In this episode of the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Dr. Danielle M. Campbell reflects on what it means to continue doing equity-centered work when the communities, language, and issues at the center of that work are increasingly under attack.
From challenging assumptions about Black communities and HIV research, to centering community power in science, to refusing to separate her identities as a Black woman, scientist, advocate, and leader, Dr. Campbell shares why she continues to push—even when that work is met with resistance.
This conversation explores courage, power, community, and what it means to refuse erasure while continuing to work toward a more equitable vision of public health.
Meet Dr. Danielle M. Campbell ✨
Dr. Danielle M. Campbell is a translational biomedical mixed methods trained researcher whose research focuses on advancing prevention, care, cure equity and policy among Black women and other populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. Her work considers women’s intersectional and syndemic experiences and centers community-informed participatory processes to develop peer and technology driven interventions.
Dr. Campbell’s liberatory work aims to bridge research and practice. She collaborates closely with community partners, national research networks, and multidisciplinary teams to ensure that interventions are grounded in lived experience and responsive to the needs of communities most impacted by HIV. Her work emphasizes not only identifying disparities but also translating findings into sustainable, real-world impact through liberatory health frameworks.
Conversation Highlights 🎙️
- We Will Continue to Persist — Dr. Campbell reflects on attempts to restrict the language public health professionals use to name communities and the conditions shaping health. Her response is unequivocal: communities cannot simply be erased by refusing to name them.
- Courage in the Room — She shares what courage has meant throughout her career: being the only person in the room who looks like her and continuing to address issues others consider too difficult to tackle.
- Centering Community in HIV Research — Dr. Campbell describes helping develop a first-of-its-kind HIV prevention research agenda that challenged assumptions that Black communities are difficult to reach or engage and instead centered equity, community, and culture.
- Equity as the Standard — She imagines a public health in which equity is no longer treated as an aspiration, but as the standard by which success is measured—and where the work moves beyond documenting disparities toward transforming the systems in which they are created.
- Being Well, Wholly — Looking toward her own future, Dr. Campbell describes a vision of being well mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially—not only as an individual, but within the communities where she lives, works, loves, and plays.
“Honey, we will continue to persist.” — Dr. Danielle M. Campbell
Stay in Touch 🔗
With Dr. Danielle M. Campbell
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-m-campbell-phd-mph-488632ab/
Instagram ↗: https://www.instagram.com/hdnizm/
With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch
Follow for weekly reflections on courage and leadership ↗: http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6
Speaking & Leadership Development 🤝
Dr. Kristi McClamroch partners with organizations navigating complexity through keynote presentations, workshops, and leadership development.
Her work helps leaders better understand themselves, one another, and the conditions that shape what’s possible.
To explore speaking or consulting opportunities, connect on LinkedIn ↗ or visit our website ↗.