Episode 53: Play Like A Girl and Make It Happen with Dr. Kimberly Clay

Dr. Kim is a passionate leader whose work at Play Like A Girl is fueled by her own struggle with overweight and obesity since childhood. Recently named the 2014 espnW Toyota Everyday Hero, she is a relentless community organizer who is on a mission to increase opportunities for girls in active play, physical activity and sports. Dr. Kim is also a respected public health professional and former academician with two decades of experience in behavioral intervention research. Her work exploring the relationship between cancer survivorship and spirituality has been cited in scholarly publications such as Journal of Psychosocial Oncology, Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work, Health Education Research, and Cancer Control. Prior to founding Play Like A Girl, Dr. Kim served as a tenure-track professor at University of Georgia and Morehouse School of Medicine.  Before her teaching career, Dr. Kim served as Director of Georgia's Cancer Control and Prevention Program. She began her career with Tulane Xavier National Center for Excellence in Women's Health, as a program evaluation specialist for the New Orleans REACH 2010 (Racial & Ethnic Disparities in Health) project aimed at reducing the prevalence of weight-induced heart disease in African American women. She was later recruited to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention where she served as a Public Health Advisor, responsible for management of the National REACH 2010 grant program.  Dr. Kim earned a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication at Xavier University of Louisiana, a dual MPH/MSW in community health social work at Tulane University, and a PhD in health education at University of Alabama at Birmingham. In her "spare" time, she serves on local boards at YWCA of Nashville & Middle Tennessee, Junior League of Nashville, CABLE Nashville, and Friends of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Dr. Kim and her husband, Mark A. Clay, MD, reside in Nashville, TN with their two sons.