Full Checkup
Expanding health into the community
From business to health to science, these women have found different perspectives and ways of doing things in their chosen fields.
Though varied in their spaces – the beverage industry, health care, and environmental awareness– one thing they have in common is a drive to bring new ideas to their work.
Health and wellness happen outside of annual checkups. That’s what physician CONSTANCE FOREMAN thinks, and that’s how she’s approached her work with patients in her medical career.
As a doctor with Novant Health, Forman treats patients in the clinical setting. But she also has looked for opportunities in the community to bring health and wellness to peoples’ forefronts outside of their regular appointments.
Foreman, who earned her master’s degree in medical science from Hampton University, went to medical school at Eastern Virginia Medical School. She entered the U.S. Navy Reserve during her second year of residency, became a lieutenant, and was commissioned as a Navy Reserve Medical Corps officer before moving to North Carolina to practice.
A board-certified family medicine physician, Foreman started her Wilmington business, Beyond Clinic Walls Wellness, in 2021, initially as an outlet during the pandemic.
“The world was changing rapidly, but also I felt that people needed the voice of trustworthy medical professionals to help guide their decisions,” she says. “Currently I’m building the foundation for what I hope will become part of my retirement plan. Beyond Clinic Walls Wellness is focused on custom health education experiences for groups to learn more about lifestyle medicine and how their choices can both negatively and positively impact their overall health.”
The focus, Foreman says, is on people developing self-awareness and confidence in healthy living.
Through that lens, Foreman also speaks on health education and health and wellness. She develops programming for groups with a focus on lifestyle medicine – or lifestyle changes to prevent and treat chronic illnesses.
“Oftentimes people see doctors as dictators of sorts that are in place to tell us what to do,” Foreman says. “In the past, this might have worked, but I believe it is best to have a collaborative approach with patients and clients and instead see myself as a coach facilitating healthy behaviors.”
She points to how elite athletes operate as an example of this model.
“The athlete is the one executing the action and showing physical prowess, but they are coached and cultivated by their coaches,” she says. “They do a lot at practice, but they also have to live a life conducive to excelling at their craft. That is how healthy living is: The transformation starts at the doctor’s office, but most of the work happens at home.”
Upcoming Health Talks
Accelerate Action to Better Your Health
New Hanover County Commission for Women
11:30 a.m., March 7 | Thalian Hall Ballroom | 310 Chestnut ST.
Forman is one of the panelists for this lunch event that focuses on women’s health. Other panelists include registered dietician Lindy Ford and functional medicine PA Zoie Phillips.
Info and registration: bit.ly/NHCLuncheon
2025 Health Summit: Laboring for Justice, Delivering Change
YWCA and UNCW CHHS
8:30 a.m.-2 p.m., April 10 | UNCW Warwick Center
The annual health summit focuses on disparities in maternal health and discussions on solutions. Speakers include Ebony Marcelle, director of midwifery at Community of Hope.
Info and registration: bit.ly/2025healthsummit
To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com
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