The Global Pulse

Name: Shivonne Laird, Ph.D.

Title: System Director, Community Health Impact for Bon Secours Mercy Health

Dr. Shivonne L. Laird, serves as System Director, Community Health Impact for Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH) – Dr. Laird’s service to the BSMH team includes system-wide coordination of: community benefit processes/review/analysis; understanding local community initiatives; creation of metrics/outcomes; and research-related activities for community health. Dr. Laird also serves as a subject matter expert on health equity, health disparity reduction, and social drivers of health (SDoH) across BSMH teams. Prior to joining BSMH, Dr. Laird served as a Program Officer for the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), responsible for strategic decision-making and high-level management and monitoring of the program, its funded projects, and program activities that advanced PCORI’s Engagement mission. She has also served as a senior advisor in the Office of Legislation of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). As a liaison between HRSA and members of Congress and their staff, her work included advising office, agency, and department senior leadership on legislative analysis, policy, and programmatic activities. She has worked in academic settings, conducting qualitative and quantitative research related to disparities in health and healthcare, presenting results to bothtechnical and non-technical audiences. Dr. Laird received a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County. She earned an Masters in Public Health (MPH) in international health policy and management from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Dr. Laird has also earned a PhD in health behavior and society, focused on health communication, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

1. Do you believe Medicine alone can solve health problems?

No, I don’t think Medicine alone can solve problems.  In public health, we would call clinical treatment a “downstream” solution to a health problem.  This term is often connected to a famous quote, attributed to Desmond Tutu:

“ There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in”

Public health is about going “upstream” and understanding why people are falling into the river in the first place and preventing that from happening. 

Most recently, there is a push to focus on “social determinants” (or “social drivers”) of health for solutions.  This concept examines things like why similar people who live in different zip codes even 5 miles apart can have an expected lifespan that is 20 years different — one can be expected to live 20 years longer than the other just because of where they live. Medicine has a limited ability to affect factors like this. 

2. What would a truly healthy society look like?

In a truly healthy society, everyone would have the ability to live the longest and most healthy life that their genetics allows. In a healthy society there are no preventable barriers to good health. 

3. What is one health problem people misunderstand?

Mental/behavioral health problems are often very misunderstood.  Everything from addiction to ADHD to depression.  Others often think that people with these conditions are weak or lazy or lack the discipline to behave differently. In some cultures, prayer is the only recommended “treatment.”  They don’t understand that there are biological reasons for some of these mental health conditions, that they may require therapy and/or medication. 

4. What should young people learn about public health?

Young people should learn that health is more than medical treatment, and that they can be public health practitioners no matter their age.  Volunteering at food pantries to make sure everyone has access to healthy meals (“food insecurity”).  Volunteering to taxi peers home, no questions asked, should they get drunk at a party – Students Against Drunk Driving did this when I was younger (“violence prevention”). Planting or maintaining community gardens or green spaces (“environmental health;” “food insecurity”).  Even babysitting can allow a parent to go seek healthcare after work or attend a health education session (“access to care”). Look around your community, talk to people about what they need, and think about ways that you and your friends can help. 

5. What made you interested in healthcare?

I have wanted to be in healthcare for as long as I can remember – even as a small child, taking blood pressure of my dolls and listening to them with a stethoscope. I grew up surrounded by healthcare professionals, mostly nurses, who had dedicated their lives to helping people. My mother, specifically, is a nurse who always practiced in areas where people needed the most help to be healthy, usually poorer areas of town.  It was a calling for her, and she taught me that helping the vulnerable is what we are all supposed to do. It is now a calling for me, too. 

Name: Akil McClay

Title: Vice President of Population Health for INTEGRIS Health

Akil McClay is a transformational healthcare executive with more than 15 years of experience advancing value‑based care, operational performance, and enterprise growth across major U.S. health systems. He currently serves as the Vice President of Population Health at INTEGRIS Health, where he leads systemwide revenue strategy, payer partnerships, and value‑based care operations for a $3B health system spanning 16 hospitals. His leadership has driven significant financial turnarounds, multi‑state ACO expansion, and major improvements in quality, risk adjustment, and provider engagement.

