Aletha Maybank

Dr Maybank is a highly proficient physician with demonstrated excellence and leadership in public health, health equity, and preventive medicine. Dr. Maybank recently joined the American Medical Association (AMA) in April 2019 as their inaugural Chief Health Equity Officer and Vice President.

Prior to this in 2014, Dr. Maybank became an Associate Commissioner, and later a Deputy Commissioner, and launched the Center for the Health Equity. Under her leadership, the Race to Justice Initiative was launched to transform the culture and public health practice of the Health Department and embed health equity in all of the health department’s work. This work has been recognized and adapted by other City agencies and has even captured the attention of the World Health Organization. Neighborhood efforts under her purview strengthened through enhanced coordination in violence prevention, teen pregnancy prevention, birth equity, and faith-based initiatives.

Prior to this role, she was an Assistant Commissioner in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's Brooklyn District Public Health Office, a place-based approach. Her Bureau created a template for community-driven planning and implementation to improve the built environment by creating safety improvements and bike lanes to encourage active transportation as one example. Through this work, she has served as an honest broker and convener of typically silo-ed, large NYC agencies and local community boards to ensure equitable conversations in planning.

Dr. Maybank also successfully launched the Office of Minority Health as its Founding Director in the Suffolk County Department of Health Services in NY from 2006-2009.

She has taught medical and public health students on topics related to health inequities, public health leadership and management, physician advocacy, and community organizing in health. In 2012, she co-founded "We Are Doc McStuffins," a movement created by African American female physicians who were inspired by the Disney Junior character Doc McStuffins.

In the media and on the lecture circuit, Dr. Maybank is highly sought after. As a highlight, she has appeared or been profiled on Disney Jr.’s highly successful Doc McStuffins Animated Series. She has also advised on film projects: Soul Food Junkies by Byron Hurt and Black Women in Medicine by Crystal Emery. For her accomplishments, she has received numerous awards over the years. Dr. Maybank has served on medical mission trips to Haiti.