Answering a Call

Wisdom Watch was created as a volunteer alliance by three colleagues in the Richmond community who had one thing in common: Wanting to answer a call to make a personal contribution to addressing health equity gaps for Richmond's African American elders. The individuals are: Regina Bridges Foster, Lisa Brownlee Johnson and Dr. Stephen Brian Towns Sr. The three met through their connections with Virginia Commonwealth University, and the rest is history.

One unique goal of Wisdom Watch is to raise awareness of the crisis of dementia in Richmond's Black community. Wisdom Watch is committed to raising awareness in a way that honors the dignity and self-efficacy of Black elders and their care partners, who are disproportionately impacted by dementia. As a first step, Wisdom Watch is combining resources to provide opportunities for community-based screenings for dementia. The goal is to promote early recognition, within accessible, familiar, and nonmedical community settings, while combating stigma through education and self-empowerment. 

Wisdom Watch co-founder Regina Foster is a gerontologist and entrepreneur, who worked as a VCU clinician for several years in the specialty field of urology, while gaining expertise in the academic science of gerontology. She is passionately anti-ageist and holds a master's degree in gerontology from VCU. Foster's studies were inspired by lived experience as a long-distance caregiver for her late grandmother, who had dementia. Foster has been able to transform her lived experience into a mission to educate caregivers on the skill and expertise required to care for elders. Foster, who has distinguished herself as a leader in senior care and training for caregivers, also is founder of Foster Senior Services.

Wisdom Watch co-founder Lisa Brownlee Johnson, a three-time graduate of VCU, is a nurse practitioner and entrepreneur who was born and raised in Richmond. Johnson, a veteran journalist, worked as a primary care provider for more than a decade, before deciding to shift to a more holistic approach to health, focusing on self-determination and healing from within. Throughout her time in primary care, Johnson experienced an ever-growing passion for wellness and elders. In addition to helping to establish Wisdom Watch, Johnson is a functional medicine practitioner, mental health educator, and founder of Richmond-based specialty health agency Atypical Care LLC.

Wisdom Watch co-founder Dr. Stephen Brian Towns Sr., a servant leader and author, is pastor and founder of Real Life Ministries, Church of God In Christ. Towns has served in ministry for nearly 30 years, touching countless lives across the nation. His leadership includes being a fierce advocate for health equity and combating elder abuse. Towns holds a doctorate in strategic leadership with a concentration in healthcare leadership from Regent University, as well as dual master's degrees in divinity and Christian education from Virginia Union University.