Health Equity Is Personal

How lived experience shaped my path, my purpose, and a research community built on listening, justice, and impact.

By:

Dr. Shakira J. Grant

April 16, 2025

I’ve always believed that everyone deserves the possibility to live their healthiest life—not just having access to health care, but the opportunity to thrive. That belief was born long before my first grant or academic title. It began in Barbados, where I grew up seeing how even with universal health care, disparities still shaped people’s lives.

Health isn’t just about hospitals or medicines. It’s shaped by where we live, the food we eat, whether we can walk safely in our neighborhoods, afford a ride to the clinic, or trust the system enough to seek care in the first place. These are the quiet but powerful drivers of health inequities—the conditions that too often determine who gets to survive and who doesn’t.

This understanding became my “why.”

In 2021, when I received my first of four National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants as a faculty member, it wasn’t just a professional milestone. It was the beginning of something much greater. That funding allowed me to build a research lab focused on equity and inclusion—one that brought in trainees from underrepresented backgrounds, centered the voices of patients and caregivers, and created a space for curiosity, purpose, and healing.

We didn’t just collect data. We listened.

Dr. Grant speaks on a local radio show about cancer disparities affecting the Black community, highlighting the importance of equity, representation, and trust in health care

Our work gave voice to Black patients who had long been excluded from clinical trials. We talked with caregivers carrying the emotional and financial weight of cancer, often in silence. We examined medical mistrust, transportation barriers, and the overlooked needs of those supporting loved ones. But above all, we made time to truly hear people.

And for many, it was the first time they felt seen.

“For many, it was the first time they felt seen—and that simple act of listening changed everything"

That simple act of listening changed everything—for our participants, our team, and for me. I grew as a researcher, but more importantly, as a leader grounded in empathy, equity, and purpose.

My trainees—brilliant, passionate, and driven by their own lived experiences—grew into researchers, advocates, and mentors. Together, we launched mentoring programs, built community spaces, and created a network where others could thrive. We published papers, yes—but more importantly, we helped shift the narrative about who gets to do this work, and whose stories matter.

That very first grant was more than funding—it was a seed. A seed that, over nearly three years as a faculty member, blossomed into a thriving network of support, scientific discovery, and meaningful impact, sustained by NIH and foundational grants. It created space not just for research, but for mentorship, community, and change. And through it all, I was reminded of this simple truth: our lived experiences are not separate from our work—they are the very foundation of our power.

“Our lived experiences are not separate from our work—they are the very foundation of our power.”

For every person struggling to access the care they need, I see a reflection of what could have been—if not for opportunity, mentorship, and the commitment to make a difference. This work is about more than data. It's about dignity. It's about justice.

And it takes all of us.

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