Carmen Parker Bradshaw knew she wanted a career in health care, but initially, she saw herself working directly with patients. Then, an important encounter changed her course.
“Near the end of my undergraduate education, a very influential mentor opened my eyes to the larger issue of medicine: the decreasing accessibility, affordability and availability of health care for the average patient or consumer, not only throughout the world, but in the United States,” she says.
Following her undergraduate education, she applied for and received a competitive fellowship program with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Global Health Affairs. She says the experience gave her a better understanding of community-based medicine, particularly in underserved and underdeveloped countries.
That knowledge is no doubt useful to Bradshaw in her role at the helm of the Springfield-Greene County Regional Health Commission, a nonprofit entity working to ensure affordable, sustainable and accessible health care to the community at large.
“I found this opportunity wonderfully stretching, because I was able to learn as I led, all the while influencing the voice and composition of our foundational framework,” she says. “I am proud that I have helped bring together a diverse set of perspectives, operational structures and goals in an effort to focus on a bigger picture: the community’s health.”
Bradshaw is co-chairwoman of a program through the University of Missouri Extension Office focused on addressing diversity and health literacy through work force development and community platforms and in patient populations. She’s also co-leading the public health committee chapter of the city of Springfield’s 2030 Strategic Plan, partnering with Drury University’s Community Brigades course to teach students about leadership, and working with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks to teach children to plan for their educational futures.
Bradshaw says her approach is simple, regardless of which role has her interacting with others.
“I share my perspectives and visions for the community and listen to theirs in return,” she says, noting that one of her recently added roles is working with the Good Community Committee to address civic engagement and generational issues.
“I hope that my efforts in Springfield will help citizens and community leaders to work together better – to remember that true collaboration is an intricate concept with multiple attributes … resulting in an integrative solution,” Bradshaw says.[[In-content Ad]]
Moseley’s Discount Office Products was purchased; Side Chick opened in Branson; and the Springfield franchise store of NoBaked Cookie Dough changed ownership.
