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CPH 04 - Rooted in Community, Driven by Courage: A Conversation with Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW
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In this inspiring conversation, Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW, explores the themes of courage, empowerment, and community in the context of public health. She shares her personal journey, including her early experiences as a young mother and her transition into public health advocacy. The discussion highlights the importance of resilience, the role of community support, and the vision for a future where BIPOC communities thrive despite challenges. Alisa emphasizes the need for empowerment through knowledge sharing and the collective strength of communities.
Meet Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW
Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCH, is The Accidental Public Health Advocate™. A Las Vegas native with over 12 years in public health, Alisa founded her boutique firm, Minority Health Consultants in 2018 to address health disparities and connect stakeholders with communities of color.
Active in various local and national health boards/coalitions and committees, Alisa has served on the Governing Board of the Nevada Certification Board since its inception, advocating for Community Health Workers and other non-clinical health professions. As the 1st Chair of the NAACP Health and Wellness Committee in Las Vegas, Alisa champions racial equity, human and civil rights. Throughout her career she has placed great emphasis on health education and
literacy; therefore, she was chosen to host/o-host two health education radio shows both sponsored by the Southern Nevada Health District, and has been a Community Health Worker Instructor for over 6 years. Alisa believes that keeping “community” involved in public health is the key to better health outcomes for marginalized and disproportionately impacted communities.
Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast
Conversation Highlights
- Dr. McClamroch welcomes Alisa Howard — accidental public health advocate, health educator, CHW instructor, and founder of Minority Health Consultants.
- Alisa shares her courageous personal journey — becoming a mother at 15 years old and making the brave decision to raise her daughter while pursuing her dreams of education and leadership.
- Navigating high school with a newborn — Alisa talks about the courage it took to bring her daughter to school each day, facing judgment, isolation, and stigma with resilience and determination.
- The unexpected path to public health — how Alisa’s journey from law offices to the tuberculosis program at the Nevada Office of Public Health opened a new, purpose-driven career she hadn’t initially imagined.
- Choosing courage again and again — Alisa shares the bold move of starting her own business, Minority Health Consultants, after her HIV program funding was cut — and how she leaned into entrepreneurship without a roadmap.
- How courage shows up daily — Alisa reflects on how showing up as a Black woman in public health, navigating systems that weren't built for her, is an act of resistance and courage every single day.
- The power of knowledge-sharing — why Alisa believes in “each one, teach one” — bringing the knowledge she gains back to her community and building collective power and wellness.
- Embracing her infectious disease lens — Alisa lights up talking about her passion for infectious disease, connecting it metaphorically to the way courage, power, and knowledge can spread across communities.
- Vision for the future — a call for re-grounding in community-based strength, protecting BIPOC legacies and histories, and focusing on holistic, eight-dimensions-of-wellness approaches to healing.
- Personal commitment to balance — Alisa shares her personal vision: staying grounded, choosing intentional partnerships, and honoring her own capacity as she continues to build courageous impact.
"You can't delete us. Our survival is the evidence of our strength." - Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW
Stay In Touch:
Email Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW
Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW on LinkedIn
Alisa Howard, CHWi, CCHW on Instagram
Dr. Kristi McClamroch on LinkedIn
www.CourageousPublicHealth.com
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Public Health Consulting To Support You
At Courageous Public Health, we are turning up the volume on courage within women, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Women of Color who are doing the work of public health. We support public health organizations through workshop design and facilitation, and speaking engagements. Interested in working with us? Reach out on email, LinkedIn, or our website!
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