Dr. Eric E. Whitaker | Source | Founder & Executive Chairman at Zing Health
Dr. Eric E. Whitaker
Dr. Whitaker founded Zing Health, an insurance plan to make Medicare Advantage the best it can be for those 65 and over, in 2019. He has served for more than 30 years in public and private roles to develop innovative healthcare solutions for medically underserved populations, with a focus on startups and technologies to improve operational efficiency and clinical outcomes. In 2021, he was named by Modern Healthcare as one of its Top 25 Innovators.
As a Black founder and mentor, Dr. Whitaker is working to make Zing Health a training ground for minority healthcare executives who can rise to positions of influence in the industry. He also works with his team to ensure Zing Health can reach the $1 billion threshold to achieve unicorn status and inspire other Black founders.
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It’s not just my view that minority patients benefit from minority doctors; the data supports it. We desperately need diverse populations to be involved in medicine not only to benefit patients but so that minorities can see themselves in STEM careers. We’re becoming a majority-minority nation, with most of the growth over the next decade in minority cohorts. So, we need to act now to ensure the future health of this more diverse populace, to provide role models and mentors for STEM careers and to allow under-represented groups to tap into the high-income opportunities that healthcare offers.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.” People in under-resourced communities have lived with health disparities for generations. In the first year of the pandemic, life expectancy for Black Chicagoans fell below 70 years for the first time. White Chicagoans on average live 10 years longer. Zing Health aims to achieve health equity by bringing members in under-resourced communities the technology and high-touch care they have been missing.
Medium: "Inspirational Black Men and Women in Medicine: Dr Eric E Whitaker of Zing Health On 5 Things You Need To Create A Successful Career In Medicine" March 29, 2023
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Chicago-based health care company aims to insure Black seniors
The man who once directed the Illinois Department of Public Health has taken on a new venture, providing enhanced Medicare insurance to Black and Brown seniors. Digital journalist Jamaica Ponder shows us how Dr. Eric Whitaker is continuing to serve the public.
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Dr. Eric Whitaker on how Black creativity can change lives
The executive chairman of Zing Health shares his thoughts on the making of Project Brotherhood: a Black Men’s Clinic.
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Physicians are at the forefront of minimizing the preventive care gap
Patients from under-resourced populations lack the preventive health screenings and early interventions that can reduce the risk of illness or disability.
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Zing Health
Founder & Executive Chairman