On Wednesday, October 7th, Rocky Lane, Ke'alohi Naipo, RDN, LD, Dr. Whitney Trotter, DNP, PMHNP-BC, RDN/LDN, and Joan Zhang will chat about the barriers to eating disorder healing for BIPOC individuals.
Designed for clinicians, caregivers and community leaders, attendees will leave with tools and strategies to support the BIPOC individuals with eating disorders in their lives.
Meet the Participants
Facilitator
Joan Zhang (she/her) is a healthcare entrepreneur and operator who previously founded and served as CEO of Arise Health, a technology-enabled healthcare company focused on expanding access to eating disorder treatment through integrated clinical care, peer support, and digital tools. Prior to and throughout her work building Arise, Joan held leadership roles across healthcare and mental health organizations including Headspace, Ginger, Click Therapeutics, and Deloitte, where she focused on scaling innovative care models and improving access to care for underserved populations. In recognition of her impact in healthcare innovation, she was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Outside of her professional work, Joan enjoys spending time with her husband and their endlessly entertaining puppy (Ari) and perpetually grumpy cat (Charlie). She loves traveling, exploring new cultures and cuisines, and enjoying live music & shows. She is passionate about patient advocacy, women's health, and helping others navigate life's most challenging transitions with empathy, resilience, and purpose.
Panelists
Rocky Lane (he/him) is a creative entrepreneur and community care advocate of TGE experience specializing in creative services, community engagement, trust brokering, and advocating for underserved groups in the USA. His leadership and consulting work is varied and informed by over 9 years of navigating transition and 25 years of medical experience in pre-hospital and clinical care. He is the former board chair for TENT and is currently focused on research and advocacy consulting, community care, and building stability and power through safety net services and community building strategies. He is also expanding his work to include national and international community building with diverse travelers and nomads across north american lands in collaboration with incredible projects like Black Trans Leadership Austin, trans justice funding project, and more. Rocky envisions a future world with a thriving gender expansive community living free of limitation and protected state sanctioned violence. Learn more @therockyverse.
Ke'alohi Naipo, RDN, LD (she/her), Dietitian, Māʻona Nutrition
Bio coming soon!
Dr. Whitney Trotter, DNP, PMHNP-BC, RDN/LDN (she/her), is a healthcare leader committed to advancing trauma-informed, inclusive approaches to mental health. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of Project HEAL, a national nonprofit dedicated to reducing barriers to eating disorder care.
As a Registered Dietitian and Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, Dr. Trotter brings an integrated perspective spanning nutrition, psychiatry, eating disorders, trauma, and mental health. With more than 15 years of experience as a dietitian, she has worked across diverse communities and clinical settings, including with individuals impacted by HIV/AIDS, human trafficking, and eating disorders. She currently practices primarily as a psychiatric nurse practitioner, specializing in anxiety, mood disorders, eating disorders, and women’s mental health.
Dr. Trotter is a national leader in eating-disorder education and advocacy and co-leads the BIPOC Eating Disorders Conference with Angela Goens. Together, they have trained more than 1,000 clinicians through conferences and consultation services.
Her expertise has been featured in Essence, The Skimm, and CNN, and she has contributed to national policy efforts. She is also a clinical expert featured in Food Positivity, Sick Enough (2nd ed.), and Fat Talk. In 2026, she was recognized as a New and Emerging Voice in Psychiatry by Psych Congress Elevate.