Blog Article

EPIC Health at the 2026 Global Black Economic Forum

EPIC Health was a proud sponsor of the inaugural Future of Health Awards Dinner at the 2026 Global Black Economic Forum, where founder Dr. Topeka K. Sam joined leaders advancing women's health and health equity.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 03: (L-R) Judith Joseph, Janifer Tropez, Topeka K. Sam and Davida Hunter-Cummins speak on the Global Black Economic Forum Stage during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 03, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

EPIC Health was a proud sponsor of the inaugural Future of Health Awards Dinner at the 2026 Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF), held during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans from July 2 to 5. Our founder, Dr. Topeka K. Sam, joined national leaders on the Women's Health and Wellness panel and helped lead a conversation on restoring the vote for people who are justice-impacted. For a company built to make healthcare equitable and accessible, being in that room was not a marketing moment. It was a reflection of the mission itself.

Why EPIC Health showed up

EPIC Health sponsored the Future of Health Awards Dinner because health equity is the reason the company exists. The Global Black Economic Forum convenes leaders across business, policy, healthcare, and advocacy to build real pathways toward economic opportunity, and health is inseparable from that work. The inaugural Future of Health Awards Dinner celebrated leaders driving progress in community wellbeing, honoring Monica Simpson of SisterSong, Dr. Imamu Tomlinson of Vituity, and Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble of The AAKOMA Project and The MATTIE Fund.

Supporting a night that recognizes health equity leaders is a natural fit for EPIC Health. We were founded to reach the people traditional healthcare too often leaves behind, including justice-impacted women and men returning to their communities, and standing alongside these leaders is part of how that mission moves from idea to action.

Dr. Topeka K. Sam on the Women's Health and Wellness panel

Dr. Sam joined the Women's Health and Wellness panel, a conversation focused on the health issues that shape Black women's lives and are too often met with silence. She shared the stage with a group of respected voices in the field: psychiatrist, researcher, and author Dr. Judith Joseph; licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Davida Hunter-Cummins, founder of TriSage and Novara; and Dr. Janifer Tropez, Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tulane University.

That panel connects directly to the care EPIC Health provides. Dr. Hunter-Cummins is the founder of Novara, the custom-compounded hormone therapy that EPIC Health offers through the TriSage method, prescribed following provider review. The conversations happening on that stage are the same ones our patients bring to us every day, about hormonal changes, whole-person wellness, and finally being heard.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 03: (L-R) Topeka K. Sam, Davida Hunter-Cummins, Judith Joseph and Janifer Tropez attend the Global Black Economic Forum Stage during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 03, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)‍

Global Black Economic Forum Dr Topeka K Sam Speaks — NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 03: Topeka K. Sam speaks on the Global Black Economic Forum Stage during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 03, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

Restoring the vote for people who are justice-impacted

Dr. Sam also helped lead a session titled "Unlocking the Vote for People Who Are Justice Impacted," alongside Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. The connection to health may not be obvious at first, but it is central to why EPIC Health exists. The communities most often shut out of the ballot box are the same communities shut out of quality healthcare. Dr. Sam has spent her career at that intersection, as founder of The Ladies of Hope Ministries and a longtime advocate for women and families affected by the criminal legal system. EPIC Health was built to serve those same communities with care that meets them where they are.

Global Black Economic Forum Desmond Meade, Topeka K. Sam, Sheena Meade, Angela C. Wright and Alphonso David — NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 05: (L-R) Desmond Meade, Topeka K. Sam, Sheena Meade, Angela C. Wright and Alphonso David attend the Global Black Economic Forum during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 05, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

Global Black Economic Forum Dr Topeka K Sam and Mayor Brandon Scott — NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 05: (L-R) Mayor Brandon Scott and Topeka K. Sam attend the Global Black Economic Forum during the 2026 ESSENCE Festival of Culture® presented by Coca-Cola® at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 05, 2026 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for ESSENCE)

What this means for the communities EPIC Health serves

Representation on stages like these matters because visibility shapes access. When the people making decisions about health reflect the communities most affected by health inequity, the solutions get closer to the real need. EPIC Health is a small company doing focused work, and we are honest about that. We are not going to fix healthcare inequity alone. But showing up, sponsoring the leaders doing this work, and putting our founder in these conversations is how a mission-driven company earns trust and stays accountable to the people it serves.

Learn more about EPIC Health

EPIC Health is a public benefit corporation on a mission to make healthcare equitable, accessible, and transformative for every community. If you want to be part of what we are building, you can join the EPIC Health community or explore partnership opportunities. To learn more about the women's health care we provide, read our guide to hormonal changes across every life stage or what HRT involves and who it is for. Questions? Contact our team.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Global Black Economic Forum?

The Global Black Economic Forum (GBEF) is an organization that convenes leaders across business, government, healthcare, and advocacy to advance economic opportunity and health equity for Black communities. Its 2026 programming took place during the ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans from July 2 to 5.

Was EPIC Health a sponsor of the event?

Yes. EPIC Health was a sponsor of the inaugural Future of Health Awards Dinner at the 2026 Global Black Economic Forum, a night honoring leaders advancing health equity and community wellbeing.

What did Dr. Topeka K. Sam speak about?

Dr. Sam, founder of EPIC Health, joined the Women's Health and Wellness panel and helped lead a session on restoring voting rights for people who are justice-impacted, two issues at the center of EPIC Health's mission.

How does this connect to the care EPIC Health provides?

EPIC Health provides provider-reviewed telehealth care including weight management and hormone therapy, with a focus on communities that traditional healthcare has underserved. The women's health conversation at GBEF reflects the same care and communities EPIC Health serves every day.

The information in this article is for general informational purposes only. EPIC Health's services are subject to eligibility, provider review, and availability in your area.