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Dr. Joseph Wright (’06) is the Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Capital Region Health within the University of Maryland Medical System. He serves on the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) board and chairs the AAP Task Force on Addressing Bias and Discrimination.
One year ago, with the leadership of Dr. Wright, AAP released a policy statement that identified racism as a “core social determinant of health that is a driver of health inequities.” Never in modern US history has that been more apparent as social conditions and systemic racism cause an elevated risk for COVID-19 diagnoses and deaths in communities of color.
The health and economic impacts of COVID-19 are likely to cause widened racial health disparities. Response and rebuilding efforts are needed that take into account the “pre-existing inequities,” such as lack of access to healthcare facilities and higher rates of health-risk and disease in select communities.
Join us for timely observations and perspectives from 2020 Washington Business Journal Minority Business Award honoree Dr. Joseph Wright (’06), a national leader in public health – and consider the vital role of all leaders in rebuilding a more equitable public health system.
Dr. Wright has recently authored a number of articles on the subject that appear in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. Links:
https://www.nature.com/pr/articles?type=comment
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32916682/
https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/146/3/e2020019794.long
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