Episode
A 6-Month Wait For A Specialist Is The New Normal": The CEO Fixing The Physician Shortage | Michellene Davis
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- Jun 16, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1791
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Summary
Michellene Davis began her career as a trial litigator and public defender in Newark, where she kept arguing the same point to juries: if her client had had access to healthcare, none of them would be in that courtroom. That insight has shaped a career spanning law, government, and now national health equity. In this episode of Inspiring Women, host Laurie McGraw sits down with Michellene Davis, Esq., President and CEO of National Medical Fellowships (NMF). Founded in 1946, NMF is one of America's oldest diversity organizations and works to close the physician shortage by building a more representative healthcare workforce. ABOUT MICHELLENE DAVIS Michellene describes her career as "chutes and ladders," but the through line is consistent: integrity, systems thinking, and a refusal to set policy through a privileged lens. Her path includes: - Trial litigator and public defender in Newark, New Jersey - Senior policy advisor in the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services - Youngest CEO of the New Jersey State Lottery, a $2.4 billion entity and one of the state's largest revenue producers - First African American and only the second woman to serve as New Jersey State Treasurer, overseeing a multi-billion dollar budget and pension portfolio - First African American to serve as Chief Policy Counsel to the Governor - Co-author of "Changing Missions, Changing Lives" (ForbesBooks, 2020) WHAT NMF DOES Over its history, NMF has awarded more than $50 million to over 35,000 alumni, training not only physicians but physician leaders who reflect the communities they serve. Michellene explains why this is a problem that touches everyone, not just under-resourced communities: a six-month wait to see a specialist is becoming the norm, with roughly one physician for every 1,00…