Ashlee Wisdom (MPH '18) is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Health In Her HUE, a digital health platform aimed at reducing racial health disparities by leveraging the power of technology, media and community to improve health outcomes for Black women and other women of color. She has over a decade of experience working across the healthcare industry at companies such as Weill Cornell Medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals, and Junto Health.
What was your favorite experience at NYU?
Studying abroad in Cuba and exploring the Cuban healthcare system. It was incredibly eye-opening; it not only inspired new ideas for improving healthcare in the U.S., but also reaffirmed the vital role that community plays in health and healing. The sense of collective care that I witnessed was profound, and continues to influence my work today.
How do you leverage your public health degree in the work you're doing?
I love that my job lets me embrace both my academic and creative sides. I get to dive deep into data, research and theory—feeding my inner nerd—but I also get to apply those insights creatively to build solutions that are essential for shaping the future of healthcare. It's the perfect blend of intellect and innovation.
What do you love most about your job?
Health in Her HUE gives me the chance to help women who look like me navigate the healthcare system with more support and resources, and that has been incredibly rewarding.
What is a career accomplishment that you are proud of?
I'm most proud of building a company that transformed my own pain and trauma into something meaningful and impactful to women who look like me.
What is an important trend or opportunity in your industry that should be talked about more?
We need to focus more on upstream solutions in healthcare. While downstream interventions are often discussed, addressing the root causes of health disparities—things like access to quality care, environmental factors, and social determinants—can prevent many of the issues we see downstream. Shifting the conversation and efforts toward upstream solutions can be transformative.
What advice would you give to a prospective student who is considering a public health career?
Don’t let academia chip away at your imagination; use it to provide the data that’s often necessary to defend and realize the solutions you imagine. If you experience or witness the problem, you are being equipped with powerful information to imagine and create the solution.