Racism in America

Akilah Johnson joined The Washington Post in 2021 as a national reporter exploring the effects of racism and social inequality on health. In prior roles at ProPublica and the Boston Globe, she covered the intersection of health, race, politics, and immigration. Ms. Johnson shared a Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and was a Pulitzer finalist as a member of the Globe’s Spotlight Team investigation into racism in Boston. Her reporting has won a number of other national awards, including NABJ Salute to Excellence Awards, ONA’s Knight Award for Public Service, and a National Headliner Award for Journalistic Innovation. Before her time at the Globe, Ms. Johnson covered education and public safety for the South Florida Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale. She is a graduate of the University of Miami and alumna of the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University.

Jamila Michener is an associate professor in the Department of Government in the College of Arts & Sciences and co-director of the Cornell Center for Health Equity. Her research focuses on poverty, racial inequality, and public policy in the United States. Professor Michener is on the Board of Trustees for the Center for Healthcare Strategies and is a member of the Community Advisory Board for the Rural Health Equity Training Collaborative at Cayuga Medical Center. Her recent book, “Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism and Unequal Politics,” examines how Medicaid — the nation’s public health insurance program for people with low income — affects democratic citizenship. Unpacking the ways in which federalism transforms Medicaid beneficiaries’ interpretations of government and structures their participation in politics, “Fragmented Democracy” assesses American political life from the vantage point(s) of those living in or near poverty, (disproportionately) Black or Latino, and reliant on a federated government for vital resources.  

Jerel Ezell, an assistant professor in the Africana Studies & Research Center in the College of Arts & Sciences, is a mixed-methods researcher and Fulbright Scholar. His research focuses on health disparities and social inequality in post-industrial communities, exploring the tapestry of political, economic, and cultural factors which contribute to inequities. Professor Ezell’s work investigates how impacts from steady patterns of deindustrialization have been felt especially keenly in Black and lower-income populations, where community disinvestment, environmental degradation, crime, and diminished public health — acting as virtual “aftershocks” — have often followed the exit of prominent industries, particularly those in the automobile, steel production, and agriculture sectors. His current research projects focus on macrosocial factors contributing to the Flint water crisis and patterns of opioid use in the industrial Midwest and the northeastern United States.

Neil Lewis, Jr., is Assistant Professor of Communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Assistant Professor of Communications Research in Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine. His research examines how people’s social contexts and identities influence their motivation to pursue their goals and their success in goal pursuit efforts. Professor Lewis directs the Motivation and Goal Pursuit Lab, which studies these processes most often in the domains of education and health. One goal of the lab is to use the knowledge gained from this research to inform interventions and policies to improve outcomes and reduce social disparities.

Dr. Susana Rita Morales was born and raised in New York City, attending NYC public schools and then Harvard University, where she received her A.B. degree in Biology. She obtained her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and did her residency training in Internal Medicine at the Presbyterian Hospital of the City of New York. Dr. Morales joined the faculty of the Division of General Medicine at the Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in 1989 and served as an Assistant Division Director for Education and Training, coordinated primary care educational efforts, and co-directed a student course focused on psychosocial issues in medicine.

Dr. Morales joined the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell faculty in 1998 and is now Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine and Associate Chair for Educational Affairs in the Department of Medicine. She is also the Associate Director of the Housestaff Training Program. Dr. Morales served as a member of the governing Council of the Society of General Internal Medicine from 2000 to 2003 and was a member of the Commonwealth Fund’s “Bettering the Health of Minority Americans” Advisory Board. She is a member of the Advisory Committee of the Columbia University Institute on Medicine as a Profession Physician Advocacy Fellowship as well as a member of the Boards of Directors of Public Health Solutions, the United Hospital Fund, and the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation. Dr. Morales is the recipient of numerous honors, including the J. James Smith Memorial Award, presented annually by the NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell housestaff to a member of the attending staff who exemplifies the qualities of Teacher, Scholar, and Physician; and the National Medical Fellowships Community Service Award, presented for extraordinary commitment in the area of public health.