- 18 hours ago
Dr. Margaret-Mary Wilson and Caroline Wanga on the Wealth & Power Stage at Essence Fest 22
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00:00I'm going to bring back to the stage the CEO of Essence Communications,
00:10Ms. Caroline Wenga, and let me make one correction on the fly, and the person that she will be
00:20having a wonderful conversation with, the Chief Medical Officer of United Health Group, Dr.
00:25Margaret Mary Wilson. I mean, come on. I know you ate and stuff, but we good out here in these streets?
00:37Listen, we all sad. We all sad, bish. So I have the pleasure today of introducing a woman that I admire
00:50and is a much better human than myself. So I'm going to tell you a little bit about who the
00:57organization she represents is, but first I'm going to bring her out. And this woman is a black woman
01:05who is the Chief Medical Officer of one of the largest healthcare companies in the world.
01:13So will you join me in welcoming Dr. Margaret Mary Wilson?
01:27So y'all are about to see two sisters with different paths. Talk about paths, because y'all got paths
01:35to whatever it is you want to be. First of all, you have many choices on where in the globe you can be
01:44on any given day because of the change you drive and the work that you do. And on this particular day,
01:51you chose to join us. And it's not just those of us here in the room and our cousins right outside over
01:58there. It's also the ones that are watching the virtual live stream that has had in past years 45 million
02:04views and 65 million views. So before I do anything else, sis, I just want to say a heartfelt community
02:12thank you for making the time and the many places you could be to come be with us. I know where your
02:20choices sit. I want you to start with one very simple question. Who is,
02:30who is doctor? Cause I'm not going to not say your first name. I'm going to say sister doctor,
02:38but I'm not going to not say doctor, right? So who is Dr. Margaret Mary Wilson?
02:48First of all, Carolyn, let me say thank you. Thank you. Um, I would,
02:57I can't think of anywhere else. I would rather be, but here
03:00probably like me. I come from a long generation of strong black woman. Yeah. And, um, this is home.
03:13Yeah. Nothing more important. I understand. Who am I? I'm Victoria's daughter. Hmm. I never let myself
03:22forget that. Victoria's my mother was my mother. She died two years ago. Condolences. She was a single
03:31mother, divorced, became single. My father walked out on her. She couldn't read or write. Wow.
03:39She struggled financially and she was poor after my father left. But the one thing she knew was that
03:49she was not going to let me walk her path. Yeah. And that's who I am at the core.
03:55My mother put me through medical school. I got into medical school at 16 and I became a doctor in
04:01Nigeria. It was a hard life. Uh, doctors weren't paid much. I didn't have a lot of money. I had actually
04:09very little money, but that started my walk, my search for answers. I worked in Nigeria and Carolyn,
04:18something happens when as a young doctor in my early twenties, babies are dying. Yeah.
04:26Mothers are dying. Yeah. Something happens. Yeah. I, it, it pushed me to search for more.
04:32Yeah. And I owe my journey through medicine to that. That was the start of my journey. Yeah. So how does,
04:43how does a young person whose mother did everything she could to provide for her, but probably always
04:54maybe felt like there wasn't enough to, to get to provide, create a young person who then believes
05:03that they can be a doctor. Like talk me through what you have said about the strength of your mother
05:09and what she did to raise you. And then this idea of you deciding to become a doctor. What happened?
05:17Quite frankly, I didn't believe I could be a doctor. One of my uncles asked me what I wanted
05:25to be when I grew up. And it sounded like a great thing to say at that time. I was seven years old. I
05:30said a doctor. Oh yeah. We have the, the immigrant, the immigrant careers are to be a lawyer, doctor,
05:37or an engineer. If you weren't one of those three things, you might as well be in kindergarten.
