2022 Wellness and Mental Health Panel

Moderator: Clinton Yates (ESPN)

Clinton Yates is a columnist, television commentator and host for ESPN. He joined the company in February 2016 as a member of the editorial team that launched The Undefeated, ESPN’s website focused on the intersections of sports, race and culture. He lives in Los Angeles. In addition to writing, he appears on multiple television programs, ESPN Radio and more.

Guest: Steve Francis

Steve Grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, just outside of his birthplace of Washington, D.C. By age 10, Francis worked summer jobs to ease the financial burden on his mother, Brenda Wilson. His two older brothers and younger sister grew up together with their mother and stepfather. The Takoma Park Boys & Girls Club provided Steve the opportunity to play athletics at an early age. Growing up he idolized Randall Cunningham and dreamed of playing in the NFL. It was an old fire station and local playground courts where his basketball talents would develop. He was academically ineligible to play basketball his freshman year in high school. His sophomore year, he grew from 5″3 to 5″9 and made the varsity squad, averaging ten minutes per game. An ankle injury during a pre-season pick-up game prevented him from playing his junior season, and tragically when his mother passed away his senior year, he dropped out of school.

Support and guidance from his family and friends helped Steve get back on the right track. He earned his GED and enrolled at San Jacinto Junior College in Texas. The following year he attended Allegany Community College in Maryland and earned his Associates Arts Degree. Francis led the basketball teams at both of these schools to the NJCAA final. This success landed him at the University of Maryland, and on to the 1999 NBA Draft, where he was the Second Overall Pick. In 2002, Steve signed a maximum contract extension with the Houston Rockets. He has continued his NBA Career with Orlando Magic, New York Knicks and again with the Houston Rockets.

After undergoing a lengthy rehabilitation process on his knee and quadricep following surgery, Steve retired from the NBA but continues to commit himself to the community with his work through The Steve Francis Foundation and to the game of basketball as the owner of the newly launched professional basketball team The Houston Push of The Basketball League and The Steve Francis Basketball Academy.

Above all else, Steve’s pride and joy are his two children, Shailyn Francis and Steven Francis Jr.

Moderator: Kai Reed (WBAL-TV)

Kai Reed joined WBAL-TV 11 News as a general assignment reporter in July 2010. In 2014, she began anchoring weekend evening newscasts.

She was previously the co-anchor of the weekend evening newscast at WBAL-TV’s sister-station in Milwaukee, WISN-TV. She also reported during the week’s newscasts.

Kai worked at WKOW-TV in Madison, Wisconsin, as news anchor of the weekend evening news before joining WISN in August 2004. She has served as anchor/reporter for television stations in Rockford, Illnois, and Columbia, Missouri.

Kai has also held news production roles at WLS-TV and WBBM-TV in Chicago, and at the London Bureau of NBC News.

A Chicago native, Kai has earned degrees in broadcast journalism and political science from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), and is actively involved in the community, has served as an emcee and keynote speaker for several organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club.

Kai now anchors WBAL-TV 11 News at 10 on MeTV Baltimore and serves as breaking news anchor on WBAL-TV 11 News at 5:00, 6:00 PM and 11:00 PM.

Panelists

Dr. Cynthia Major Lewis (Johns Hopkins)

Dr. Cynthia Lewis attended Howard University for undergraduate studies and Meharry Medical College for medical school, where she graduated in the top 5 of her class.  Dr. Lewis completed her psychiatric residency program at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and was named the First Female African American Chief Resident in her graduating year. Dr. Lewis was a National Health Service Corp Scholar and served three years on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, providing psychiatric services in a health physician shortage area.  

Upon completion of her service obligation, Dr. Lewis returned to the faculty at Johns Hopkins. She was an Instructor in the Community Psychiatry Program and she opened a small private practice. In 2010, Dr. Lewis was named Director of the Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) Adult Psychiatric Emergency Services.  She remained in this role until 2014 when she went into private practice full time.  

