200: BLKHLTH: Leading Critical Conversation on Race & Health with Matthew McCurdy, MPH

Interview with Matthew McCurdy, MPH

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Highlights from this episode:

Why BLKHLTH was founded and how they’ve evolved their initiatives over the years
Navigating an ORISE Evaluation fellowship and the Presidential Management Fellow at US Department of Health and Human Services
The importance of community outreach to ensure that everyone has a voice

Episode 200 of Public Health Careers

Matthew is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of BLKHLTH where they are creating a space for critical conversations about racism, health, and new ways forward. He also works as the Director of Programs at Emory Health DesignED where he leads the equitable integration of tech into wellbeing and healthcare.

Matthew is passionate about applying social science theory, health equity frameworks, and design to develop creative solutions that improve health outcomes for Black people. He has experience working with Federal programs to create strategies, track performance, and evaluate programs to drive continuous improvement.

He conferred a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government at Georgia State University. During his time there, he served as a Tier 2 English Tutor at Georgia State University Perimeter College and worked as a Residential Counselor at Gwinnett Children’s Shelter.

He then pursued a Master of Public Health in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education at Emory University, where he held roles such as Health Communications Intern at the CDC, Health Educator at Planned Parenthood Southeast, and Graduate Research Evaluation Assistant at The Carter Center.

After completing his education, Matthew gained substantial experience in the public health sector. He worked briefly as a Research Assistant at the Rollins School of Public Health before becoming an ORISE Evaluation Fellow at CDC. He then progressed to the US Department of Health and Human Services as a Presidential Management Fellow at US Department of Health and Human Services, later becoming a Senior Advisor for Strategic Management. Matthew further served as a Health Scientist at the CDC and as Chief Operating Officer at Odessa Health. Currently, he is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of BLKHLTH, where he fosters critical conversations about racism and health. Additionally, he leads the equitable integration of technology into wellbeing and healthcare as the Director of Programs at Health DesignED. His work is driven by a passion for applying social science, health equity frameworks, and design to improve health outcomes for Black communities.