About this talk
Maternal Care Reformer Wanda Irving had her life turned upside down when she lost her only daughter, Shalon Irving, at the hands of “the covert bias of her medical provider.” As Wanda explains, “that very bias, fueled by structural racism, is the root cause of disparities in health care. That very bias impacted Shalon’s outcome, and caused her to be included in the maternal mortality statistics for 2017.”
In her powerful TEDMED Talk, “How the US medical community fails Black mothers”, Wanda reveals the horrific statistics that feed into the systemic disparities which result in Black women dying at rates almost 300% higher than White women. Today, over 3 years later, Wanda is working to promote accountability measures in postpartum care bills and she invites us to use the full range of our resources to eliminate inequity.
About Wanda Irving
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About Wanda
Wanda Irving is a dedicated advocate for health equity, driven by the tragic loss of her daughter, Dr. Shalon Irving. Her mission is to create a healthcare system that includes and supports everyone, regardless of their background. For nearly three decades, Wanda worked in various sectors, including federal and local government, as well as in nonprofit and faith-based organizations. In these roles, she focused on developing effective leadership and building community engagement to solve complex social problems. After her daughter, a brilliant epidemiologist, died shortly after giving birth, Wanda shifted her focus to raising her granddaughter, Soleil, and honoring her daughter’s legacy. She now dedicates her life’s work to raising awareness about racial and health inequalities in the healthcare system. Wanda is currently in the process of creating a new nonprofit organization to continue Dr. Shalon Irving’s work and fight for a more just healthcare system.
