Debra Fraser-Howze is a renowned public health leader, corporate executive, government relations expert, and the Founder and Board Chair of Choose Healthy Life (CHL). With a career spanning decades, she has been at the forefront of addressing systemic health disparities, advising two U.S. Presidents as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, co-authoring the landmark Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI), founding the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA), developing the first FDA-approved in-home rapid HIV test, and leading a national nonprofit. Through her leadership, vision, and unwavering commitment to equitable health outcomes, Ms. Fraser-Howze has saved countless lives and transformed public health initiatives in underserved communities.

Choose Healthy Life is a groundbreaking non-profit organization that addresses public health disparities in underserved communities through the trusted infrastructure of the Black Church. Ms. Fraser-Howze founded CHL in October 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic after seeing the disproportionate death and inequitable health impact it was having on the Black community. She saw an opportunity to bring faith and medical science together by establishing a trusted health workforce within the Black church to connect hard-to-reach and underserved communities on the ground to much needed health services.

Under Ms. Fraser-Howze’s visionary leadership, CHL has grown rapidly since its founding, expanding its footprint to 120 churches across 13 states. Through her guidance, CHL has established itself as a vital lifeline for equitable health access, engaging 24+ million people, facilitating over 10,000 health-focused events, and distributing COVID-19 vaccines and tests to over 340,000 individuals nationwide. Fueling this success, CHL has secured over $50 million in combined funding and donated services to address health challenges in the Black community in just four years.

Recognizing the vital role of collaboration between faith and medical science, Ms. Fraser-Howze established the National Black Clergy Health Leadership Council, co-chaired by civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton (National Action Network) and the late Rev. Calvin O. Butts III of Abyssinian Baptist Church. She also ensured CHL’s Medical Advisory Board would be guided by preeminent voices in public health, including Dr. Tom Frieden (former Director of the CDC), Dr. Louis Sullivan (former HHS Secretary), and Dr. Donna Christensen (U.S. Congresswoman, 1997–2015).

Through innovative programs like the Choose Healthy Life Community Wellness Program, launched in November 2022, CHL continues to offer critical health resources to vulnerable populations. This initiative provides Quest Diagnostics’ Blueprint for Wellness (BFW), a free and comprehensive health screening service, and connects participants to healthcare professionals for personalized risk assessments. Since, CHL has provided these comprehensive health screenings to more than 20,000 individuals. By addressing the alarming gap in access for uninsured and underinsured individuals, CHL remains an essential force for community wellness.

Ms. Fraser-Howze’s career is a testament to transformative leadership and tireless advocacy. Prior to founding CHL, Prior to founding CHL, she spent 10 years as Senior Vice President of Government and External Affairs at OraSure Technologies. There, she championed pivotal advancements in diagnostic tools, including the FDA-approved OraQuick In-Home HIV Test and the OraQuick Rapid HCV Test—the first and only such tests approved by the FDA. Her leadership extended to the development of rapid tests for emergent global health threats such as Ebola and Zika.

Ms. Fraser-Howze’s legacy began in 1987 when she founded the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA). Her innovative work at NBLCA not only destigmatized HIV/AIDS within the Black community but also fostered crucial partnerships between the faith and public health sectors. Her advocacy during a time when stigma and misinformation ran rampant saved countless lives and galvanized a community response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. From 1995 to 2001, Ms. Fraser-Howze served on the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS under two U.S. Presidents, lending her expertise at the highest levels of government. She also co-authored the landmark MAI, signed into law in 1998, which has directed billions of dollars to increase HIV/AIDS services and bolster health capacity in underserved communities.

Widely recognized for her impact, Ms. Fraser-Howze has received numerous accolades, including the National Medical Association’s Scroll of Merit and induction into the Hunter College Hall of Fame. Today, she serves on the Board of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

Ms. Fraser-Howze holds a master’s degree in public health administration from Hunter College and recently received a Master of Theological Studies from the Moravian Theological Seminary. She resides in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, continuing her lifelong mission to dismantle health disparities and uplift communities of color through faith, science, and action.