Meet The Board
Monica Dennis, J.D.
Vice President
Monica Dennis, J.D., is a legal professional, strategic leader, healthcare professional, entrepreneur, and passionate community advocate whose career has been defined by service, leadership, and a commitment to improving the lives of others. As Vice President of the Board of Directors for Talk Health with Frankie, she provides strategic guidance that advances the organization's mission to educate, empower, and improve the health and well-being of underserved communities through accessible health education, nutrition, prevention, and community partnerships.
Monica recently earned her Juris Doctor from Purdue Global Law School, adding legal expertise to an already distinguished career spanning healthcare, business, real estate, and wellness. Her professional journey includes a decade as a Registered Nurse, nearly a decade as a Certified Health & Wellness Coach, over 25 years as a licensed Realtor, and the successful launch of two wellness businesses founded to empower individuals to become the healthiest and most authentic versions of themselves.
Her unique multidisciplinary background provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex factors that influence individual and community health. Drawing from firsthand clinical experience and legal training, Monica brings valuable expertise in healthcare compliance, regulatory analysis, risk management, governance, strategic planning, and advocacy.
As a lifelong servant leader, Monica has dedicated her career to advocating for vulnerable populations and strengthening communities. She served as a Guardian ad Litem for North Carolina's Judicial District 10, advocating for abused and neglected children by representing their best interests within the court system. Her volunteer service also includes providing nursing care for women experiencing unplanned pregnancies through First Choice Pregnancy Solutions and supporting numerous nonprofit organizations focused on education, health equity, youth development, and community empowerment.
In addition, Monica holds a committee leadership role with Myra's Angels Foundation, and is an active member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, Raleigh Alumnae Chapter. She is also a member of the Social Justice Ministry at Baptist Grove Church, where she advocates for initiatives addressing affordable housing, mental health access, transportation equity, and other issues affecting community well-being.
Whether studying law, serving clients, mentoring others, or leading nonprofit initiatives, Monica believes that lasting change begins with education, integrity, collaboration, and compassion. She is committed to building healthier communities by bridging the worlds of law, healthcare, business, and public service, creating opportunities that empower individuals and families to thrive.
Dr. Mohan Chilukuri
Medical Consultant
As a family physician, I see the cascade of downstream effects of unhealthy living every day in many patients.
Never mind the negative effects of alcohol and tobacco which is all too common but the biggest driver of ill health in the majority of the population in the USA is an unhealthy weight gain. This happens quite slowly, usually over many years of middle age, but I am seeing this more and more in even teenagers.
The CDC has been keeping track of the rates of overweight and obesity in each state and the whole country and the picture is not good.
The current rate of overweight and obesity combined is over 66 percent nationally.
The rate of overweight or obesity is dangerously high in African Americans (82% in women, 69% in men) due to a multitude of historical, cultural and environmental factors.
Since this general problem causes a cascade of multiple metabolic maladies over the years including hypertension, diabetes(type 2), hyperlipidemia, increased risk of many common cancers(colon, breast, prostate) and premature risk of arthritis, we have to take immediate action at the national, state, and community level.
Complex problems will need a multi-pronged approach to reduce this calamity in our nation.
We have to mitigate this with health education at the individual and community level, inoculate each individual such that they do not get exploited with the profit minded plethora of seemingly innocuous enticing advertisements for junk food, motivate or nudge all to engage in regular and healthy amount of exercise in order to get to and maintain their best potential health. We have to have partners at the level of all health care institutions, all those working in the health care field, and also raise the political will to accomplish this at the state and federal level to take positive steps.
Jamal Moss
Health Equity & Community Outreach Specialist
“You are the sum total of everything you've ever seen, heard, eaten, smelled, been told, forgot - it's all there.” A quote by Maya Angelou that poetically illustrates we are all a collection of our experiences. Health is more than just eating right, but it is also the stress our bodies must endure to survive every day. The stress that manifests can come from worrying about finding healthy, affordable food options in your neighborhood; having the income to cover your bills and other expenses including health care; or dealing with racism, sexism, genderism, Islamophobia, and/or heterosexism on a personal, cultural and institutional level. Eating healthy and genetics play a large role in health, however, they are not the only factors that matter. Health is influenced by our lived social experience, meaning our social identity, socioeconomic resources and environment can contribute to differences in health outcomes.
As the Health Equity and Policy Specialist, I am responsible for identifying the social and economic stressors– known as social determinants of health – that affect the health of our patients then find tangible strategies Talk Health with Frankie can implement to address those issues on a personal, cultural, and institutional level. Our goal at Talk Health with Frankie is to irradiate preventative lifestyle diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, using a multipronged approach to target personal, cultural, and policy barriers that impact health and wellness. We plan to do this by partnering with local organizations to provide our patients with resources such as exercise equipment or safe work out spaces, participating in committee meetings and workshops held by the Partnership for a Healthy Durham and Durham County Department of Public Health, and engaging with Durhamites at community events.
I’ve called Durham home for the past three years and I am proud and honored to serve the residents of “City of Medicine,” which I know Talk Health with Frankie will transform into the “City of Health.”
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Education: Central Piedmont Community College, AS; NC State University, BS Biological Sciences; Duke University Graduate School, MA Bioethics and Science Policy