Dr. Lewis was asked to return to Johns Hopkins in July 2019. She was promoted to Assistant Professor and resumed her role as Director of the JHH Adult Psychiatric Emergency Services. Dr. Lewis continues to maintain a very limited part- time private practice, providing Independent Medical Examinations and Fitness for Duty Evaluations for injured and at-risk workers.  Dr. Lewis was recently named co-chair of The Baltimore City Suicide Prevention Legislative Workgroup, along with Councilmember Danielle McCray, by Baltimore City Council President, Nick Mosby. She is a member of the legislative committee for the Maryland Psychiatric Society and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Behavioral Safety Steering Committee.   

Dr. Lewis’ research interests involve the plight of the chronic mentally ill who are failing outpatient and community resources. It is Dr. Lewis’ hope that targeted resources and management of this population will lead to improved social determinants and quality of life, for the chronic mentally ill patient.      

Doug E. Fresh

Doug E. Fresh is known as the Original Human Beat Box, and is credited for creating and popularizing this pillar of hip hop music and culture. Doug is the author of several hit records, including “The Show”, and “La-Di-Da-Di” with Slick Rick. As the Vice-President of Entertainment of Hip Hop Public Health, Doug is integral to the development of all Hip Hop Public Health music and multimedia materials. 

Joni Holifield (Heart Smiles)

Joni Holifield founded the grassroots organization lovingly known as HeartSmiles in 2015 after the Freddie Gray riots left many of Baltimore’s youth feeling powerless and hopeless. In partnership with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Bloomberg Philanthropies, HeartSmiles operates a city-wide teaching youth the fundamentals of leadership, entrepreneurship and the importance of giving back.

Joni has become a trusted voice in all things youth including engagement, development and relationship building. She’s facilitated dozens of professional learning sessions for organizations including Family League of Baltimore, Baltimore
City Public Schools and The University of Maryland School of Social Work.

She is a West Baltimore native.

Dr. Letitia Dzirasa (Commissioner for Baltimore City Health Department)

Dr. Letitia Dzirasa joined Baltimore City government as the Commissioner of Health in March 2019. Dr. Dzirasa, a Hopkins trained pediatrician, believes that equitable care is basic right for all and will tirelessly advocate for programs that support the overall health and wellbeing of all Baltimore city residents.  Dr. Dzirasa’s special interests include obesity management and prevention, trauma informed care in children and adolescents, and expanded use of technology to improve health outcomes.  

Prior to joining the Health Department, Dr. Dzirasa worked at Fearless Solutions (Fearless), a Baltimore based digital services firm that builds custom software solutions for local and federal government clients. In her role at Fearless as Health Innovation Officer, Dr. Dzirasa was responsible for managing the Healthcare IT portfolio for the company and provided clinical subject matter expertise to HIT projects. Dr. Dzirasa also has close clinical ties to the Baltimore community, having trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in pediatrics and having worked as medical director for school based health and quality at Baltimore Medical System from 2013-2016.  

In addition to holding a B.S. from University of Maryland, Baltimore County in biological sciences, Dr. Dzirasa graduated from Meharry Medical College, Summa Cum Laude, in 2007.  She lives in downtown Baltimore with her husband and son.  

Dr. La Keita Carter

Dr. La Keita Carter is a licensed psychologist and owner of the Institute for HEALing, LLC, a wellness agency that provides comprehensive and culturally-sensitive mental health treatment. Based in Owings Mills, MD, iHEAL has several programs aimed at creating a healthier society.

Dr. Carter serves as the vice-chair of the Board of Directors. Since 2015 she has been supporting BMHA’s goals to decrease mental illness stigma in communities of color and provide education and training to mental health providers in the community. She has represented BMHA on the radio and television and uses her expertise in psychology administration, trauma and addictions to help fulfill BMHA’s mission.

After earning her bachelor’s degree from Temple University (Philadelphia, PA) in psychology, she completed her masters and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology at Loyola University Maryland. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Towson University’s Counseling Center in Towson, MD.

She holds dual licensure as a psychologist (LP) and professional counselor (LCPC) in Maryland. Additionally, she is a nationally approved clinical supervisor and a board-certified telemental health provider (BC-TMH). In addition to practicing psychology, Dr. Carter also teaches psychology at all academic levels and writes about psychology. The third edition of your textbook, Reflecting humanity: Biological, Psychological, and Sociological Perspectives in Psychology was published in 2019. Lastly, she is a national speaker on multicultural competence in mental health providers.