In honor of National Minority Health Month, we invited Dr. Elisha Peterson — Harvard-trained pain medicine physician and national health equity advocate — to share the health facts she believes every woman of color should know.

From chronic pain to bias in medical care, her insights reflect both data and lived experience.

Meet Dr. Elisha Peterson

1. You’ve dedicated your career to demystifying pain medicine and advocating for equitable care. What drives that mission for you personally?

My motivation began long before medical school.

Growing up, I watched my father—a Black man—navigate serious health challenges. He lived with high blood pressure that eventually progressed to heart failure. I remember him coming home from doctor’s appointments with bag after bag of medications, but very little discussion about lifestyle, prevention, or the bigger picture of his health.

Even as a child, that stayed with me.

I remember thinking: There has to be a better way to care for people than this.

That experience shaped how I view medicine today. I knew early on that I wanted to care for the most vulnerable and to do it in a holistic way—not just prescribing medications, but understanding the whole person.

Children resonated deeply with me for that reason. They are among the most vulnerable patients we serve. As a pediatric anesthesiologist and pain physician, caring for children both in and out of the operating room has been incredibly meaningful. In those moments—when a child is frightened before surgery or a family is navigating chronic pain—you realize how important it is to bring both technical expertise and human understanding.

Pain medicine, in particular, sits at the intersection of science, psychology, culture, and lived experience. My mission has been to demystify that complexity so patients—and increasingly legal and healthcare systems—can understand what pain really is and how it should be treated.

For me, this work is both personal and professional. It is about making sure people are truly seen, heard, and cared for.: 

2. When we talk about health disparities affecting women of color, what is one thing you wish more people understood?

One thing I wish more people understood is that many women—especially women of color—have been conditioned to stay quiet.

Historically, women are not encouraged to question authority or speak up in medical settings. So when a woman does raise a concern about her health, that moment should be treated with seriousness.

Instead, what often happens is the opposite.

Women are reassured rather than reassessed.

Symptoms are minimized. Pain is dismissed as stress or anxiety. Concerns are explained away rather than investigated.

The consequences of this pattern are measurable. Black women experience significantly higher maternal mortality rates in the United States. Women are more likely than men to have autoimmune diseases, yet diagnosis is often delayed. Heart disease—the leading cause of death among women—frequently presents differently than it does in men, and those differences are still underrecognized.

When women say something feels wrong in their bodies, it deserves careful evaluation.

Listening is not just a matter of respect—it is a matter of safety.

If there is one takeaway I want people to remember, it is this: when women speak about their health, that is the moment the medical system needs to lean in, ask deeper questions, and take action.

Dr. Elisha Peterson has dedicated her career to demystifying pain, improving care for underserved communities, and ensuring that patients are truly heard—here are her five health facts for women of color.

The Health Facts

1. Get a second opinion.
   If you have a nagging health concern and do not feel your questions were adequately addressed, seek another opinion. Trust your instincts and keep asking questions until you receive a clear explanation.

2. See a physician when possible.
   Nurse practitioners and physician assistants are often the first clinicians patients are routed to see. If your appointment is for a complex or unresolved medical concern, request evaluation by a physician (MD or DO).

3. Your lifestyle affects your health.
   Emotional stress and dissatisfaction in personal or professional life can manifest physically, including chronic pain. If new symptoms appear suddenly—or persistent symptoms worsen—do not ignore them. Get evaluated and address the root cause.

4. Small daily habits shape your health.
   The habits you practice every day—movement, nutrition, and sleep—have the greatest impact on long-term health. You don’t need extreme changes to improve your health. Small, consistent choices—taking the stairs, eating one healthier meal, cutting back on cigarettes—add up over time.

5. Sleep is a medical necessity.
   Women of color are often expected to be “superhuman”—constantly giving, working, and pushing through exhaustion. That expectation is not mentally or physically healthy. Sleep is essential for heart health, immune function, and mental clarity. Protect your sleep and set boundaries around it just as you would any other priority on your schedule.

Your health deserves attention, clarity, and care — not dismissal or delay. If something feels off, trust that instinct and seek medical support, even if it means asking more questions or finding a second opinion. Prioritizing your health is not overreacting; it is advocating for your well-being. You deserve to be heard, to be taken seriously, and to receive care that looks at the full picture of who you are. Taking that step to see a doctor isn’t just about addressing symptoms — it’s about protecting your future.

Send In Your Questions Here

Beyond sustainability, we’re continuing to uncover a more complex reality: the materials we wear every day may not be designed with our long-term health in mind. From PFAS to BPA, questions around fabric safety, chemical exposure, and cumulative risk are becoming harder to ignore—yet still widely misunderstood.

Next, we’re sitting down with Dr. Julia Saylors, a board-certified oncologist, to explore how these everyday exposures intersect with human health over time—and what it means to make more informed choices for our bodies.

So let us know: what do you want to better understand about fabric safety, chemical exposure, or long-term health? What feels unclear?

Send us your questions. We’ll bring them to the expert.