Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

I endeavor to incorporate equity into everything I do—Think, Teach, and Do.

Think — The focus of my work is on health insurance and social safety net policies, which are inherently closely linked to equity and health. I perform rigorous evaluation of policies and campaigns to determine which are most effective and communicate what I learn beyond the research community––to policymakers and the public so they can advocate for and implement evidence-based and/or equitable policies. Often a lack of evidence is used to uphold a status quo that is a legacy of racist and discriminatory systems, unwittingly using science as a weapon to maintain them, which we should resist at every turn. I currently serve as co-PI of a Commonwealth Fund grant ("A data-driven approach to ending racial inequity through health policy evaluation and innovation") to the Center for Antiracist Research with Dr. Ibram Kendi, supporting equity-focused health policy research and translation.

Teach — I help train underrepresented scholars and bring their voices into the scientific and policymaking arenas. I support first-generation scholars, like me, and scholars of color that are coming up behind me, making the hidden curriculum more visible and investing the time that won’t show up in my CV—but could make a difference for their career trajectory. I currently serve and/or have served as a BU Terrier F1RSTS Advocate, BUSPH FirstGen Mentor, and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Alumni Community Pillar. I was also recognized as a Provost Mentor Fellow at BU in 2021 for my commitment to inclusive mentoring. I advocate for prospective students from non-traditional and underrepresented backgrounds on our PhD admissions committee and our departmental DEIJ committee, knowing that reversing inequities in academia and research requires vision and investment. The safe choice is rarely the equitable one, but we can't keep doing things the same way and expect different outcomes.

Do — I continue educating myself on the history and theories of race, class, and inequality, and partner with scholars of different identities when conducting research involving communities that I do not represent. Having, and instilling in students, humility and deep respect for the people who our work is informed and/or affected by should always guide our actions. We continue to fight for acknowledgment that systemic racism has causal impacts on health through differences in education, policing, and other factors, providing an understanding upon which policies and institutions can be rebuilt equitably. We clearly have much work to do on this front—the education of American history, universal access to voting, science, and public health have all become politicized and deeply polarized.

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