Thomas A. LaVeist
Thomas A. LaVeist, Ph.D. is dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair at the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, LA. Before joining Tulane, he was chairman of the Department of Health Policy and Management at the George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health. LaVeist focuses mainly on the development of policy and interventions to address race disparities in health-related outcomes. Early life and Education. Thomas LaVeist was born and raised in the Brownsville section of Brooklyn, NY. He obtained his B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland  Eastern Shore (UMES) in 1984. At UMES he was a member of the football team and also became a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. He received his M.A in sociology in 1985 and continued on to receive his Ph.D. in medical sociology from the University of Michigan in 1988. Additionally went on to complete his postdoctoral fellowship in Gerontology and Public Health Policy & Administration University of Michigan School of Public Health in 1990. He later went on to receive a Certificate in 2004 from the Johns Hopkins University on Leadership Foundations, Leadership development training programs. Thomas LaVeist is also  certified in Organizational Governance through the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) During his time at the University of Michigan, he helped found the National Black Graduate Students Association a student-run and operated, non-profit organization with the original goal of "provide an opportunity for African American graduate students to develop professionally as well as serve as a forum for future researchers and academic professionals." The program has grown significantly over the years in goals and in numbers from the University of Michigan to partner programs in schools across the United States. Career. LaVeist joined the Johns Hopkins faculty  in 1990 and served in various roles including chair of academic policy and admissions committee, professor of health policy and management (since 2004), professor of sociology (since 2004), holder of a joint appointment in the School of Medicine Oncology Department (since 2005), and a faculty associate in the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center (since 2005) and in the Hopkins Population Center (since 1993). In February 2016 LaVeist joined the George Washington University faculty where he is professor and chair of the Department of Health Policy and Management. He joined GWU after 25 years on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins  Bloomberg School of Public Health. While at Johns Hopkins he was the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions. Projects. The Skin You're In is LaVeist's project right now. The Skin You're In is a movement based on bringing awareness to racism and inequity within the healthcare field for people of color. This project has a Documentary Series that follows an average group of African American people in the United States of America and their struggles within getting appropriate and proper care in the  face of racism within the health care system. During this time, they address what the problems are, why they are happening, and how to fix it. LaVeist's project also highlights multiple key points like providing access to peer reviewed research on health issues and health care disparities that are normally hidden behind pay walls or school access which he acknowledges that not everyone has access to either of those things. He dedicates appropriate time to making sure that the articles posted are peer reviewed and factual. His project also highlights multiple myths about African Americans and their health as  well as his source backing his answer. Research. LaVeist has written more than 150 articles in leading scientific journals and authored or edited 5 books on minority health issues and cultural competency in healthcare. His work has been supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense, the Commonwealth Fund, the Russell Sage Foundation, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Awards. He has also earned awards such as the Knowledge Award from the US Department of Health and Human Services and the American Sociology Association's Roberta G.  Simmons best Dissertation Award. In 2013, he was elected to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly Institute of Medicine).