FROM THE DIRECTOR
Welcome to the virtual home of the Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice & Health. This is a multidisciplinary, collaborative research center formerly housed in the Department of Community Health Sciences in the Fielding School of Public Health at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). This center launched in October 2017 on what previously had been celebrated as Columbus Day.
The Center is distinguished from other disparities-related research units at UCLA by its primary focus on the health implications of racism for diverse populations. Public Health is both an academic discipline and an applied one. Therefore, the Center encourages the translation of research findings for use by public health professionals, community organizations and policymakers in their ongoing health equity efforts. You will find resources for each audience throughout this site.
Many Center affiliates are working to identify, investigate and explain the specific mechanisms by which various forms of racism may produce local, national or global health inequities. Others are advancing critical racial theories or building community partnerships to guide their anti-racism, health equity work. How does racism affect the physical and mental health of diverse populations? What tools are available to improve the rigor with which researchers study racism and its relationship to health inequities? Which intervention strategies most effectively address racism’s contribution to specific health inequities? What are effective ways to teach public health students about racism?
"We are working to explain how various forms of racism may produce health inequities."
"We are working to explain how various forms of racism may produce health inequities."
The Center supports a community of scholars engaged in cutting edge research, scholarship, public health practice, and community engagement to tackle these questions. Among the disciplines represented by affiliates are Public Health, History, Medicine, Urban Planning, Sociology, and other areas.
UCLA is a public institution with a commitment to the residents of the state of California. As Director, I am always delighted by the prospect of working together with members of the surrounding community and I invite community partners to become involved with the Center’s activities.
