Black History & Health Equity Every Month, Every Day
Join Co-host Sheila Johnson for a very special panel in honor of Black History Month. Sheila speaks with Rev. Dr. Tawana Davis, Ricki Farley, Kellee Southern, and Stephanie Walker. This wide-ranging conversation is one not to miss as we dig into what it is like to be a Black woman seeking medical treatment for breast cancer or metastatic breast cancer, and what these incredible women are doing to improve health equity for Black women and men. We believe that Black History Month should always be celebrated but let's agree that it should not be just for one month but every month and every day. These women show us how to do that. has helped to elucidate both immediate and delayed adaptations that promote resistance to standard treatments.
Meet the Guests of this Episode
Stephanie Walker
Diagnosed in July 2015 with de novo MBC. A Registered Nurse with close to 40 years of clinical practice and secondary teaching experience. Her experience has been pediatric and adult critical care working in level 1 trauma centers to critical access hospitals. The last 15 years of nursing was with End of Life/Hospice care. Only aware of MBC advocacy 3 years after diagnosis, she has pushed for rural equality, equity in breast cancer. She is a member of MBC Alliance (in which she is project lead on the BECOME initiative (Black Experience of Clinical Trial and Opportunities for Meaningful Engagement ), LBBC Helpline/HMV volunteer and Susan G. Komen volunteer.
She is married and lives in Tarboro NC with husband John and rescue dog Rex, advocating for men and women in rural areas as my own for equal access to quality healthcare , treatment modalities, and resources keeps her busy .
Research and Clinical Trials are extremely important. I want researchers to reach out to men and women with MBC to put a human face on their work. Realize that we are dying to live a longer quality of life.
“I’m an open book so ask me.” I don’t want anyone to feel alone, isolated or defeated.
Ricki Farley
As a Stage 3A Triple Negative Breast Cancer Survivor/Thriver, Ricki’s personal purpose, passion, mission, ministry and blessing is to bring focus, attention, research and action to eradicating Black Breast Cancer, and supporting and coaching what she calls her “Breasties” through their breast cancer experience.
Ricki is an award-winning seasoned marketing veteran that has transformed her strategic acumen into breast cancer advocacy. Ricki co-founded and serves as CEO of TOUCH, The Black Breast Cancer Alliance to address Black Breast Cancer as a unique and special disease state, with the overall goal of reducing the mortality rate for Black women. Ricki founded and serves as co-host for “The Doctor Is In,” a weekly live web series on the BlackDoctor.org Facebook page that reaches over 3 million viewers. She is a founding member of #BlackDataMatters, in partnership with Breastcancer.org, Ciitizen, The Center for Health Care Innovation, Morehouse School of Medicine and Susan G. Komen Foundation to encourage and elevate the importance of Black Women participating in clinical trial research. In January 2022, she started the When We Tri(al) Movement to change the game on Black women participating in clinical trials to improve outcomes for Black women with breast cancer.
Ricki serves on the Board of Trustees for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation where she chairs the marketing committee. She is a board member for the Center for Healthcare Innovation, a non-profit research and educational institute making healthcare more equitable. She avidly works with pharmaceutical companies to provide the patient voice for breast cancer awareness, action, therapy/drug development and advocacy.
Ricki has two daughters, Amanda Brown Lierman, Executive Director of Supermajority, and Hayley Brown, 4th Grade Teacher at Kipp DC. She has 3 granddaughters, Belle, 4, Leia, 2 and Hart, 10 months, who remind her of her purpose every day. Ricki is a graduate of Dartmouth College and holds an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University.