Morehouse Healthcare’s Casey Flowers Wants to Lower Obesity Rate for People of Color
Casey Flowers is one of two winners of the Rising Star honor
in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2023 Health Care Heroes awards program.
By Tonya Layman, Atlanta Business Chronicle
Lauren “Casey” Flowers knew at a young age she wanted to work in health care. But during her first rotation of medical training, the sight of blood made her pass out.
“It was not a good look,” she joked. But that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It led her to concentrate on a career innutrition where she believed a young Black woman could make her mark. Only about 3% of dietitians are Black and African Americans have higher obesity rates compared to other demographic groups in the United States.
Flowers, 34, is a registered dietician specializing in obesity and weight management with an emphasis on nutrition security at Morehouse Healthcare, which is affiliated with Morehouse School of Medicine.
“Every day I get to help my patients navigate how to find healthier food options and incorporate those into their diet,” she said. “I am tired of seeing research articles about the prevalence of obesity in people of color. I want to see something different, and I will work until I see that.”
Flowers is one of two winners of the Rising Star honor in Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 2023 Health Care Heroes awards program. The category honors a metro Atlanta professional under 40 years old who shows promise in scientific research or the practice of medicine.
Flowers has a “passion and energy for patient care and the community she serves. Her patients love her. Her colleagues love her,” Dr. Shaneeta Johnson, interim chair and professor of surgery at Morehouse School of Medicine, said. “She has an infectious personality, and her enthusiasm never changes — that shows she is exactly where she is supposed to be.”