Linda I. Walden, MD, is a graduate of Florida A&M University and was selected as one of FAMU’s “Living Legends”. She obtained her medical degree from Mercer University School of Medicine. In 1993, she was the first African American in the Inaugural Class at Southwest GA Family Practice Residency Program in Albany, GA. She came back to her family roots in Cairo/Thomasville, GA to practice medicine for many years and now with the VA. She is a visionary, pioneer, catalyst, gospel singer, local news columnist, community advocate, mentoring youth to enter the medical field and motivational speaker who has broken several color barriers receiving numerous honors and awards on local, state, and national levels.

Linda is the Past President of the Georgia State Medical Association. She is the Immediate past National Medical Association Region III Chair representing AL, FL, GA, KY, MI, NC, SC, & TN. She is Founder/Past President of the Grady county Habitat for Humanity, Founder/Past Pres. Jackie Robinson Cairo Memorial Institute in honor of her cousin, the late legendary Jackie Robinson born in Cairo, and Founder/Past Pres. Griffin-Jordan Medical Society for Southwest GA. Linda was elected the First AA Chief of Staff Grady General Hospital, Cairo, GA, the first female physician (Black or White) to establish a private medical practice in Cairo. Linda is responsible for renaming Georgia Hwy 93 after her cousin Late Legendary baseball player “Jackie Robinson Memorial Parkway”. She is a member of Bethel AME Church where she is a gospel singer in the Choir, Sunday School Teacher, and Speaker on the Commission of Health Ministry.

A woman “who knows who she is and whose she is” will tell you it is “God who Orders Her Steps”. Linda is a founding/Steering Committee member for Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action and a member of the Medical Society Consortium for Climate and Health. She has been a speaker on several programs for climate change, health inequities, disparities, and their impact on overall health. She is committed to bringing about Health Equity and Eliminating Health Disparities, Cleaner Air, and Clean Energy. She feels the greatest investment one can make is to create a safe and healthy environment with equitable access to healthcare now and for future generations to come.