05:44So I understand now why your answer would have been doctor. Cause you were just picking one of the
05:49three. I picked one. I understand. But he then said to me, Oh, you can't do that. It's not a profession
05:54for girls. And at that point, I didn't know what it would take, but I was determined to prove him
06:01wrong. Yeah. And that was it. You know, you throw in a bit of grit. Yeah. Throw in a bit of
06:07determination. Yeah. Um, step by step, he got there. Yeah. Yeah. So you probably were one of few
06:17women on the journey to medical school. How do you, how did you, what, what impact did that have
06:24feeling like more of an only than amongst folks that you identified with as you went to go through
06:31doctoral school? Cause then I'm going to ask how you end up then running? Well, this is my word,
06:36you know, we always going to blow it up. I'm like, how do you end up running the medical industry of
06:40the world? But, but that's how we celebrate people. But let's start by how you went through
06:44the process of becoming a doctor as a woman, a black woman in a field that doesn't have that much
06:53of texture and identities and representation. Well, the interesting thing is that I went to medical
06:58school in Nigeria, right? So we were all black. So that took care of that. Well, there you go. Well,
07:01that's touche, girl. All right. Okay. Okay. So, but we were a class of about 200 and only 30 of us
07:08were women. So it was a hard walk. Yeah. But what it did show me was that medicine was not impossible
07:14for women. There was nothing gender specific about it. And I was determined to do something. I didn't
07:20know what. Yeah. To increase gender diversity. Yeah. And it's fortunate. It's just coincidence
07:27that decades later, I work with an enterprise that's doing just that. I don't know if you're
07:35aware. Yeah. That a month ago, United Health Group. Yeah. Committed to $100 million. What's
07:44that number again? $100 million. To do what? Basically, it is to advance diversity and equity in the
07:55clinical workforce over the next 10 years. And it's not just about doctors. What is that? What else is
08:02it about? It's about doctors and nurses and mental health professionals. Hello for the mental health.
08:08And obviously health care professionals as well. So, so let's stay there because you heard me boast
08:14because I like to say I have really fun friends about you being leading the health care industry of the
08:19world. But for those that care about facts, which is not me. Tell this audience who is United Health
08:26Group and United Health Care. Most of them probably have interacted with a part of it. But can you just
08:31describe who that is so we can talk about what is the significance of that entity committing that number
08:37of dollars to that mission? Who is United Health Care and United Health Group? United Health Group, I like to
08:44start off by describing is a company with a mission that should speak to all of us in this room. Our
08:52mission is really simple. It's about helping people live healthier lives and helping health care systems
08:59work better for everyone. Every single person. Yeah. At the heart of our mission is health equity. Yeah. We
09:06comprise United Health Care, which is the benefits company. We manage benefits of the people that we serve. And we
09:14also comprise Optum. Yes. Covers the spectrum when it comes to care delivery and service delivery for members
09:21as well. Yeah. So how would have the everyday person have interacted with a product within United Health
09:26Care? Is it likely their health insurance? Is it likely where would they have received one of the products
09:31you guys provide? It's interesting because we touch all aspects of the health care. Yeah. Most people will
09:37associate United Health Group with insurance, right? Insurance. United Health Care. And there are others,
09:43though, who are actually receiving care in facilities and the care delivery system of United Health Group.
09:50It's known as Optum, who may not even realize that that's United Health Group. Some people get their
09:56prescriptions from Optum RX, which is our pharmacy service. And we have a mental health business as well, Optum
10:04Behavioral Health. So we touch pretty much every aspect of health care. And I would also say that that
10:11probably means most people, at least in the United States, are probably in interaction with your products at
10:18some point in time, that there's probably fewer people that have not leveraged one of you guys' products than have.
10:24We touch about 146 million lives in the United States. I think a couple of y'all are 146 million in case you have.
10:31So I'm just saying that she helps design what helps keep you healthy. That's my version of it.
10:36Right? And we've got a sister sitting at the top of that. So let's talk. If that is the size and scale,
10:47why would a company of that size still decide that at a $100 million commitment to make sure that the way that
10:56health care is provided is really working for all? Like, why is that important? Because I think everybody in this audience,
11:04and I'm going to have you raise your hand if I can't see it, has had issues as a black person getting through the
11:09health care system. Whether it be getting care, finding care, having coverage, like my doctor, he don't like me,
11:16he don't care that I'm black, he thinks I'm white, and everything else in between. Right? It's just me?
11:23Oh, it's just me then. Oh, I was just trying to help y'all have better health experience. So with that,
11:31what are the barriers you guys have identified? And how does that $100 million change that story?
11:37It changes the story fundamentally because everyone here, most people are like me.
11:44I'm a black, African immigrant, lesbian, legally married, living in the state of Texas.
