# Power of presence: Leading, healing, lifting others | Valerie Mosely | TEDxBoston Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4TZsdsc3GY Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/s4TZsdsc3GY Generated: 2025-12-05T17:48:48.363+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview Valerie Mosely, a physician who grew up in rural Mobile, Alabama, advocates for proactive engagement in maternal health and healthcare equity, emphasizing that systemic biases and political decisions negatively impact underserved populations, and urging the next generation of medical professionals to actively advocate for themselves and their patients. **Key Points:** - Valerie Mosely identifies the maternal mortality disparity as pervasive, noting that 51% of the population (women) lives in states with restrictive abortion laws, disproportionately affecting rural and disadvantaged areas. - Mosely shares that she grew up in rural Mobile, Alabama, which felt like a segregated environment lacking access to care, profoundly shaping her career path. - She highlights that 50 years after the Roe v. Wade decision (1973), the maternal mortality disparity between Black and white women is greater now than it was then. - Mosely argues that the old model of care delivery, where the doctor dictates everything, does not work in the 21st century; technology like AI requires professionals to be trained to utilize it effectively. - She stresses the importance of advocacy, urging the next generation of medical professionals to advocate for themselves and their patients, noting that many are already engaging at state and local levels regarding reproductive health legislation. - Mosely cites research showing that 11% of NIH funding for medical research in the country goes toward women's health, indicating a systemic lack of interest in areas like menopause care. - She concludes that improvement requires retraining and retooling the healthcare workforce to promote equitable care. ![Screenshot at 00:14: Valerie Mosely describes her upbringing in rural, segregated Alabama, explaining that this experience of lacking access to care shaped her perspective as a physician and advocate for healthcare equity.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/s4TZsdsc3GY/00-00-14.png) **Context:** This video captures an interview segment from TEDxBoston featuring Valerie Mosely, who identifies herself as a physician, daughter, sister, and friend who grew up in rural, segregated Southern Alabama. Her personal experience of lacking access to care when her mother died of colon cancer at age 57 motivated her to bring that perspective into medicine. The discussion centers on the current crises in healthcare equity, particularly concerning maternal health, and the need for systemic change driven by medical professionals. ## Detailed Analysis Valerie Mosely, a physician, discusses the pervasive disparities in healthcare, particularly regarding maternal health, linking them to systemic issues like implicit bias and restrictive political decisions in certain states. She notes that 51% of the population lives in states with abortion restrictions, which negatively impacts rural and disadvantaged areas. Mosely points out the alarming statistic that the maternal mortality disparity for Black women is worse now than it was in 1973, before Roe v. Wade. She critiques the outdated model of care where physicians dictate patient needs, arguing that the next generation must advocate for themselves and their patients, utilizing new tools like AI to address these gaps. Mosely also highlights the underfunding of women's health research by the NIH, citing that only 11% of NIH funding goes toward this area. She emphasizes that improving care requires retraining the workforce to ensure equitable outcomes for all, regardless of socioeconomic status or political affiliation. ### Personal Background and Motivation - Mosely identifies as a physician who grew up in rural, segregated Mobile, Alabama, losing her mother at 57 due to lack of access to care, which informs her current advocacy. ### Healthcare Disparities - Mosely cites a statistic that 51% of the population lives in states with restrictive abortion laws, which impacts rural and disadvantaged areas; she also notes the maternal mortality gap between Black and white women is wider now than in 1973. ### Critique of Current System - The old model of care where the doctor dictates treatment is obsolete in the 21st century; furthermore, only 11% of NIH medical research funding targets women's health. ### Call to Action for Advocacy - Mosely urges the next generation of medical professionals to advocate collectively and individually, citing that bills supporting reproductive health are already being introduced in four states. ### Future Solutions - Effective change requires retraining and retooling the healthcare workforce to utilize technology like AI to ensure equitable care delivery, moving beyond the paternalistic doctor-knows-best model. ![Screenshot at 00:04: Introduction slide displaying the names of the speakers: Sharon Malone & Valerie Mosley.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/s4TZsdsc3GY/00-00-04.png) ![Screenshot at 00:06: Valerie Mosely \(right, in red blazer\) and Sharon Malone \(left, in red top\) seated for the interview against a wood-paneled background.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/s4TZsdsc3GY/00-00-06.png) ![Screenshot at 00:44: Mosely gestures while explaining that she wrote her book from the perspective of advocating for patients who lacked access to care.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/s4TZsdsc3GY/00-00-44.png) ![Screenshot at 02:07: Mosely discusses positive and alarming trends in the medical industry, emphasizing the shift away from physician-owned practices.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/s4TZsdsc3GY/00-02-07.png) ![Screenshot at 04:48: Mosely points out that the next generation needs to be comfortable living in a digital world and must advocate for themselves.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/s4TZsdsc3GY/00-04-48.png)