As COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across California and around the world, people in the Black community have questions and concerns that need answers. NABJLA has compiled a panel of top medical professionals and experts for “The Insider’s Guide To The Covid-19 Vaccine” this Saturday, March 27 at 11 a.m. PT to provide crucial information about how the vaccine works, why people are afraid to get the shot, who does it protect, the differences between Pfizer/Moderna/Johnson & Johnson versions, how they’re being distributed, what the American Rescue Plan means for you, and so much more! Nurse Alice Benjamin moderates the discussion with L.A. County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis, Nurse practitioner Dr. James Simmons and the Los Angeles Times’ Erika D. Smith. RSVP and learn more about our panelists below.
Panelists
Nurse Alice Benjamin
(Moderator)
“Nurse Alice” Benjamin is a board-certified Clinical Nurse Specialist and Family Nurse Practitioner with over 23 years nursing experience specializing in cardiovascular, emergency and critical care. She currently works on the frontline in the emergency room. She has cared for some of the most complex cardiac patients and has extensive experience in burn, trauma, and emergency medicine.
Nurse Alice graduated with honors from San Diego State University with a dual major in Nursing and Psychology. She later obtained a Masters Degree in Nursing Education/Clinical Nurse Specialist and Post- Masters as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
She is a recurring on-air health medical contributor for NBC 4 in Los Angeles and has appeared as a regular for other local and national news networks including The Dr. Oz Show, The Doctors, CNN, HLN, FOX News, TVOne, BBC and KTLA Morning News. She hosts weekly digital shows, “The Exam Room with Nurse Alice” and “Nurse News Now with Nurse Alice,” and has brought back her “Ask Nurse Alice” podcast.
Dr. Muntu Davis
Dr. Muntu Davis serves as the Los Angeles County Health Officer at the Department of Public Health (DPH). In this role, Dr. Davis serves as the Department’s medical expert regarding public health matters and provides guidance to leadership across the organization. Working in partnership with DPH colleagues and health professional organizations, he consults on, interprets, and enforces County and State laws and regulations to protect and promote the health and wellness of all Los Angeles County residents. Dr. Davis comes to Los Angeles from the Alameda County Public Health Department (ACPHD) where he served as Director for six years and Health Officer since 2009. As the Director, he provided strategic and administrative leadership, direction and oversight to planning for a full range of public health activities for over 1.6 million county residents. In his role as County Health Officer, he led public health protection efforts; health policy development; and served as an advisor to elected and appointed officials, members of the medical profession, and the public on matters affecting public health and safety. For the past decade, he has contributed to statewide and national discussions around how to elevate and implement a health equity framework within government agencies. Dr. Davis practiced medicine in urban and rural primary care and urgent care clinics in Northern and Southern California. Dr. Davis has a MD from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a MPH from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts.
Dr. James Simmons
Dr. James Simmons is a Board Certified Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, frontline healthcare provider during the Covid-19 pandemic, and passionate on-air medical contributor. As a proud member of the most trusted profession in America 19 years running, he is also the brains and heart behind the online community “Ask The NP, everything you’re too scared to ask your MD!” Dr. James continues to emerge as a leading healthcare voice at the intersection of the LGBTQ+ and Black communities. As seen and heard on NBC, FOX, CBS, Sirius XM, Radio.com, DASH Radio, PEOPLE magazine online and more, his combination of extensive multimedia experience and more than 10 years of hospital-based critical care practice make Dr. James a trusted source for real, relatable, and reliable health information.
Erika D. Smith
Erika D. Smith is a columnist for the Los Angeles Times writing about the diversity of people and places across California. She joined The Times in 2018 as an assistant editor and helped expand coverage of the state’s housing and homelessness crisis. She previously worked at the Sacramento Bee, where she was a columnist and editorial board member covering housing, homelessness and social justice issues. Before the Bee, Smith wrote for the Indianapolis Star and Akron Beacon Journal. She is a recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi award for column writing, a graduate of Ohio University and a native of the long-suffering sports town of Cleveland.
