About

Digital health equity advocate and systems thinker bridging public and population health, social work, and technology. Rooted in Black Southern care—mason jar values in a complex world.

👋🏾 Hi, I'm Wilfred Stephen Anfield, MSW, MPH (anticipated Aug. 2025) (most folks call me Stephen 🙂)—a Washington, D.C.-based advocate and systems thinker working at the intersection of community care, public & population health, and digital strategy. Rooted in Black Southern resilience, I believe in systems that reflect the people they serve—and in a world where y'all means all: inclusive, welcoming, and built for everyone.

Mason jar values in a complex world—steeped in care, practical, and meant to be shared. 🫙🌎🧡

🌱 Where It All Began

My journey into community care work began in a place close to my heart—my Grandma's first-grade classroom in South Carolina. There, seated criss-cross applesauce on a rug, I first experienced the joy of helping her first-graders find their words.

I'd spend time with her students each spring break, sitting alongside them as they sounded out words from their favorite books, counted (and ate) jellybeans for math lessons, and shared stories from their lives. That was my first glimpse into the beauty of presence, encouragement, and patience—of being part of someone's journey rather than directing it. Those classroom moments shaped how I approach relationships to this day.

💡 What I Do

  • Support older folks and caregivers, informed by my lived experience as a court-appointed guardian/conservator and advocate for my Mom
  • Uplift community voices, especially across Black Southern communities, rural areas, and historically underserved systems
  • Bridge tech, care, and policy, bridging my digital strategy background into public & population health, aging justice, and disability justice
  • Advance digital health equity, addressing both access and trust through the lens of sociodigital status (SDS)
  • Build accessible, dignity-centered tools and narratives, integrating human-centered design with public & population health systems thinking

🔄 How I Got Here

For years, I worked in communications, social media, and digital strategy, crafting narratives, building accessible content, and consulting organizations about how to show up online with clarity and heart.

Behind every click and scroll are real people with real needs. My digital work was always about creativity at the speed of trust—crafting messages, tools, and systems that meet people in real time, on real screens, with real needs.

Now, I bring that lens to care-centered work, where public & population health, social work, and digital inclusion intersect. Earning my Master of Social Work (MSW) and (anticipated Aug. 2025) Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) gave me the foundation to connect systems thinking with lived experience—and to co-create environments that reflect and honor lived wisdom over institutional logic.

✨ Why I Do It

Care is infrastructure, and systems work best when they reflect the communities they serve, creating pathways to support rather than obstacles to overcome.

My work as a court-appointed guardian and conservator for my Mom keeps me grounded. More than a caregiver, I'm her son, supporting her through this chapter with love, advocacy, and resolve. It's taught me that the barriers people face aren't just technical—they're emotional, relational, and often systemic.

In my emerging professional practice and my role as advocate, I lead with curiosity, clarity, and compassion.

🎓 My Path (So Far)

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

School of Public Health

  • Master of Public Health (MPH) (Anticipated: Aug. 2025)
    • Population and Health Sciences

School of Social Work

  • Master of Social Work (MSW)
    • Interpersonal Practice

University of Tennessee, Knoxville

College of Communication and Information

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA)
    • Speech Communication and Rhetoric

City Year AmeriCorps, Washington, D.C.

  • Senior Corps Member

🤝🏾 Affiliations

American Public Health Association (APHA)

  • Member

Project Management Institute (PMI)

  • Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)
  • Member

International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)

  • Member

🔍 Focus Areas

  • Digital health equity
  • Digital and Social Determinants of Health
  • Sociodigital status
  • Accessibility & inclusive design
  • Aging & caregiving justice
  • Community engagement & narrative power
  • Rural and Southern health systems
  • Strengths-based, care-centered, person-centered design

📍 Where I'm From, Where I'm Rooted

From the clay of the Carolinas to the corridors of D.C. policy.
Where pine trees taught patience and porches taught listening.
Rooted in Black Southern care, raised on front porches and collard greens.

🤗 Let's Connect

If you're looking for someone who brings systems thinking and direct caregiving experience to the work of community care, digital inclusion, or aging & disability justice, I'd love to talk.

Wilfred Stephen Anfield on LinkedIn

Still sounding things out like I did on that classroom rug. Still believing in what's possible when we design with care and build with community.