CPH 03 - Courage. Disrupt. Rise: A Conversation with Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence

Courageous Public Health

In this compelling conversation, Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence, a public health professor, shares her journey of courage, empowerment, and vision for the future. She discusses her personal experiences with sickle cell disease, the importance of mentorship, and how women of color can express their power in professional spaces. Dr. Lawrence emphasizes the need for community support and collaboration, while also envisioning a future where public health is recognized for its essential role in society. Her commitment to uplifting others and fostering resilience shines through as she encourages listeners to embrace their own disruptions and take charge of their lives.

Meet Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence

Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence is the Founder and CEO of Dr. Raymona H Lawrence Coaching, LLC where she is a dynamic Keynote Speaker, Corporate Trainer, and Consultant. Her life's work and heartfelt mission is to challenge broken systems that keep people from reaching their highest potential. Therefore, she uses evidence-based principles of community engagement, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Psychological Safety to curate transformational change strategies within teams and companies.

Dr. Lawrence also delivers engaging and thought-provoking speeches and training to thousands of individuals across the United States and Globally. She has facilitated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Psychological Safety training and consulted within companies such as Arbonne International, Rodan & Fields, Forma Therapeutics, the Georgia Council of Court Administrators, the National Association of Graduate Admissions Professionals (NAGAP) and Novo Nordisk.

Dr. Lawrence is highly intrigued by the breadth and depth of human difference and is passionate about helping individuals and organizations develop curated strategies to connect to diverse communities, customers, and team members. Dr. Lawrence has a doctorate in public health (DrPH), extensive training in community engagement, health disparities, and health inequities, has a Certificate in Diversity & Inclusion from Cornell University’s eCornell, is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®, has a certificate in the Intercultural Conflict Inventory®, and holds the Certified Diversity Executive® Credential.

Dr. Lawrence was recently promoted to the rank of Full Professor of Health Policy & Community Health in the Jiann Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. Her main research focus is community engagement in rural, hard to reach populations-especially those with Sickle Cell Disease. Dr. Lawrence has been an investigator on numerous rural health and sickle cell disease-related grants. She is currently a dual principal investigator with Dr. Ify Osunkwo (now Payal Desai) on a $9.7 million Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) grant entitled, Comparative effectiveness of peer mentoring versus structured education based transition programming for the management of care transitions in emerging adults with sickle cell disease. Dr. Lawrence is an award winning coach for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. She also serves as the Director of Research for the Sickle Cell Community Consortium and as the Editor in Chief of the Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association.

Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence seamlessly bridges academia and entrepreneurship, combining her expertise in community engagement, psychological safety, and DEI with her passion for empowering professionals through effective systems. As the founder of The Systems Boutique, she supports authors, speakers, coaches, and consultants in streamlining their businesses with innovative systems that save time and reduce overwhelm. This dual focus allows her to advance academic research while offering practical solutions that help professionals bring their ideas to life and thrive in their work.

Listen To This Episode of The Courageous Public Health Podcast

Conversation Highlights

• Dr. McClamroch welcomes Dr. Raymona Lawrence — an academic leader, disruptor, and advocate for radically transforming public health systems.
• Dr. Lawrence shares her origin story — from growing up in a small rural town to becoming a first-generation college graduate and nationally recognized leader.
• Courageous disruptions — Dr. Lawrence speaks openly about what it means to disrupt harmful systems from within academia and public health — and why disruption, when rooted in love for her community, is an act of courage.
• Holding space for authenticity — Dr. Lawrence discusses how she creates spaces where Black and Brown students, faculty, and communities can show up fully as themselves — without apology or assimilation.
• Embodying power as a Black woman in public health — how Dr. Lawrence claims her voice, reclaims her time, and models a different way of being in leadership: one based on authenticity, justice, and joy.
• The risks and rewards of taking up space — why Dr. Lawrence believes we must “take up space loudly” even when it makes others uncomfortable, and even when the risks feel heavy.
• Her bold vision for public health — a public health field built by and for the communities it serves — rooted in liberation, collective care, and systemic disruption.
• A love letter to the next generation — Dr. Lawrence calls on emerging public health leaders to be courageous, to lead with integrity, and to remember they are worthy exactly as they are.
• The power of legacy — how Dr. Lawrence draws strength from her ancestors and how her work is both an act of honoring them and building a future for those yet to come.

"Showing up fully as myself is an act of resistance — and a blueprint for others." - Dr. Raymona H. Lawrence

Stay In Touch:

www.DrRaymonaLawrence.com

Dr. Raymona Lawrence on LinkedIn

Dr. Raymona Lawrence on Instagram

Email Dr. Kristi McClamroch

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!