Hosted By: Krystal Lee and J. Robin Moon

Guests: KaToya Sumner, Maureen Sanchez, Linda Animashaun, and Erin Bradley

This week, we meet with KaToya Sumner, Maureen Sanchez, Linda Animashaun, and Erin Bradley, of Team ATL Grove Park. They are just finishing up their project entitled “Creating Margin for the Marginalized: Evaluation A Multilevel Strategy to Address Effects of Systemic Racism in Housing on Health” as part of the final Cohort 7, ending in 2025. This is one of the few episodes where we bring a community partner to our fellows’ teams – KaToya – so she can speak for herself and on behalf of her own community. It is a dynamite team that speaks their minds like it is! Take a listen to a powerful, brutally honest, norm-defying, courageous conversation with the awe-inspiring women leaders. (Hint: YES, it does take both researcher leader and community leader to create change!)

Guests:

Maureen Sanchez has over a decade of experience in community development and outreach, living and working in Atlanta’s Historic Westside since 2010 and currently serving as Executive Director at Grove Park Renewal. She holds a Master’s in Development Practice from Emory University, with a concentration in program planning, organizational management, and monitoring and evaluation. Her background spans health and wellness, faith, childcare, drug rehabilitation, and poverty alleviation, strengthened by travel to 18 countries. With both qualitative and quantitative research experience, she has contributed through neuroscience research, focus groups, and nonprofit communications. A certified mental health counselor, change management, and health coach, Maureen is a lifelong learner eager to hear people’s stories.

KaToya Sumner is a versatile integrated content and wellness specialist with expertise in social media, digital marketing, client success, and brand partnerships who is passionate about building communities, driving engagement, and creating impactful experiences across wellness, real estate, and digital platforms. As a fitness professional and educator, KaToya has led high-energy wellness programs, instructed educational content for 30,000+ fitness professionals worldwide, and partnered with brands like Lululemon and the Atlanta Beltline Project to expand reach and accessibility. Featured on CNN for fitness and mental health expertise, she is committed to creating inclusive, results-driven experiences that inspire and empower.

Dr. Linda Animashaun is the founder and CEO of Amammere Consulting, an equity-focused evaluation firm that advances public health through community-rooted insights and action. She has over 15 years of experience in health equity research and evaluation, working with federal agencies, nonprofits, foundations, and community-based organizations. Her work centers on factors related to chronic disease, and she specializes in designing and implementing evaluations that reveal the stories behind the data, empowering organizations to understand, strengthen, and sustain the impact of their work. Dr. Animashaun holds a BA from Columbia University, an MPH from Emory University, and a DrPH from Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Erin Bradley is a public health researcher and Linda Lentz Hubert Associate Professor of Public Health at Agnes Scott College. Dr. Bradley is a behavioral scientist trained in intervention and epidemiologic research. She earned a BA in Psychology from Spelman College and an MPH and PhD in Behavioral Sciences and Health Education from Emory University and gained nearly 15 years of experience in NIH randomized trials and CDC-funded research before becoming a professor. Emphasizing community-engaged methods to enhance rigor, she aims to develop contextualized, multilevel solutions to address factors that prevent people and populations from experiencing their optimal health.

Mentioned:

* IRL LinkedIn Page

* IRL Promising Practices Podcast Page

* Team ATL Grove Park IRL Page

Resources:

* Do No Harm Guide: Crafting Equitable Data Narratives

* Erin Bradley’s Work: Urban Institute, Do Not Harm Guide: Crafting Equitable Data Narratives. Chapter 7: Modernizing Data Collection to Improve Rigor in Research Involving Human Participants

Thoughts? Suggestions? Email us at[email protected]

You can find show notes, transcripts, and more episodes of “Promising Practices for Health Equity” at Promising Practices for Health Equity Podcast: Introduction – Interdisciplinary Research Leaders.

This episode of “Promising Practices for Health Equity” was produced by Studio Americana, and prepared by Cody Cotton, Mandy LaBreche, Krystal Lee, and J. Robin Moon of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Podcast Team.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit irlpodcast.substack.com