2024 Diversity Champion Award
Lisa Sloane ‘07
True to her entrepreneurial spirit, Lisa Sloane ‘07 loves solving puzzles. She will work for hours to carefully insert tiny pieces of a puzzle to make the picture whole. For a decade, she has used those problem-solving skills to tackle a much bigger puzzle – how to ensure that all Americans receive high-quality healthcare.
It is a complex issue, but Sloane is making a difference by focusing on one specific piece — improving the collection of patient demographic data — to ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to be healthy.
“Collecting demographic data is a communications challenge. We teach learners customer service skills that enhance engagement with the diverse patients they serve,” says Sloane, who is the founder and chief executive officer of More Inclusive Healthcare.
Sloane and her team develop eLearning modules that educate healthcare learners on data collection that includes race and ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability and other factors. Sloane’s courses train tens of thousands of hospital learners in the United States and Canada.
“We're a small business focused on a very specific problem, and we do it with passion and excellence,” Sloane says.
Early in her career, Sloane worked for non-profit organizations focusing on disadvantaged communities, including Black women with HIV and low-income people with chronic illnesses. There she observed firsthand how poorly some groups fared compared to other populations.
“Lisa promotes the creation of an environment free from bias and discrimination. She has helped to propel Ohio toward the beginning of a transformation enabling the creation of a more inclusive environment in every community.”
This was not a secret. “There are mountains of research over decades documenting disparities in healthcare delivery and outcomes,” Sloane says. But why? Sloane concluded that a fundamental factor was the incomplete and inconsistent availability of data for diverse groups.
“Without the data, you can't clearly pinpoint the disparities, and if you can't pinpoint the disparities, then you can't work on resolving them,” she says.
Sloane launched her company in 2014 to fill that void. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and runs her company virtually, striving to provide a workplace offering flexibility and balance. Most of her team members are women. “I’m very proud that I can give women the opportunity to contribute professionally while caring for their families on their own terms,” she says.
Sloane maintains close ties with Ohio State, mentoring students and alumni. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the College of Public Health and serves on the diversity, equity and inclusion committee. Life is busy, but Sloane says entrepreneurs thrive on putting all the puzzle pieces together. “I love solving problems, both in life and business.”
Presented to alumni who have made a significant and sustained contribution that fosters diversity and inclusion in their broader community and/or organization. Their efforts must recognize and respect the value of individual differences such as race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran or military service status, gender identity, economic status, political belief, marital status or social background.