Elevating Voices: Exploring Lifestyle, GLP-1 Therapies, and Equity in Diabetes Care for Black Women

Description

Learning Objectives

• Describe how cultural context, lived experience, and structural inequities influence
  diabetes risk and management among Black women.
• Explain the complementary roles of the care team in supporting the management of
  diabetes for Black women through lifestyle practices and GLP-1 pharmacotherapy.
• Develop 1-2 practical strategies to integrate into practice to deliver culturally
  responsive care to strengthen community partnerships and improve care equity.

Performance Indicators

• 2.1.6 Acknowledges the differences and complexities of individuals, including students/interns, patients and clients, and populations (e.g. Individuals affected by specific conditions or illnesses and disability identities).
• 2.2.1 Recognizes and respects varied perspectives to effectively interact and build meaningful relationships with others (e.g., clients, students/interns, employees, inter- and intra-professional team members and community and professional groups).
• 9.2.1 Engages in educational activities to maintain knowledge and to obtain new knowledge of diseases and clinical conditions.

Speakers

• 

  Francoise Kazimierczuk

  Associate Professor, University of Cincinnati

  Dr. Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk is an Associate Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation, Exercise, & Nutrition Science at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Director of the H.E.A.R.T. Hub Research Lab. She has 20 years of clinical experience, over a decade of research and dietetics education experience, which has enabled her to work with a variety of patients, including those with chronic diseases (focusing on cardiometabolic diseases throughout the lifespan), and deliver numerous interventions. She is a staunch advocate for women’s health, reproductive justice, and health equity, working to improve birth outcomes for pregnant women and their infants through her research and community outreach. Additionally, Dr. Knox-Kazimierczuk is a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion research with a specific interest in the diversification of dietetics. Dr. Knox-Kazimierczuk is passionate about addressing gaps in women’s health through engaging and cultivating community assets to shift narratives, policies, and resources. Her goal is to provide women with the support and resources they need to assert their power and navigate their health journey.

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• 

  Nicole Avant

  Owner, Chief Executive Officer, Avant Consulting Group

  Dr. Nicole Avant, the Founder, Owner, and CEO of Avant Consulting Group. She is a passionate advocate for health equity, dignity, and structurally competent care, with a deep focus on cardiometabolic care and chronic disease management. Her expertise spans ambulatory care, academia, and health system consulting, enabling her to drive impactful change across clinical practice, culture transformation, and community health initiatives. Dr. Avant is a nationally recognized researcher, author, and speaker. Her consulting work empowers clinicians to provide equitable, patient-centered care, enables organizations to increase capacity for transformation, and facilitates communities' access to the resources needed for well-being.

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• 

  Anna Goroncy

  Associate professor, University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine

  Dr. Anna Goroncy, graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, is an associate professor in the University of Cincinnati Department of Family and Community Medicine. She completed her training in Family Medicine at the Christ Hospital/University of Cincinnati Family Medicine Residency Program followed by Geriatric Medicine Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati and was the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship Director for four years. As part of a HRSA Primary Care Training and Enhancement grant, Dr. Goroncy launched a Home-Based Primary Care program and training curriculum at the Christ Hospital Family Medicine Center. In 2019, Dr. Goroncy was awarded a HRSA Geriatric Academic Career Award and used this opportunity to further integrate structural and social determinants of health and mental health into the home visit curriculum for Family Medicine residents, geriatric fellows and medical students, and also pivoted in response to the COVID pandemic to further grow an academic community partnership in Walnut Hills, Cincinnati to expand access to COVID vaccines and quality health education. Her professional interests include patient- and family-centered care, academic-community partnerships, health equity in children and older adults, and promoting belonging in medical education.

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Moderator

• 

  Cicely Thomas

  Nutrition Service Director, NWGA Division of Public Health/Nutrition Services

  Dr. Cicely Thomas, DCN, M.Ed., RDN, LD, FAND, serves as the WIC Director for the Northwest Georgia Health District. As of June 2026, the immediate past Chair-Elect of NOBIDAN. A dedicated leader, she brings extensive experience in public health, policy, and professional advocacy. Dr. Thomas earned a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition from Georgia Southern University, a Master of Adult Education from the University of Georgia, and a Doctor of Clinical Nutrition from the University of North Florida. She is the President-elect of the Georgia Public Health Association and previously served as President of both the Georgia Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Public Health Community Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. From 2019–2022, she represented Georgia as the state policy leader, meeting with legislators on nutrition and health issues. Committed to advancing equity, she completed a five-year term as diversity liaison for the Weight Management DPG and secured 10 mini-grants supporting diversity, equity, access, and inclusion initiatives. Appointed in 2021 by Governor Brian Kemp, she serves on the Georgia Board of Examiners of Licensed Dietitians. Dr. Thomas owns Challenge Your Choices Dietetics LLC and partners with Nourish as a dietitian consultant. She is passionate about reducing health disparities and uplifting underrepresented communities.

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