Dr. Errol L. Pierre, Senior Vice President, State Programs at Healthfirst, joins Eric to discuss how health plans, providers and other organizations can create a culture of health equity. He notes the challenges of obtaining the data necessary to understand where to start. Errol advises organizations to gain the patient’s or member’s trust to get the information. He also touches on setting ROI expectations for health equity programs, defining terms to normalize the discussion of health disparities within the organization and the business imperative of diversity.

 

Errol shares his identity-defining moments and experience as an executive of color in the healthcare industry. He talks about his new book, The Way Up: Climbing the Corporate Mountain as a Professional of Color, which profiles Errol’s career journey from working in a beauty salon warehouse to being a health insurance executive. The book also offers guidance from prominent executives of color and delivers a pragmatic and actionable guide to help underrepresented individuals from all ethnic backgrounds uncover their passion for achieving their professional goals and elevating their careers.

 

About Errol

 

Dr. Errol L. Pierre is a business executive, healthcare strategist, public speaker, professor, and author. He currently serves as a senior executive of Healthfirst, the largest nonprofit health plan in New York. He is also the former Chief Operating Officer of Empire BlueCross BlueShield, the largest for-profit health plan in New York.

 

Errol graduated from Fordham University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He later obtained a master’s degree in Health Policy and Financial Management from New York University. He completed his Doctorate in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College, focusing on Health Economics. He is a professor at Baruch College, Columbia University, and New York University, teaching Health Economics and Health Transformation and serves on several boards, including the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health and MediNova.