Experts in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity in Healthcare

Jennifer H. Mieres, MD, FACC, MASNC, FAHA, is a leading expert in the fields of nuclear cardiology, cardiovascular disease in women, and patient-centered healthcare advocacy. As Senior Vice President of Northwell Health’s, Center for Equity of Care, she has oversight of and provides strategic guidance for Northwell’s diversity and health equity initiatives and serves as the health system’s first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. She is member of Northwell’s Katz institute of Women’s Health steering committee. Dr. Mieres is also the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and a professor of cardiology, at The Zucker School of Medicine.

A graduate of Bennington College and Boston University School of Medicine, she is a Fellow of The American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC), and Master of the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) and served as the first female President of the ASNC in 2009.

Dr. Mieres’s clinical focus and research are centered on the elimination of health and gender disparities and cardiovascular disease in women. She is a leading advocate for patient-centered healthcare and medical education reform and has authored/coauthored over sixty scientific publications, including as lead author of the 2005 and 2014 AHA cardiac imaging guidelines for women. As an international speaker, she has presented her research as distinguished faculty at over a hundred forums and conferences, both nationally and internationally, including scientific sessions of the ACC, AHA, ASNC, the International Conference of Nuclear Cardiology, and IHI/BMJ International Forum on Quality & Safety in Healthcare.

A true patient and community advocate, Dr. Mieres is actively involved in service. She serves as a national spokesperson for AHA’s Go Red For Women movement and has served as chair of several national AHA committees, as well as the Scientific Advisory Board for WomenHeart and is a member of the Woman’s Day magazine heart health advisory board.

A prolific communicator, Mieres coauthored Heart Smart for Women: Six S.T.E.P.S IN Six Weeks to Heart-Healthy Living, which will receive an update in 2022 under the title Heart Smarter for Women. Her previous book, Heart Smart for Black Women and Latinas: A Five-Week Program for Living a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle, was published in 2008. Following her Emmy-nominated documentary A Woman’s Heart (2001), her creative ingenuity has evolved as an executive producer of a two-part documentary series, Rx: The Quiet Revolution and Doctors of Tomorrow (2015). The films have forged a change in narrative while garnering placement on national TV network PBS and in educational institutions. She is an executive producer of the women’s health documentary Ms. Diagnosed, which premiered at the Cinequest film festival on March 7, 2020. Dr. Mieres is routinely called upon by national and local media for expert commentary and has been designated as a most-credible voice in the healthcare industry.

A recipient of several prestigious awards, Dr. Mieres has been recognized as a tireless force, fostering diversity in medical education, gender equity in cardiovascular care, as well as eliminating disparities in the delivery of healthcare to the community. The Association of Black Cardiologists recognized her work with the Walter M. Booker Sr. Health Promotion Award in 2015. The American Heart Association has also presented her with a number of awards, such as the Chairman’s Award; the Louis B. Russell, Jr., Memorial Award; the Award for Outstanding Service as President; and the William Groom Award for Volunteer of the Year. Dr. Mieres has also received the National ACC’s Women in Cardiology Mentoring Award, the Woman’s Day Red Dress Award, the WomenHeart Wenger Award for Healthcare, and the New York State Governor’s Award of Excellence, and she was recognized in April 2018 by Good Housekeeping magazine as a Top 10 Humanitarian.

Elizabeth McCulloch, PhD, is the Assistance Vice President for Diversity and Health Equity at Northwell Health. Dr. McCulloch oversees systemwide health equity and languages and communication access services and collaborates with multidisciplinary healthcare teams throughout the system to develop, coordinate, and implement standardized effective communication programs and practice delivery models and performance metrics. In her role, she works to ensure compliance with applicable regulatory laws and requirements related to health literacy, language access, and cultural competency. She also develops ongoing educational training programs for clinical and nonclinical staff and develops and assesses competencies to ensure quality of services. With her background in statistical methodology and analysis, she has also codeveloped a comprehensive, interactive dashboard to explore health disparities and race, ethnicity, and language parameters.

Dr. McCulloch previously worked in the health system at North Shore University Hospital and The Krassnoff Quality Management Institute, where she contributed to the management of statistical analysis of healthcare data, hypothesis development, database creation and analysis, and analytical reporting. In addition, she contributed to multidisciplinary research teams and the education of clinical and nonclinical staff.

Dr. McCulloch is recognized in the field of research and the comprehensive analysis of the impact of population aging. She is versed in research methodology and quantitative analysis and has had extensive experience in the field of community and public health research. She has presented her research at numerous national and international conferences and is widely published.

Dr. McCulloch holds a bachelor of science from Lafayette College in neuropsychology, a master of science from Hofstra University in gerontology, and a doctorate degree in social sciences from Fordham University. She has also served as a faculty member at Hofstra University and Columbia University. She is a member of several professional societies, including Phi Kappa Phi and Sigma Phi Omega.

Michael Wright, EdD, is currently Vice President of Diversity and Health Equity for Northwell Health system. He joined Northwell Health in August 2014. He has over twenty years of experience in leadership development and implementation of talent strategies across various industries globally. Michael earned his doctorate in a joint business/organizational learning program with the Wharton School of Business and the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. He also has two master’s degrees from the University of Toronto and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo.

Michael received the Medal of the Order of St. John from the Governor General of Canada for his contribution to community leadership and has served on the board of directors for Leadership Tomorrow, a Puget Sound region leadership development program. He was chair of the LENS Steering Committee for the National Center for Healthcare Leaders (NCHL). Michael is currently adjunct faculty at Hofstra University (MBA, Executive MBA, and Master’s in Healthcare Administration programs) and formerly adjunct business faculty at the University of Maryland, University College. Michael is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board, Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University and an Advisory Board Member for Aiir Consulting.