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Putting a Face to a Cause - A-list celebs have a lot on their plates — concerts, red carpet events and other big events. Yet there are times when even busy, high-powered stars lend themselves to important health issues that matter to us. Many share their own experiences with an illness or team up with a campaign to raise awareness. Read how the stars we love stand up, eliminate stigma and give back to better our health and the health of others. — Kellee Terrell(Photos from Left: Chelsea Lauren/WireImage, Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images, Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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Jussie Smollett: HIV/AIDS - Fox’s Empire star Jussie Smollett is not only just a handsome face, but he is also an avid HIV/AIDS advocate for the Black AIDS Institute. In a recent interview, he stressed that in order to really fight HIV in our community, we have to keep talking about the epidemic and do our part to de-stigmatize the disease.  (Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

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Laverne Cox: Transgender Issues - Orange Is the New Black’s SAG-winning actress Laverne Cox is an outspoken advocate for transgender issues, especially around providing quality and culturally competent health care for trans individuals. Being trans herself, Cox also speaks about LGBTQ bullying and anti-trans violence. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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Nick Cannon: Flu Safety - While Nick Cannon suffers from lupus, another health issue he lends himself to is flu safety. Last year he joined forces with the makers of Theraflu to raise awareness around getting a flu shot and creating a five-step action plan to help folks get ready for flu season, Jet Magazine wrote. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

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Cris Carter: Domestic Violence - On the cusp of Ray Rice's domestic violence scandal, NFL greats, including Hall of Fame quarterback Cris Carter, spoke out about their own personal experiences with domestic violence. In the PSA, Carter, who was visibly emotional, spoke about his mother being abused in the past.(Photo: Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

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Viola Davis: Childhood Hunger - Last year, Oscar-nominated actress Viola Davis gave an emotional speech about her own experience being poor as a child and not having enough food in her house for her family to eat. To raise awareness around this issue, Davis became the spokesperson for Hunger.org. (Photo: Chelsea Lauren/WireImage)

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Don Cheadle: Lupus - Golden Globe-winning actor Don Cheadle has been an avid supporter of lupus awareness, helping raise money for Lupus Foundation of America.(Photo: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Variety)

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Audra McDonald: Depression and ADHD - Last summer, six-time Tony-winning actress Audra McDonald admitted that she suffered from depression and mental health issues while attending college at the prestigious Juilliard School. On ABC’s Popcorn With Peter Traversshe said that she even tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrists. (Photo: Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)

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Jesse Williams: Black Lives Matter - Jesse Williams, the Grey's Anatomy star and activist, has been a loud and persistent voice on Twitter, news broadcasts and even in person in Ferguson to ensure that the world understands that #BlackLivesMatter. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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Jennifer Hudson: Women’s Heart Health - In 2014, award-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson let you to know that heart disease is the number-one killer of American women. As the new face of the Women’s Heart Alliance’s “Fight the Lady Killer” campaign, Hudson helped spread awareness about what all women can do to prevent heart disease. (Photo: Jeff Schear/Getty Images for W Hotels Worldwide)

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Brandon Marshall: Mental Illness  - NFL star Brandon Marshall has been a strong advocate for mental illness, especially since being diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder a few years ago. By speaking out, he hopes to reduce stigma and encourage people to get the help that they need. (Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Child Mind Institute)

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Kerry Washington: Economic Violence - Known for her politics, Scandal star Kerry Washington took on domestic violence as her new cause. In a recent PSA for the violence organization Purple Purse, Washington shed light on a range of abuse including financial abuse — when a man uses money to dominate and control his female partner. Watch the PSA here. (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

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Alonzo Mourning: Health Care and Education - While this former NBA star is known for his work around kidney health given his own illness, Alonzo Mourning also has recently made health care, education and literacy his main issues through his work with his foundation and advocacy. (Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Dominique Dawes: Childhood Obesity and Heart Disease - Former gold medalist gymnast Dominique Dawes has made it her life's work to help kids around the country lose weight and eat right, thanks to joining FLOTUS's Let's Move! She also lends her voice to raising awareness about heart disease and early screening. (Photo: Wendell Teodoro/WireImage)

