A Message From Chief Executive Officer

When I founded the National Minority Quality Forum in 1998, our mission was clear: collect the data we need to protect the most vulnerable. For more than 25 years, we have done exactly that—gathering, analyzing, and publishing data that has illuminated health disparities in almost every area of our nation’s healthcare system. From chronic disease to maternal health, from cancer outcomes to access to preventive care, the numbers have told a sobering story.

But now, the question is no longer Do we have the data? The question is What will we do with it?

That is why the theme of this year’s Annual Summit—“We Have the Data. Now What?!?”—is more than a slogan. It is our call to action. The data is the foundation, but solutions are the structure we must build on top of it.

At NMQF, we have aligned our work through six specialized centers, each charged with using our unparalleled data resources to tackle our nation’s biggest health challenges. Whether it’s advancing clinical research equity, improving cancer outcomes, addressing maternal mortality, building community-based health solutions, shaping public policy, or enhancing our national response to public health crises—each center transforms knowledge into action.

This year’s report shows how those centers are not only identifying problems but driving measurable change. They are partnering with communities, informing policymakers, guiding industry leaders, and pushing forward the innovations that will redefine health equity in this country.

Over the decades, we have seen the power of information. Now, we are demonstrating the power of application. The work ahead will be challenging, but the opportunity is unprecedented. We have the insights. We have the experience. And now, we have a model that ensures those insights lead to healthier, more equitable futures for every community we serve.

For us, the “Now What?” is not a question—it is our mandate.

Sincerely,
Gary A. Puckrein, PhD