Brooklyn’s Deputy Borough President Yvonne J. Graham has been a pioneer in the area of public health for over twenty years. Before coming into office, Ms. Graham founded and was executive director of the Caribbean Women’s Health Association (CWHA), which provides comprehensive, culturally-sensitive health care, immigration, and social support services to diverse communities.

As Brooklyn’s deputy borough president, Ms. Graham oversees health care policy and all human services for the borough president.

Deputy Borough President Graham’s vision was critical to the 2005 founding of Brooklyn’s first Center on Health Disparities, which is working to reduce cardiovascular disease, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, infant mortality, asthma, and diabetes among minority communities. The center is an innovative partnership with the Borough President’s Office, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health.

In an effort to increase the number of women in leadership positions in government, business, and industry, Ms. Graham spearheaded the Women’s Leadership Initiative, a partnership between academic institutions, government agencies, community-based organizations, and the private sector that brings women together for dialogue and networking.

Another recent accomplishment in which Ms. Graham was instrumental was the co-naming of Flatbush’s Nostrand Avenue in honor of Haitian revolutionary hero Toussaint L’Ouverture.

Born and raised in Jamaica, West Indies, Ms. Graham moved to New York in 1979. As a registered nurse, she worked in the emergency room of Brookdale Hospital. In addition to being an RN, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Administration and Community Health from St. Joseph’s College and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from Hunter College. She also completed the Executive Program in Business Administration at Columbia University School of Business, and recently an Honorary Doctor of Law degree was conferred on her by her alma mater St. Joseph’s College.

Ms. Graham has served the Mayor’s Committee on Immigration, the New York City HIV Planning Council, and the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women.

She has written and published many professional articles and has recently co-authored a textbook that serves as a seminal guide to the operations and management of community-based health organizations and their role in improving health outcomes.

She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for her achievement in community service, including the YWCA’s Women of Distinction Award; National Association of Black Social Workers’ Public Citizen of the Year Award; the Marcus Garvey Medal of Honor; the Ellen Lurie Community Service Award from the Community Service Society of New York; the Frederick Douglass Medal of Honor, which is awarded by the New York State Governor to distinguished African-Americans; the American Lung Association’s Distinguished Award for Leadership, Creativity, and Caring in Promotion of Community Health; and the Harriet Tubman Award from the Harriet Tubman Awards Jubilee, Inc.