Born and raised in Danbury, Connecticut, and a graduate of Harvard College, Dr. Ian Smith is up to big things. As the media doctor for "Celebrity Fit Club", business mentor for College Hill Interns--a reality TV show of college interns taking on real life business tasks--author for six self-help books and a novel, (that would make a good suspense movie), he's popping up in what seems to be everywhere.

It's too early in his life to predict where his journey will lead next. What we do know is that 2007 took Dr. Ian Smith through 14 US cities to reach out to African-Americans with a challenge to shed a collective 50-million pounds.

According to Dr. Smith, the 50-Million Pound Challenge is "a free and national initiative to get African-Americans to take better care of themselves, to lose weight, and prevent all of these unnecessary deaths that are occurring from poor lifestyle choices. The goal is to lose a collective 50-million pounds. In the process of losing those 50-million pounds, not only will we become healthier from a physical standpoint, but also healthier from a mental standpoint. We will be able to understand what kind of lifestyle choices we need to make so that we will live longer and close that gap on life expectancy."

Dr. Smith has found a way to make the message clear, "too many people are dying too young from preventable weight-related illnesses. We face an epidemic that affects all Americans, especially the African-American community where lives are being cut five years shorter than the US average. The good news is people are listening to our vow to 'give up the pounds, not the fight.' They're signing on and teaming up to take control of their health. We gained the weight together; we can lose it together. We can reverse these trends and turn the epidemic of excess weight into a culture of healthy living. Take The Challenge. It's free. It's fun. The reward is worth the weight--it can save your life, and you'll look and feel great."

Some of us may have missed the fact that three of four Surgeon Generals in the Clinton administration were articulate and vocal African-Americans. Nevertheless, "the African-American community is especially hard hit: 80% of women and 67% of men face higher risk [of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and other illnesses tied to inactivity and diet], and life expectancy is five years below the US average. To fight back, The Challenge has enlisted leaders across the community, national civic and health organizations like the American Diabetes Association, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, 100 Black Men of America, National Urban League, and American Council on Exercise.

With the generous support of State Farm, the nation's second largest insurer, Dr. Ian Smith has attracted the support of celebrities such as Patti Labelle, Brian McKnight, Rev. Al Sharpton, and talk show host Tom Joyner.

But what makes Dr. Ian Smith's message so timely? Baby boomers across the nation have reached the stage that they know they must do something significant to turn back the tide of declining health. Statistics show that this may be the first time in history when a generation of parents will likely outlive their children. Dr. Smith responds, "I think that in many cases it's not about reinventing the wheel, it's about how you decorate the wheel. The message may be the same, but it's how you package it. And I try to package it with honesty. I'm very realistic with people. I don't try to trick people. If something is going to be difficult, I tell them it's going to be difficult. But I also have a really strong tone of optimism in how I work with people. So people are excited and they like to listen to me because I tell them, 'Listen, this won't be easy, but you can do it.' So the whole thing is to give people hope and realize that you're struggling for a long period of time and I try to do that."

For all his talent, intellect and charisma, America has only seen the beginning of this man's story. He is a man on a mission. When asked about his vision for a healthy America, Dr. Smith had this to say: "My vision, in particular relating to the 50 Million Pound Challenge and how it can be duplicated for all of America, is that people have to prioritize themselves in the higher end of the spectrum. I think my vision of a healthy America is that healthy choices become reflexes to us and there are less often times when we make these unhealthy choices that we make now. Then we would do things about it such as exercise more often, choose better foods, and offer better foods. We would have corporations, small and large, that are more consumer friendly and are more health-conscious. And I think it's not just the consumer who's a part of this equation, it's also the provider. People who provide foods, and environments, and neighborhoods--they also have a responsibility, just not a legal responsibility."

Have African-Americans found a "mo' betta Moses" for health leadership? So far, the signs are good. If we can call on the chefs of the world to figure out how to take out the fat and leave the flavor in our foods, then the only thing left to find is that special something that adds the soul.