups, think tanks, various payers and government entities). She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan, a Master of Healthcare Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Juris Doctor from The Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.

Heather Foster, MPH, MCHES®, CHC

Research Grant Program Manager

Heather brings over a decade of experience driving successful initiatives in health care, community capacity-building and higher education. She has served in multiple leadership roles aimed at designing sustainable solutions to dismantle barriers to care for marginalized populations. In her current role, she provides comprehensive management of various national programs, ensuring the timely execution, quality assurance and operational efficiency of all activities while maintaining a focus on elevating humankindness, advancing health equity and improving the health of our communities. Heather holds a Master of Public Health in Community Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist, a Certified Health Coach and a Certified North Carolina Community Health Worker Instructor.

Brisa Hernandez, PhD

System Director, Operations

Brisa brings more than 20 years of health care and community engagement experience in program operations, research, evaluation, professorship, health geography and health equity advocacy. She previously served as System Director, Population Health Engagement and Partnerships at CommonSpirit. At the Institute, she develops effective partnerships and engagement strategies and oversees pilot programs to deploy innovative care models to bring the Institute's vision to life. Brisa received her PhD in Geography and Regional Analysis from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Mieasha Harris

Executive Coordinator

Mieasha relies on her two decades of project management and executive administrative experience to ensure the best tools and resources are in place to support the daily operations of the Institute. She has extensive experience in public engagement, directorship and organizing employee and volunteer opportunities for communities. She exemplifies CommonSpirit’s values and is dedicated to the goals of the Institute.

Christy Carter, PhD

Senior Analyst, Analytics and Reporting

Christy is an accomplished Sr. Analyst with over 20 years of experience in data interpretation, research design and advanced analytics. Holding a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences and an M.S. in Environmental Studies from Ohio University, complemented by a Certificate in Data Analytics from UNC-Charlotte, her expertise encompasses a robust understanding of scientific methodologies and data-driven problem-solving. Proficient in Python, SQL, R, Tableau and Stata, Christy excels at transforming complex datasets into actionable insights through rigorous data wrangling, statistical analysis and compelling data visualization. She currently provides critical data support at the Institute, leveraging her diverse background to drive impactful solutions.