Dr. René Roberts is a board-certified Family Medicine physician, Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and Castle Connolly Top Doctor (2024 & 2025). She serves patients on Chicago's south side and has spent her career dismantling the barriers that keep quality healthcare out of reach for underserved communities.

Her journey to medicine was anything but linear. After 50 medical school rejection letters and two failed licensing exams, Dr. René refused to be defined by the metrics that tried to measure her out. She turned every setback into strategy — and now teaches audiences nationwide how to do the same through her signature L.Y.M.I.T.S. Method™.

A TEDx Sarasota 2026 speaker and trusted medical voice on ABC 7, CBS 2, Fox 32, NBC, WGN, and the Chicago Tribune, Dr. René brings rare credibility to the intersection of health equity, resilience, and community medicine. Her TEDx talk, "Who Gets To Heal?" challenges the systems that filter out the very healers our communities need most.
 

As an internal medicine physician at Henry Ford Health and a clinical professor in Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, Bryanne Standifer-Barrett is committed to caring for her community. The Detroit native draws upon the education and mentorship she received at MSU as she shapes a care philosophy that reflects the needs of her hometown — one grounded in empathy, trust and better outcomes for her patients.

The way Standifer-Barrett sees it, Spartans are superheroes in disguise. “Like Clark Kent,” she says, “we don’t broadcast it. If we need to show it, we will, but it’s more like a badge of honor. We’re going into the community, doing the work and helping people.”

In the first eight years of her life, Standifer-Barrett dressed up as a doctor for Halloween. Later, when her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, her determination to fulfill that dream grew. She was admitted to MSU’s College of Human Medicine through the Advanced Baccalaureate Learning Experience, or ABLE, Program and graduated in 2018.

During medical school, a late-night moment left a lasting impression. As she and some classmates were leaving a study session one evening, Standifer-Barrett spotted MSU Professor and Associate Dean for Student Affairs Wanda Lipscomb — a respected faculty leader in the college — sitting in her office.

It had to be around 11 p.m. at night and she was still working,” Standifer-Barrett recalls. “To see someone in the prime of their career, still working late hours so determinedly made me think, ‘Okay, this is the reality of this work. And if she can do it, so can I.’” It was an eye-opening experience that motivated her to continue.  

Staying in Michigan after graduation to care for her community was an easy decision. The College of Human Medicine instills a strong sense of responsibility to improve public health, and graduates often stay in the state to reduce physician shortages and improve health outcomes in Michigan communities. Every day, Standifer-Barrett is mindful of the impact she can have on people’s lives.

“I’m able to explain diagnoses, develop trust and see people move from, ‘I don’t want to take a pill. I don’t trust medicine’ to ‘Dr. Standifer cares about me, she understands me, and she looks like me — I can trust her,’” she says.

She credits MSU for equipping her with the tools to make that kind of difference. “MSU taught me how to be a really good doctor,” Standifer-Barrett explains. “It’s where I learned how to break down information so it’s easier for people to understand. That’s the impact I have. So many patients tell me, ‘I didn’t know why I was taking that. Thank you for explaining it.’”

This ability to translate complex medical knowledge into something accessible and personal is key to improving what’s known as adherence — when patients follow treatment plans and take medications as prescribed. That, she says, is where she sees her greatest impact.

“I take all this science and then break it down into something that makes sense, helping patients understand how it improves their lives.”

Kim Glass is an Olympic Silver Medalist, speaker, and personal trainer who helps people transform their health, confidence, and quality of life. A member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Volleyball team, Kim has spent over a decade as a certified personal trainer and served as a lead Move Coach on the Headspace mindfulness and meditation app. Kim is deeply committed to community service. Through the Ready, Set, Gold! program, she brings health, fitness, and social-emotional learning to underserved youth in Southern California schools. She serves on the boards of the Koroibos Foundation, which funds training grants for Olympians and Paralympians, and the Southern California Olympians & Paralympians Association (SCOPA), as well as the Los Angeles District Attorney's Victims of Crime Advisory Board. As a survivor herself, Kim knows what it costs to rebuild, and what it feels like to come back stronger. Her message is direct: your life is a choice, and you get to choose yourself every day. She helps people make that choice and keep making it, long after the room goes quiet.

Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in hand, wrist, and upper extremity surgery, with advanced fellowship training in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at Harvard and in complex shoulder reconstruction in Bern, Switzerland. He has authored multiple peer-reviewed publications, serves as an active committee member for the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), and is a peer reviewer for The Journal of Hand Surgery. He also serves as a consultant to Major League Baseball’s Chicago White Sox during spring training.

In addition to his clinical and academic work, he is co-host of the popular Behind The Sports Medicine podcast and is committed to global medical outreach, providing care to underserved communities in Mexico. He is fluent in English and Spanish.

Brandiss T. Pearson, Ed.D., FNP-C is a board-certified family nurse practitioner, healthcare executive, and national speaker whose work sits at the intersection of clinical leadership, workforce wellbeing, and health equity. With more than a decade of executive leadership across value-based care organizations, including VP-level roles.

Dr. Pearson has led clinical transformation initiatives affecting thousands of patients in underserved communities. Her doctoral research focused on health, wellness, and wellbeing strategies for executive leaders, forming the academic foundation for her work on burnout and sustainable leadership.