11:53And when my wife and I moved to Texas from New York, we needed a doctor.
11:58Who did we look for? A doctor who got us. A doctor who looked like us.
12:06Yeah.
12:06A doctor who represented us in one way or the other.
12:09So you a doctor, you a black doctor looking for a black doctor?
12:12Somebody black, female, LGBTQ, or maybe even white, male, and not LGBTQ, but who was used to dealing with people like me.
12:24Yes.
12:24Take a look at maternal health. Let me give you an example of maternal health, right?
12:28Because Joker's trying to get healthy and they need the secrets.
12:30In fact, if you look across America today, a black woman who goes in to have a baby is about three times more likely to die.
12:40Black maternal health stat.
12:42Right? Than a Hispanic or white woman. Those are the glaring statistics.
12:48Similarly, a black infant is two and a half times more likely to die than a white infant.
12:56A black infant, say that again.
12:58A black infant is two and a half times more likely to die than a white infant.
13:04Our babies will die and the mamas will die at a higher rate than white babies and white mamas.
13:16Now watch what happens when you introduce a black physician.
13:19Tell us.
13:20It halves the mortality rate of the infants.
13:25So it makes a difference.
13:27It saves lives.
13:28It saves lives.
13:30Because, you know, the people that we serve as clinicians need to look like, we need to look like them.
13:40Yeah.
13:41It saves lives.
13:42So when you see United committing to that amount, $100 million, it is because we recognize that if we are going to change the health care system, if we're going to transform health care, then it must be equitable and the workforce must be diverse.
14:03And that's why we're investing in that.
14:04So you have an audience of people that hear that and it resonates with their experience in the health care system.
14:11I just wish I had a care provider that understood me, that got me to your point, which was very valid.
14:20Doesn't have to look like me, but you better understand me culturally because that's what we're saying, right?
14:25You can be not white, not black, but you ought to understand culturally who I am.
14:32You sit in a position with an organization that can make the commitment with those dollars to create a different kind of experience for us.
14:40But the folks out here don't have $100 million.
14:43And some of them may work at UHC, but a lot of them don't.
14:46And so if they are trying to navigate a health care system that has those barriers, what is your guidance to their health journey as you guys try to solve the problem so that they can stay healthy as you solve the problems?
15:00Here's one of the things that we've realized and what I will say to all of us here, right?
15:05Think about how we manage wealth, right?
15:08Wealth and power.
15:10We take accountability for it.
15:12Everybody here, I'm sure, can tell me what's in their bank account to the last cent.
15:18But I bet very few people can tell me what their blood pressure was this morning.
15:22So when we talk about wealth and we talk about power, let's not forget health.
15:27That is the third stool.
15:30And let's think about it like how we think about a health portfolio.
15:35You know, I mean, even though I don't have a lot of hair, the one thing that I'm really picky about,
15:42is my haircut.
15:44So I'm not going to let my barber get it wrong.
15:46Yeah, and you're not taking just anybody's new barber.
15:49You'd be like, hmm.
15:50Right?
15:51So think about it like that.
15:54We empower us.
15:56I empower myself when I go in to cut my hair.
15:59I will also empower myself when I go to seek health care.
16:03The consumer is what this should be about.
16:07Talk to the person.
16:08You.
16:09Not the doctor.
16:10Not the health care system.
16:13So this is really about what?
16:16Take your power back.
16:19Empower yourself within the health care system.
16:22We need to hear your collective voice.
16:25I look out in this audience, I think about Essence, I think about the black woman, and I am grateful for you.
16:33I am grateful for your voices, because your voices must be heard as we collectively seek to transform health care.
16:41But here's what I love about what you said.
16:45We know how to advocate for ourselves.
16:48We just don't apply it everywhere.
16:51Because what I'm going to tell you is when I go get this done, I'm watching every stroke, every strand, every rubber band.
16:57I'm like, and at the end, I'm shown a mirror about if she got it right, and she does the same style every time.
17:04And I'm still looking like, so what you're telling us is we know the behavior of being meticulous about fighting for what we like.
17:12And if it's off, I'll say to her, it's off center.
17:15We got to fix that.
17:16The ball's not big enough.
17:17My color's draining, whatever it may be.
17:19And we expect the person to change it because we are, it's a fee for service.