Before joining INTEGRIS Health, McClay served as Chief Operating Officer of Population Health for Bon Secours Mercy Health, overseeing four clinically integrated networks and two Medicare Shared Savings Program ACOs across four states. Under his leadership, the organization achieved record-breaking financial performance, including multiple top‑10 national MSSP rankings and more than $150M in shared savings across four years.

McClay’s earlier roles include serving as Director of Alternative Payment Model Operations at Trinity Health, where he directed value‑based operations across 17 CINs in 22 states, generating nearly $300M in shared‑savings revenue; and multiple leadership roles at SSM Health, where he drove systemwide population health initiatives, payer contracting strategies, and care transformation projects.

Throughout his career, McClay has been recognized for building high‑performing teams, scaling innovative value‑based care models, and creating sustainable financial and operational frameworks for health systems managing millions of attributed lives. He holds aMaster of Healthcare Administration from the University of Missouri, aMaster of Neuroscience from Tulane University, and aBachelor of Psychology from Southern University.

Q: Do you believe culture changes the way doctors practice medicine?

Absolutely. Culture shapes how people view health, illness, treatment, and even the healthcare system itself. As a result, physicians inevitably practice medicine through the lens of their own cultural background—and through the cultural expectations of the communities they serve.

In my work in population health, I see how cultural beliefs influence communication styles, patient trust, treatment adherence, and decision‑making. When doctors are culturally aware, they build stronger relationships and deliver more personalized, effective care.

Q; When you hear the term “public health”, what does it mean to you?

To me, public health means creating the conditions for every person to live the healthiest life possible. It’s about looking beyond the walls of the clinic and understanding the broader forces that shape well‑being—housing, food access, education, environment, policy, and community support.

Public health is proactive. It’s about prevention, equity, and systems change, not just treating illness after it appears. As someone working in population health, I see it as the bridge between healthcare delivery and community reality.

Q: What skills do healthcare leaders need to help improve public health?

Healthcare leaders today need a blend of strategic, analytical, and human‑centered skills. Some of the most important include:

• Systems thinking: The ability to understand how policy, care delivery, social services, and community dynamics interconnect.
• Cultural humility: Recognizing that diverse communities have diverse needs and values.
• Data literacy: Using data to identify disparities, guide decisions, and measure impact.
• Collaboration: Working across sectors—education, housing, government, nonprofits—to achieve community‑level change.
• Communication: Explaining complex issues clearly, empathetically, and persuasively.
• Leadership: In public health, it means balancing compassion with strategic execution.

Q: What should young people learn about public health?

I think young people should understand that public health is everywhere. It’s the clean water they drink, the air they breathe, the food safety standards they rely on, and the policies that shape community well‑being.

They should learn that:

• Health isn’t just about biology, it’s shaped by where you live, learn, work, and play.
• Public health is deeply tied to fairness and equity.
• Careers in public health are diverse and meaningful, ranging from epidemiology to community advocacy to health policy.

Most importantly, young people should realize they have power—public health improves when communities get involved and speak up.

Q: What advice would you give students who are interested in healthcare or public health?

I would tell them to stay curious and stay connected to their “why.” Healthcare and public health can be complex fields, but they’re also deeply rewarding.

• Explore broadly: Try different roles—clinical, community‑based, research, policy—to see what resonates.
• Listen to communities: Real understanding comes from hearing people’s stories and experiences.
• Build strong communication skills: No matter what your role, you will need to explain ideas, influence decisions, and collaborate.
• Embrace data: It’s a powerful tool for improving care and reducing disparities.
• Lead with empathy: Technical skills matter, but compassion is what truly transforms health.