Advocate Spotlight - Oby Nwabuzor

Meet Oby - Our new Multicultural Initiatives Director in Milwaukee WI!

What brought you to be an advocate for the American Heart Association?

I have always had a heart of service. As a servant leader with purpose to develop marginalized communities through relationship building, AHA has the outlet and opportunity to do just that. What makes it even better is that I get to be a community catalyst to advance health equity (particularly around cardiovascular disease), right here, in my hometown city of Milwaukee.

What issues or policies are you most passionate about and why?

Health equity, social determinants of health among emerging populations and access to healthy food. Social determinants of health among emerging populations is key to advancing and achieving health equity. There is a correlation between one’s societal conditions, healthy food access and their level of health. Individuals in lower zip codes, particularly in Milwaukee, have less of an access to healthy food options – people that look just like me.

What is your favorite advocacy memory or experience so far and what made it great?

Implementing Check, Change, Control (to help implement a four-month program to provide opportunities for participants to regularly self- monitor their blood pressure, track the results and take action on it) with the Social Development Commission. In life, we can take steps but that doesn’t mean that those strides are of benefit to others. That may be viewed as a small step but nonetheless, a step in the right direction.

What is your favorite way to be active?

Anytime I get the chance to grab a basketball and to do some cardio-kickboxing.

What is your favorite fruit or vegetable?

This is quite easy – cantaloupe, grapes, watermelon, spinach, potatoes, CORN! And carrots. However, let’s just make sure that the fruit is ripe.