One of the biggest health risks for the Black community is obesity. Research studies have shown a link between this medical condition and various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. Combined Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data for 2019-2021 showed that Non-Hispanic Black adults had the highest prevalence of self-reported obesity (41.7%). This webinar will include discussion on why the condition is more prevalent among Black Americans, stigma, and concurrently treating mental health disorders and obesity in this population.
Tiffani L. Bell Washington MD, FAPA, Diplomate of ABOM, Diplomate of ABLM is a Quadruple Board Certified Physician who specializes in Adult Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Lifestyle Medicine, and Obesity Medicine. She received her Bachelor of Science from Norfolk State University - a HBCU, her Medical Degree from Medical College of Virginia, and completed residency and fellowship at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Dr. Washington is a recent graduate of Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Leadership. She is a 2022 40 under 40 Leader in Health and Nutrition and Obesity Research Center at Harvard Diversity Scholar and a recipient of the Network for Emotional Well-being’s 2022 Emotional Well-Being and Physical Health Fellowship. In 2020, Dr. Bell Washington received the Outstanding Teaching Faculty of the Year at Wake Forest School of Medicine and the National Medical Association’s “Top Physician under 40” Emerging Leader award. Dr. Bell Washington is passionate about advocacy, research, improving diversity and equity in leadership and decreasing stigma and bias surrounding chronic illnesses such as mental health disorders and obesity. She currently works as a medical director on psychiatry health policy and health equity research as well as in her private practice, The Healthy Weigh MD PLLC, which focuses on prioritizing stress management, lifestyle medicine, mental health, and obesity treatment.
Annelle Primm, MD, MPH is the Senior Medical Director of the Steve Fund, an organization focused on the mental health of young people of color. She is also a member of the Black Psychiatrists of America Council of Elders.
Mental health clinicians, peer advocates, and the general public
