On the latest episode of The Scope with Dr. K, Dr. Lawrence Kosinski interviews Dr. Cheryl Pegus, Executive Vice President of Health & Wellness at Walmart.

Prior to joining Walmart, Dr. Pegus was President of Consumer Health Solutions and CMO for Cambia, where she was responsible for clinical and consumer strategy to increase access to affordable and equitable care.

Dr. Pegus began her career in private practice as a cardiologist, was the first CMO of Walgreens, sits on the board of the American Heart Association, and is the Immediate Past Board chair for the Association of Black Cardiologists.

The podcast, which airs on HealthcareNOW Radio, dives into disparities in health equity based on geography, as well as the cultural disparities between the U.S. population and provider community.

“There are some basic tenets of how I look at the term ‘health equity’”, said Dr. Pegus. “Can we provide healthcare in your community, for you, that meets the standard of care that we would want for ourselves? At Walmart, that’s really our focus.”

“The best metric of success in healthcare is, ‘Are you trusted?’ Building trust requires cultural concordance, access, affordability, to continue to listen, and [adapt] zip code by zip code.”