Advancing Black Feminism In Public Health

Dr. Quinn M. Gentry (she/her/hers; based in Atlanta, Georgia), an intellectual influencer affectionately known as “Dr Quinn,” is President and CEO of Messages of Empowerment Productions, LLC, where she applies her social and behavioral science expertise in public health, leadership development, organizational effectiveness, intervention development, and executive coaching. Her signature public health initiative, “Advancing Black Feminism in Public Health”, bridges the gap between evidence-informed research and practices and social determinants of health for black women and girls.

Prior to launching her public health and management consulting practice, Dr. Quinn worked as a corporate executive for several Fortune 500 companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, and Wal-Mart Corporations. She also served as a Political Intelligence Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as well as a Principal Investigator, Senior Scientist, and Research Analyst on numerous programs, research, and evaluation studies at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition, she has held teaching and behavioral research positions at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Emory University, and Georgia State University. She has guest-lectured at Howard University (School of Social Work) and Savannah State University (School of Social Work).

Dr. Quinn began working as a behavioral interventionist on a National Institute of Health study at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in 1999, and has been researching, evaluating, developing programs, and building organizational capacity to address black women and girls’ health issues for two decades.

Dr. Quinn has authored over 50 technical and scientific publications and presented at top-tier professional conferences in the fields of public health and sociology. She wrote, directed, and produced “Divine Intervention”, monologue readings to bring awareness to the intersection of HIV, mental illness, substance abuse, domestic violence, and homelessness among black women.

In 2021, Dr. Quinn was named as an HPHR Fellow; and she is an affiliate of RTI International’s Global Gender Center. She serves the community as a women’s health advocate via membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. Dr. Quinn also serves as the Senior Vice President of Engagement for the Bosspreneur Brand, where she is charged with motivating women entrepreneurs.

Dr. Quinn is a sought-after public health influencer, speech writer, content developer, and motivational speaker, where she inspires audiences through a glimpse into her lived experiences as the product of a teen mom, high school drop-out, where both parents loss their lives due to complications with drugs and alcohol. She is quick to remind audiences that it takes family, the faith community, schools, and community-based programs working together in the lives of youth at greater risk for falling through fragile systemic cracks.

Dr. Quinn is a past recipient of the Texas Christian University Leadership Award, valedictorian of the 2013 Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Emerging Leaders Program, recipient of the Red Pump Award for her work in HIV Prevention and Intervention, and the recipient of the Center for Black Women’s Wellness 20th Anniversary Health Leader Award.

In addition to being valedictorian of her high school class, Dr. Quinn’s higher education includes a post-doctoral fellowship from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a Ph.D. in Sociology with a concentration in Race and Urban studies from Georgia State University; an M.B.A. from Clark Atlanta University; and a B.A. from Texas Christian University with dual majors in Political Science and History, and a minor in International Relations.