Advancing Equity and Access
Raven Herring, C’2026, is a
health sciences major at Spelman College and a Presidential Scholar in the
Ethel Waddell Githii Honors Program. As a Health Careers Opportunity Pipeline Preparation Program (HCOPPP) Scholar, Herring is deeply committed to eliminating health disparities and advancing equity through both clinical practice and public health leadership.
She currently conducts research on triple negative breast cancer in Black women through Columbia University’s YES in the HEIGHTS program, where she is contributing to a publication and will return this summer to continue her work. As an American Heart Association Scholar, she previously conducted cardiovascular research at Emory University and engaged in professional development focused on innovations in biomedical science. Her global health perspective was strengthened through a health careers program trip to Barbados, where she performed community health assessments and worked alongside local healthcare professionals to support underserved populations.
On campus, Herring serves as an American Red Cross HBCU Ambassador, where she has led outreach reaching over 5,000 students and increasing minority blood donor participation, with a strong emphasis on sickle cell awareness. She is also the upcoming senior class president and a proud member of the “Sweet” Mu Pi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated. She was recently recognized as a 2024 White House HBCU Scholar, representing Spelman on a national level.
Herring also serves as the Scalpel Reporter for the Alpha Epsilon Delta Health Pre-Professional Honor Society, mentoring chair for Collegiate 100, and is an active member of the I Am Abel Foundation and Women of Excellence in Leadership at Spelman. Earlier in her academic journey, she was selected to participate in the Summer Health Professions Education Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she served as president of her cohort, and she was also a SouthMed Prep Scholar through the University of South Alabama.
She aspires to become an anesthesiologist and a global health leader focused on public health advocacy and infrastructure expansion. She is particularly passionate about strengthening healthcare systems and emergency preparedness in Malawi, where communities continue to battle diseases such as HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. She also plans to found a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to individuals managing long-term health conditions. Herring is especially committed to increasing healthcare access for low-income and minority populations, ensuring that quality care and health resources are equitably distributed. For her, medicine is not only about science and treatment, but about healing, advocacy, and transforming lives through compassion and justice.
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