J. Christopher Reed JD

J. Christopher Reed joined SisterLove as its Policy, Advocacy, and Mobilization Program (PAP) Manager in September 2022.

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A native of Atlanta, he has devoted his life to public health and public policy since being diagnosed with a chronic illness at the age of 16. Following his passion, he received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Georgia State University and his law degree from Tulane University School of Law. He practiced law for 18 years in the public and private sector before deciding to devote his life to health policy.

Christopher was appointed by two Governors and chaired the Georgia Council on Lupus Education and Awareness, a state-funded bipartisan research and development team devoted to improving the lives of lupus patients. He believes that collaboration is key. He devised and recruited a coalition of professionals from multiple disciplines to share ideas, develop action plans, and carry out initiatives with one goal in mind—improving patient outcomes.

Christopher also worked and volunteered in several capacities at the Lupus Foundation of America, Georgia Chapter, executing deliverables on numerous projects, including a program to manage lupus in young adults, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched nationwide. As Advocacy Chair for the Georgia Chapter, he continues to lead grassroots legislative campaigns on behalf of constituents and helps organizations as a patient advocate.

Christopher has spoken at national and international meetings of major pharmaceutical companies and the Food and Drug Administration. He was also a contributor for the American College of Rheumatology, the Lupus Research Alliance, and the University of Alabama on federally and privately funded projects to increase minority participation in clinical trials. He was coauthor with several researchers on a book on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

As PAP Manager for SisterLove, Christopher leads grassroots advocacy campaigns, builds issue-based coalitions, leads policy initiatives, and develops projects in the areas of reproductive justice, HIV/AIDS, voter engagement, and LGBTQ+ rights. He has written and facilitated the passage of legislation on several major issues impacting Black women. He initiated and continues to work with legislators on a grassroots campaign to overturn Georgia’s abortion ban by ballot initiative. He has a desire to eradicate disease through equal access to education, unbiased healthcare systems, and a healthcare system that treats healthcare as a right and not a commodity.