The Board of Directors of Black Health is pleased to announce that it has named Shirley Torho as its new President & CEO effective July 2024. Ms. Torho, an energetic leader with a passion for developing initiatives that advance equity and address systems of health, educational, and opportunity disparities that have long impacted Black and other historically marginalized communities, brings a wealth of experience and expertise and currently serves as the Secretary of the Black Health Board.
“We’re so pleased to welcome Shirley as our next President & CEO,” said Dr. Bert Petersen, Vice Chair of Black Health’s Board of Directors, Chair of the Board Search Committee, and Chief of Breast Surgery– SBH Health System. “The search committee was fortunate to interview several highly qualified candidates to lead Black Health in the next phase o fits evolution as a leading national organization dedicated to eradicating health disparities and advancing health equity and equality. I am personally excited and inspired to work with Shirley and the entire Board of Directors for the future of a just and equitable national health care system that includes Black Health for Black America.”
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Ms.Torho comes with over a decade of experience in public health and education and has served as Director of an Adolescent Sexual Health Program; Project Manager and Subject Matter Expert for a producer, publisher, and distributor of award-winning evidence-based health programs; Director of Social Emotional Learning and Enrichment at the largest Title I provider in the country, and as a public health strategist and consultant for medical institutions, departments of health, children and family service organizations, policy and advocacy institutions, and HIV prevention and treatment organizations around the country.
Previously, she served as Interim Director for the HIV Planning Group for the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the Bureau of Hepatitis, HIV, and STIs, where she worked to bridge community with city government during a time of significant staff transition amid the pandemic. In 2019,she led the NYC Health Department’s work on the 2020 Ending the HIV Epidemic: Plan for America, a tremendous effort that included the implementation of community listening sessions and the dissemination of a community-wide survey
that generated over 600 responses. Her work with organizations such as the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services and the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors has provided her with insight into the health policy arena and how best to mobilize resources for underreached populations.
“I am delighted for Shirley Torho’s appointment as my successor. Having worked with Black Health as a consultant for eight years and served as a member of its Board of Directors, she brings a perspective and strategic direction that is much needed during this time of transitions,” said Ms. C. Virginia Fields, outgoing President & CEO of Black Health. She is an accomplished, enthusiastic, and committed leader with a wealth of valuable experience at the local, state, and federal levels, and comes to the position at a time when our public health systems face many challenges. “As we look to the future, I am confident that Shirley is the right person to lead Black Health and continue its legacy of addressing the historic and present failings of the US health system to prioritize high quality, equitable and culturally relevant health care to historically overlooked and medically neglected communities.”
Ms. Torho has supported organizations of many sizes and provided executive leadership and oversight to support program development, fundraising and grant writing, staff and board development, partnerships, and operations. Ms. Torho has been featured as guest lecturer at national medical institutions, including the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she addressed implicit bias, the history of race in medicine, and leveraging intersectionality frameworks in public health to address disparities.
