Black Public Health Academy

About Us

About Black Public Health Academy

The Black Public Health Academy (BPHA) is a comprehensive capacity-building initiative dedicated to preparing Black public health professionals to rise into leadership and executive roles across health departments, nonprofit organizations, academic institutions, and community-based systems.

Through this work, the Black Public Health Academy is cultivating a new generation of transformative leaders equipped to confront inequities, strengthen institutions, and drive community-centered change with purpose, resilience, and vision.

Our Philosophy

Our philosophy centers Black leadership, lived experience, and cultural intelligence as essential drivers of effective public health systems. We reject one-size-fits-all approaches and instead prioritize solutions that are community-informed, data-driven, and grounded in real-world practice.

Our Vision

A future where Black public health leaders are fully represented, resourced, and influential in the decisions that shape health systems, policies, and outcomes—locally, nationally, and globally.

Our Mission

To build, strengthen, and sustain Black public health leadership by providing culturally responsive training, mentoring, coaching, and community-centered learning environments that advance equity, excellence, and measurable impact.

Our Founder and Leader –
Leisha McKinley-Beach

Leisha McKinley-Beach is a nationally recognized public health leader, HIV prevention strategist, and equity-driven change agent with decades of experience strengthening public health systems and advancing community-centered solutions.

As the Founder of Black Public Health Academy, Leisha brings deep expertise across HIV prevention, workforce development, policy implementation, and leadership coaching. Her work bridges technical public health excellence with cultural humility, systems transformation, and unwavering commitment to Black communities.

Services

Our Services

At Black Public Health Academy, we partner with healthcare organizations to embed equity into the core of their work—not as an initiative, but as a system-wide practice. Our services are designed to meet organizations where they are and support measurable, lasting change across leadership, community engagement, and patient care.