Dr. Pearson is the author of The Other Side of Leadership and founder of The Midas Well Executive, a coaching and leadership development brand dedicated to high-achieving women in healthcare and public health. She is a sought-after workshop facilitator and speaker on burnout resilience, health equity, and identity in leadership.

Dr. Pearson brings the perspective of someone who has lived the clinical frontline, led at the executive level, and done the research to understand what it costs when healers are not well.

Tre Cabrera is Founder & CEO of Cabrera Advisory Group, LLC, a Black woman-owned management consulting firm advancing transformational leadership, equity, and culture. She partners with people and organizations to embed belonging and accountability into programs that improve outcomes - grounded in a community development perspective that centers equity, access, and inclusion. Tre combines real-world experience, human-centered strategy, and actionable tools to drive sustainable change.

Nagham Alsamari is a Resilience and Leadership Trainer with 13 years of experience helping leaders perform under pressure without burning out. She is the creator of the Train Your Resilience Muscle™ framework and the Manager Resilience Scorecard, tools used by leaders across industries to build sustainable resilience and decision integrity.

A certified Maxwell DISC practitioner, Nagham brings a research-informed, deeply practical approach to leadership development. A refugee who came to the United States at 13, she brings lived understanding of resilience that goes beyond theory. She has spoken at DisruptHR events across North America, Ohio State University, Women of Color Conference, Simon Fraser University, Leadership Oakland, and international stages.

She is the founder of Imkan Leadership Development, host of the Leading the Way podcast, and founder of Imkan Academy, a free learning community for leaders at every stage.

Dr. Tamara Huff, MD, MBA is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and the CEO of Vigeo Orthopedics, where she merges frontline clinical expertise with strategic healthcare consulting. A nationally recognized advocate for health equity, she has dedicated her career to addressing musculoskeletal health disparities and expanding surgical access within rural and underserved communities.

Dr. Huff’s transition into national policy leadership was accelerated by her pursuit of an MBA and a Health Sector Management Certificate from the Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. This unique educational pivot allows her to navigate the intersection of medicine and business, focusing on value-based care models, physician autonomy, and the specific financial challenges facing rural healthcare infrastructure.

She currently holds several prominent leadership positions, including Chair of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Health Care Systems Committee.

Her business acumen has been recognized by the University of Georgia as a Bulldog 100 Nominee and Goldman Sachs as an alumna of the 10,000 Small Businesses and One Million Black Women: Black in Business programs.

John A. Johnson is a poet, playwright, and Playback Theatre practitioner who uses interactive storytelling to advance community health dialogue. As founder of Verbal Gymnastics Theater Company, he designs performances where community members become “tellers,” sharing lived experiences that are immediately reflected through improvisational theatre. His work sits at the intersection of arts, public health engagement, and applied theatre practice.

Johnson has facilitated Playback Theatre experiences with youth, community organizations, and health initiatives, using story circles, fluid sculptures, and conductor-guided dialogue to transform personal narratives into collective learning. His approach centers culturally responsive engagement, trauma-informed facilitation, and embodied reflection as tools for improving communication around health outcomes.

His sessions help participants explore how movement, story, and community voice can address health disparities while strengthening empathy between providers and the communities they serve.

Dr. Michelle M. Cabrera is the Clinical Director for Women’s Health Services at TrueCare an FQHC in San Diego County, California. She received her bachelor of science degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a major in Biology and a minor in Psychology. She is originally from the DC metropolitan area and is a proud graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies in Orlando, Florida. In her final year, she served as the academic chief resident.

Since graduating from residency in 2010 she has worked in private practice, a federally qualified community health center, a rural community practice and as an inaugural ob/gyn hospitalist in settings across the country. She now calls Southern California home. These rich experiences have allowed her to gain a greater perspective on the difficulties with access to health care that many of her patients face. She enjoys partnering with her patients to provide individualized and comprehensive culturally competent care at every stage of life.

Dr. Cabrera is fluent in Spanish and French. Dr. Cabrera served as 2023 DEI Physician Champion at Huntington Hospital an affiliate of Cedars Sinai in Pasadena, California. She is a member of the Perinatal Patient Safety Team as well as Huntington Hospital’s Birth Equity Committee. Dr. Cabrera is a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She is a member of the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and the National Hispanic Medical Association.

Dr. Indea May is a doctorally prepared Family Nurse Practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in nursing, functional medicine, and holistic wellness. As Clinical Director of Aryze Well, PLLC, she provides integrative, root‑cause–focused care that supports adults ages 35–70 in restoring hormonal balance, metabolic health, gut function, and overall vitality. Her work blends evidence‑based medicine with whole‑person healing to help individuals understand their bodies and participate actively in their wellness journey.

She earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Wayne State University, completed the Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care program at the University of Michigan, and has served as a clinical instructor mentoring future nurses in holistic, evidence‑based practice. Her career includes leadership roles within Ascension Health and St. John Providence Hospital.

A published author, well-sought speaker, professor, and community program developer, Dr. May is committed to advancing women’s health, chronic disease prevention, and community‑centered wellness.

Crystal Marie Young is a Detroit-based wellness educator, certified group fitness instructor, and community centered entrepreneur with academic training in biology and nutrition and food science. She uses movement-based experiences to support mental wellness, mobility, and sustainable health for women navigating stress, inequity, and high-performance lifestyles.