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MC Lyte: Women’s Health  - During the 2014 midterm elections, rapper MC Lyte joined Planned Parenthood to speak out about the importance of women voting and having better access to women's health services. Lyte showed her support by curating a Spotify playlist emphasized the power that women have — thanks to tunes byBeyoncé, Chaka Khan and Queen Latifah. (Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images)

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Tyrese: Healthier Pregnancies - Singer and actor Tyrese joined actress Nia Long to promote healthier pregnancies and babies with the Text4Baby campaign sponsored by Johnson & Johnson. The campaign sends expecting mothers three texts a week to check in to remind them about appointments, eating healthy and child care.(Photo: Kris Connor/Getty Images)

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S. Epatha Merkerson: Diabetes Awareness - Last year, Emmy-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson teamed up with the pharmaceutical company Merck for a new Type-2 diabetics campaign. As part of the America's Diabetes Challenge: Get to Your Goals, Merkerson, who has diabetes, encouraged people to stay on top of monitoring their blood-sugar levels and setting a sugar-level goal with their doctors. (Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for LAByrinth Theater Company)

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First Lady Michelle Obama: Childhood Obesity - While known for her impeccable sense of fashion and strength,FLOTUS Michelle Obama is a serious health advocate, especially when it comes to childhood obesity. In 2010, she created Let’s Move! a popular program aimed at reducing obesity rates among children in the U.S. Her work has even helped bring healthier lunches to schools across the country. (Photo: Kevin Dietsch /LANDOV)

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Damon Dash: Type 1 Diabetes - Damon Dash, former CEO and co-founder of Roc-A Fella Records, kept his Type 1 diabetes a secret from people for years. He told CNN.com, "I don't know if anyone knows I am diabetic — I think it's important to let people know that it's OK to be diabetic and to know how to take care of it.” Since coming out, he has been a vocal advocate for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.(Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images)

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Holly Robinson Peete: Autism - When Holly Robinson Peete’s son was diagnosed with autism, she didn’t stay silent — she spoke out to let other parents that they were not alone. Along with her foundation HollyRod, Robinson Peete has been a much-needed voice in highlighting autism in the Black community, breaking down its stigma and encouraging parents to test their kids for autism early. (Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Richard Roundtree: Breast Cancer - When it comes to breast cancer, we often think of women, but Being Mary Jane actor Richard Roundtree reminds us that men can get breast cancer, too. Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, Roundtree has been a major voice in encouraging men to check for lumps and get screened for the disease. (Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Toni Braxton: Lupus - Singer and reality star Toni Braxton’s own public battle with lupus has been incredibly courageous. Braxton has given this not talked about disease, which disproportionately impacts African-American women, a face, which is important given how little this debilitating disease is discussed. (Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images)

Photo By Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

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Tom Joyner: Going to the Doctor - For some of us, getting a check up is like pulling teeth: Painful. Radio host Tom Joyner wants to change that attitude with his campaign, Take A Loved One to the Doctor (TALOTTD). This initiative aims at encouraging families to support each other emotionally when it comes to going to the doctor, which is crucial in maintaining good health in Black families.  (Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)

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Rihanna: Terminally Ill Children - In 2006, Grammy Award-winning singer Rihanna created the Believe Foundation to raise money for children suffering from terminal illnesses such as leukemia. “When I was young and I would watch television and I would see all the children suffering, I always said when I grow up I want to help,” she said. (Photo: TPG / Splash News)

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Montel Williams: Multiple Sclerosis - Emmy Award-winning talk show host Montel Williams was on top of the world — and then he was diagnosed with the debilitating disease multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1999. Determined to not give up, he created the Montel Williams MS Foundation to fund research for a cure for the disease. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)

