October 1, 2026, marked the official launch of BlackDoctor’s medical advisory board in the history of its inception. This new development marks a new chapter for the digital platform under Akinwole Garrett, who was appointed as CEO earlier this year.
The board is made up of eight physicians, including Dr. Yele Aluko of Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Nicole Christian-Brathwaite of Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Craig Emmit Cole of Detroit, Michigan, Dr. Chikelue Oragwu of Marietta, Georgia, Dr. Kristen Harris Nwanyanwu of New Haven, Connecticut, Dr. Adam Friedman of Washington, D.C., Dr. Keisha L. Gibson of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Dr. Beatrice Williams of Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina. Their respective specialties span dermatology, ophthalmology, cardiology, and pediatrics, to name a few.
The board will provide clinical insight to BlackDoctor’s executive team in areas such as product development, content, and clinical strategy. It will also represent the company at conferences, industry events, and in digital content. They will also help cultivate relationships between BlackDoctor and other entities such as medical societies, healthcare nonprofits, academic medical institutions, and more.
“When BlackDoctor first approached me about joining the board, it was an easy decision,” said advisory board member Dr. Craig Emmitt Cole, Oncology/Hematology. “I thought about how many patients could be helped by the trusted resources BlackDoctor provides, and it just made sense. As part of the board, I’ve been able to help shape cutting-edge tools like WellBot and Health on Point from the ground up, drawing on what I’ve learned treating multiple myeloma in Black patients for years. We’re not just adding another AI product to the market — we’re building something that actually understands who it’s talking to.”
The advisory board is one of many new initiatives the company has taken on as it dives deeper into technological advancement and resource support for caregivers, patients, and physicians, both of color and their supporters.
“Increasing our technological capabilities and bringing real tools and real experiences to the audiences and community that we serve so we can drive better health outcomes and close the health equity gap that we’ve experienced historically […] We’ve worked over 25 years to build this trust and we will continue to build on that foundation of trust and continue to keep our community first and center and maintain that trust with our community. I would [also] say that we want to double down on what we do for caregivers. They’re the unseen warriors in this whole journey,” Garrett told EBONY.
Garrett continued on to explain that the three factors that went into selecting the advisory board members included a deeper understanding and commitment to BlackDoctor’s mission, a demonstrated history of health equity work, whether it be in underserved communities doing clinical work or research, and a willingness to commit their expertise to BlackDoctor through time through the aforementioned responsibilities. The idea for the board was initially birthed in 2025, when the team determined that it would be a company goal for 2026 that would be properly brought to fruition once the executive leadership team was fully developed under the company’s new direction. The company also intends to expand the board at a later date.
“We are really focused on and doubling down on the healthcare professional side and engaging Black and culturally sensitive physicians to arm them with the knowledge and culturally informed lens of information so they understand the black patient journey to give better treatment and help options,” Garrett said in response to the focus area that the team intends to tackle now that the board is in place. Alongside this, ensuring that more tools and resources are put in place to empower patients, physicians, and caregivers.
Garrett, alongside the BlackDoctor executive team, is actively working to introduce more innovative ways to reach audiences and provide advanced capabilities to the public that weren’t previously available. These efforts include their AI-powered tools WellBot, an educational tool for cultural sensitivity training for physicians, and Health On Point, an educational tool for patients that can aid in preparation for medical diagnosis and appointments.
BlackDoctor houses the largest database of Black healthcare professionals and non-Black healthcare professionals with predominantly Black patients across the country, with over 30,000 users, and reaches 30 million people per year.