23. Health Equity and Public Relations with Thomas Bennett

Thomas Bennett, Senior Vice President at FleishmanHillard

What is public relations' role in achieving health equity? Listen as Melissa discusses diversity and inclusion in the healthcare industry with Senior Vice President at FleishmanHillard and health equity trailblazer, Thomas Bennett.

About Thomas:
Thomas is an MBA-educated, military veteran with over 20 years of combined experience in Public Relations (PR), Sales, Marketing, Diversity & Inclusion, and Business Development. He has devoted over 14 years of his career working for companies and organizations in the healthcare industry due to his passion and commitment to achieving health equity.

Currently, Thomas is Senior Vice President at FleishmanHillard, a global PR agency that was recently named Agency of the Year by PRWeek.

Topics covered:
- The importance of public relations in healthcare
- Introducing health equity
- The evolution of diversity & inclusion
- How to start working in D&I
- Becoming a D&I champion
- Going above and beyond in your day job

Actions to take:
- Ensure your communication is fair and accurate
- Your lived experiences can enlighten your work
- Become an ally
- Look internally before you fix external problems
- Address D&I problems head-on

Resources mentioned:
- The Public Relations Society of America
- Deloitte
- Melissa's PRSA articles
- MVW Communications
- PR Pro Gear