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Kelly Rowland: Fitness - With the help of fitness guru Jeanette Jenkins, R&B songstressKelly Rowland has inspired Black women to shape up with her workout DVDs. Rowland believes that our midsection is an important part of the body. She told US Weekly, "I use my core for everything. Absolutely everything,” She added, "When I'm dancing on stage, when I'm walking around. I have to make sure that my core is strong, it's tight."(Photo: Jennifer Lourie/Getty Images)

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Star Jones: Heart Disease - Former The View co-host Star Jones has made spreading awareness around heart disease her “life’s work.” After her own diagnosis with the preventable chronic disease and open heart surgery, Jones teamed up with the American Heart Association's GoRedForWomen.org to help women understand that heart disease is not just a man’s problem.  (Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage/Getty Images)

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President Barack Obama: Health Care - Back during his first presidential run, then-Senator Barack Obama was clear that he wanted all Americans to have access to health care. And while his Affordable Care Act doesn’t cover everyone who needs it, it does provide millions of uninsured folks with health insurance at an affordable cost.(Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Alicia Keys: HIV/AIDS - Since 2002, Grammy award-winning singer Alicia Keys has madeHIV/AIDS in Africa a top priority: She created the organization Keep A Child Alive, which provides lifesaving AIDS medications for Africans living with HIV. Recently, Keys and the Kaiser Family Foundation created Empowerment, a new program for women in the U.S. living with HIV.(Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Children's Rights)

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Anthony Anderson: Diabetes - In 2011, actor Anthony Anderson joined up with the Fearless African-Americans Connected and Empowered (F.A.C.E.) initiative, an awareness program about type II diabetes. Anderson, who has diabetes, says that managing his own disease is about thinking ahead. “I could either die from this disease, or live with it as best as I can. I choose to live with it.... It's all about planning.” (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/WireImage/Getty Images)

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Gabrielle Union: Breast Cancer - Inspired by losing a friend to breast cancer, Being Mary Janeactress Gabrielle Union began speaking out about the disease. Eventually, Union became a spokesperson for the Susan G. Komen's Circle Promise of Cancer, a campaign to create breast cancer awareness among African-Americans. (Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Taye Diggs: Childhood Hunger - In 2012, Taye Diggs teamed up with Kellogg’s to raise awareness about childhood hunger with the Share Breakfast Program. The program will provide 1 million families with breakfasts across the U.S. Diggs can relate to worrying about money and hunger — when he was growing up his father died, and he helped his mother put food on the table for his five other siblings. (Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Men's Health Magazine)

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Michelle Williams: Depression - Earlier this year, former Destiny’s Child singer Michelle Williamsopened up about suffering from depression as a teen. Williams didn’t take meds for help, but credits therapy, exercise and positive thinking to overcoming this mental health illness. Williams told Rolling Out magazine that she hopes that sharing her story will help others to seek the help that they need.(Photo: Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Boris Kodjoe: Spina Bifida - In 2009, Real Husbands of Hollywood star Boris Kodjoe and his wife Nicole Parker Ari created Sophie’s Voice Foundation, an organization to educate the public about spina bifida. Their daughter was born with this birth defect that affects a baby’s bowels, bladder and legs. (Photo: Barry King/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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Nicole Ari Parker: Getting Black Women to Exercise - Spina bifida is not the only health issue that Parker lends her voice to. Concerned about her own 30-pound weight gain and that her hair was an obstacle for working out, Parker created the Gym Wrap. This headband absorbs sweat from the hair making it easier for Black women to work out and not wreck their do. (Photo: Gregg DeGuire/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

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K. Michelle: Domestic Violence - Domestic violence can happen to anyone — just ask Love and Hip Hop Atlanta star K. Michelle, who was a victim herself. This August, Michelle has recently teamed up with Young Black and Fabulous (YBF) for her Rebel Against Campaign. The campaign uses videos and pictures on Tumblr to share stories of other women around the country who have experienced forms of abuse.(Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for VH1)