Panelist: Fact or Fiction? You Are What You Eat
Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Anjanette Hogan has had her share of challenges. During the ’90s, South Central was mostly known for gangs and drugs. Despite this, Hogan managed to graduate from high school and enter Spelman College. At a young age her passion was to help others, and she decided she wanted to be a physician. While at Spelman, Hogan majored in biology/premed. As a leading liberal arts college, Hogan knew she would receive a top-notch science education while attending the historically Black women’s college. Additionally, her matriculation through Spelman allowed her to grow and development into a confident and strong African-American woman through involvement in various on campus activities, especially her involvement in the Eta Kappa Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
After graduating from Spelman, Hogan attended medical school at UCLA and completed her pediatric residency training at White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles. Upon completion of her pediatric residency, she took a position as a physician at a large health clinic in an underserved community. After a few years, Hogan realized that if she wanted to practice medicine from her heart, she would need to branch out on her own. It was then that she decided to quit being an employee and open her own solo practice. That was 13 years ago, and she still loves helping save lives on her own terms.
Unfortunately, as a pediatrician she has seen how childhood obesity is destroying young people. Hogan’s concern over issues of childhood obesity, and it’s rising long-term effects, led her to launch the nonprofit, Youthful Joy Foundation in 2014. The mission of Youthful Joy is to "provide joy to our youth through health." The organization works to provide and offer programs in physical, mental, and sexual health for obese/overweight children ages 4-18. She says, “being able to take a stance against childhood obesity through educating via classes, workshops, and healthy living demonstrations has giving me a new sense of purpose.”