Founder and Outgoing CEO Reginald Ware Transitions to Executive Chairman of the Board
Announcement Follows Company’s March Rebrand from BlackDoctor.org to BlackDoctor, Signaling a New Era for the Platform
CHICAGO, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BlackDoctor, the leading digital health media platform dedicated to the health and wellness of Black Americans, today announced the appointment of Akinwole “Aki” Garrett as Chief Executive Officer, effective April 1, 2026. Garrett, who has served as the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer, steps into the role with a clear mandate: accelerate BlackDoctor’s growth, expand its platform capabilities, and deepen its impact on the communities it serves. Reginald Ware, who founded the company and has led it since inception, will transition to Executive Chairman of the Board.
When Black Americans turn to digital media for health information, guidance, and community, they turn to BlackDoctor. That trust — built over 20+ years, across millions of relationships — is not replicable. It is the foundation upon which everything BlackDoctor is building now stands.
The Black American health market represents tens of millions of patients, hundreds of billions in healthcare spend, and one of the most underserved audiences in digital health. BlackDoctor is the only platform built from the ground up to serve it — and the only one with the trust, reach, and infrastructure to do so at scale.
Under Garrett’s operational leadership, BlackDoctor has undergone a comprehensive transformation, rebuilding its executive team, relaunching its brand, establishing a first-of-its-kind Medical Advisory Board, and launching AI-powered patient and physician engagement tools. With revenue on track to grow approximately 30% year-over-year, the company enters this next chapter with significant momentum.
“I am truly humbled and honored to be appointed as the next CEO of BlackDoctor. Our mission remains the same — to ensure that every Black family thrives in health — but the way we deliver on that mission will continue to evolve under my leadership. We are building BlackDoctor into a true 360-degree platform, one that brings together technology, innovative tools, industry-leading content, and live experiences to directly meet the needs of patients, healthcare providers, caregivers, and the broader health community.”
— Akinwole “Aki” Garrett, CEO, BlackDoctor
Garrett brings a proven track record of operational excellence and strategic vision to the CEO role. During his tenure as President and COO, he assembled an executive team with more than 120 years of combined health media experience, executed a full brand redesign and relaunch, instituted a restructuring that improved cost efficiency and productivity across the organization, greenlight the expansion of BlackDoctor’s product offering and tripled BlackDoctor’s signature live events calendar for 2026. He also spearheaded the creation of the company’s Medical Advisory Board, comprising eight physicians across eight specialties including psychiatry, oncology, nephrology, clinical trials, and others.
Looking ahead, Garrett has outlined an aggressive agenda for growth and platform expansion. In 2026 alone, BlackDoctor will launch a full-funnel clinical trials patient recruitment product (Q2), host its inaugural Virtual Clinical Trials Summit (May), debut the first-ever BlackDoctor House of Health at the Cannes Festival of Creativity in France (June), and present the inaugural BlackDoctor Health Equity Film Festival (October). The company is also formalizing strategic partnerships with leading Black professional medical associations, including the National Medical Association, National Dental Association, National Pharmacist Association, Association of Black Cardiologists, and the International Society of Glomerular Disease.
“Over the last year, Aki has played a transformative role in shaping the future of BlackDoctor. Through his strong performance, visible leadership and forward-looking vision, Aki has earned the title of CEO. He knows our mission, our audience and what it takes to win. This transition positions the company for its next phase of growth and impact. I could not be more excited for Aki to step into the CEO role. In my capacity as Executive Chairman, I look forward to focusing on strategic growth and key relationships to support BlackDoctor’s mission and long-term success.”
— Reginald Ware, Executive Chairman, BlackDoctor
In his new role as Executive Chairman, Ware will focus on board governance and deploy his deep network of executive relationships across the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries to advance the company’s mission and commercial growth.
The appointment comes on the heels of BlackDoctor’s March 2026 platform rebrand, and relaunching as a full-scale digital health platform, signaling that this leadership transition is not a routine handoff, but the next deliberate step in a company in active transformation.
ABOUT BLACKDOCTOR
BlackDoctor is the leading digital health media platform dedicated to the health and wellness of Black Americans. Reaching millions of patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers, the platform combines industry-leading editorial content, AI-powered engagement tools, live experiences, and enterprise health solutions to ensure every Black family thrives in health. Learn more at blackdoctor.com.
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SOURCE BlackDoctor
