Joy A. Lewis, MSW, MPH, is Senior Vice President, Health Equity Strategies, and Executive Director for the Institute for Diversity and Health Equity (IFDHE) at the American Hospital Association. In her dual roles, Joy has broad oversight for several key association priorities and functions related to diversity, health equity and inclusion to support and build healthy communities. She also serves as a member of the executive management team of the AHA.
Joy began working at the AHA in late 2018 as vice president, strategic policy planning, where she led the Association’s efforts to identify long-term public policy issues, presenting solutions to further the AHA’s vision and mission. She provided leadership in organizing member work groups to ensure members’ involvement, gaining the value of their insights and perspectives to elevate the visibility of the AHA as a thought leader and agent of change around critical issues in health care in America.
Before joining the AHA, Joy held several positions over almost two decades at Kaiser Permanente; her last role was senior health policy leader at the Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy, based in Oakland, CA.
Joy sits on the board of directors for the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) and Creating Healthier Communities. She also serves on The Chartis Group’s Health Equity Advisory board and several committees including the AAMC’s Health Workforce Research Committee and Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation Expert Advisory Committee. Outside of work, she fuels her passion for the arts by serving as a board member of Round House Theatre located in Bethesda, MD.
Joy holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from Wesleyan University, and dual master’s degrees in social work from Howard University and public health from the University of California - Los Angeles.
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