17:26You are saying that that same boldness and audacity and indignance and self-empowerment should be the way that we interact with those that provide our care.
17:38That's exactly what I'm saying.
17:40And I'm also saying it's about value.
17:44Your health care system should deliver value to you.
17:48And what might be valuable to you may not be valuable to you.
17:54It's about value.
17:55How do they know if the health care system is delivering value, right?
17:58Because I might be like, it's value because I haven't been to the emergency room yet this year.
18:02As if that's the way to do preventative care.
18:04But I might say that's the health care system providing value.
18:07What do you mean when you say your health care system should be providing value for you?
18:11So value is measured in several ways, right?
18:13One would be the outcomes, right?
18:15So you feel better, your blood pressure is controlled, your diabetes is controlled.
18:19The second is the experience, right?
18:23Your experience as a person.
18:25The third is the doctor's experience as a person.
18:27And the fourth, let's not forget that, is that you can actually afford the care.
18:33Because I don't care how good care is, if you can't afford it, you don't get it.
18:39And you can access it.
18:41I love the fact that I learned hanging out with my friends at UHC for the last year.
18:46And one of the things they've enlightened me on is that the number one cause of bankruptcy, financial bankruptcy, is health care costs.
18:54The number one cause of financial bankruptcy is health care costs, which means then to get to black wealth, you've got to get your health together.
19:07Correct.
19:08Very well said.
19:09Right?
19:09Very well said.
19:09And then I heard you say, and then I want you to give this audience something they can take away that you really want them to hear.
19:14But then what I also heard you say is, we don't have a gap in understanding how to advocate for ourselves.
19:21We are not incapable.
19:23We are not at a deficit.
19:24We don't need to go take a class on how to advocate for ourselves.
19:30We do it with our hair.
19:31We do it with who we want to be in a relationship with.
19:34Some of us.
19:35We do it.
19:36I mean, no shit.
19:37Hypothetically.
19:39Nobody in this room.
19:40But my point is, you're telling us that we actually have everything we need already to go about ensuring that our health delivers value, our health care delivers value, so that our health becomes something that we don't have to worry about interrupting our wealth.
19:59Exactly.
20:00And then, as you give the closing statement, what I also heard, what I also heard loud and clear from you, is that for those of us that have gone to the doctor four times to try to get the same test and the doctor hasn't figured it out, maybe we don't go to the same doctor for the fourth time.
20:23Pay attention.
20:25Pay attention.
20:25Exactly.
20:26So, Dr. Margaret Mary Wilson, the leader of health care in the world.
20:33I don't care about facts.
20:34In the world.
20:35This is our world, doctor.
20:36This is everybody, doctor.
20:38What is something you haven't shared or want to share that you want this audience and the audience across the diaspora watching this with us to know as we take our seat and celebrate the chief that you are on our behalf?
20:51What do you want them to know in parting?
20:54What I would like this, everyone listening to know, is that it's possible.
21:02Here's what I will ask.
21:04We're not going to get this done without you.
21:08Somewhere, somewhere there is a child in your life, somewhere there's a person in your life who is thinking, who is maybe watching this and is thinking, how can I help?
21:21See, we can give all the money that we want to give, right?
21:26But I ask you to use your voice to encourage others to come in to the clinical realm, the workforce.
21:34That's where we need diversity.
21:36That's where we need it built out.
21:38Lots of young people out there, especially women, are discouraged from attaining their dreams because someone, somewhere, like my uncle, told them it was not possible.
21:50I'd like you all to leave here thinking and sharing the message that it's all possible.
21:57Carolyn, you and I are sitting here today.
22:00Yeah.
22:00I never thought I would be sitting here.
22:02Neither did I.
22:03Right.
22:04You wouldn't have been able to pay me money.
22:05Have the unmitigated gall to believe in the future other people can't see.
22:08Think about the health care audience.
22:10Advocate for your health.
22:11Be healthy so you can be wealthy.
22:13Ladies and gentlemen, the doctor of the world, Dr. Margaret Mary Wilson.
22:19Thank you, sis.
22:20We are proud of you.
22:21We love you.
22:21We're cheering you on.
22:22We're going to be healthier because of you.
22:24We appreciate you being here.
22:25Thank you so much.
22:26I hope you guys enjoyed it.
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