2023

Fighting a Rigged System

Gilbert C. Gee and Sean Darling-Hammond
Dr. Gilbert C. Gee & Dr. Sean Darling-Hammond

When UCLA’s public health school opened in 1961, the U.S. civil rights movement was gaining momentum. That year, student activists launched freedom rides challenging segregation on interstate buses. Two years later, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famed “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The year after that, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law. And yet, nearly six decades later, the police killing of George Floyd forced a reckoning with the reality that for whatever progress has been made since the 1960s, entrenched structural forces fueled by racism, xenophobia, and more subtle forms of bias continue to plague our society — ensuring, among other things, continuing inequities in health.

Only in recent years has the role of structural racism and other forms of discrimination become a major topic of public health inquiry and action. Dr. Gilbert C. Gee (image, left), professor and chair of UCLA Fielding’s Department of Community Health Sciences, was among the few focusing on these issues when he began his career; Gee, who joined the school’s faculty in 2007, studies racism and other inequities in social determinants of health among racial/ethnic and immigrant communities. Dr. Sean Darling-Hammond (image, right), an assistant professor of community health sciences and biostatistics who arrived at FSPH in 2022, is an attorney and public policy expert whose work seeks to identify the causes and consequences of racial bias, as well as the mechanisms that might ameliorate bias and its impacts.

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WHAT DREW YOU TO UCLA FIELDING?

SEAN DARLING-HAMMOND: I believe combating structural racism requires structural change, and that structural change requires an interdisciplinary approach. What makes FSPH special is that it brings together scholars with expertise in both diverse methods — like randomized controlled trials, econometrics, and qualitative analysis — and diverse scholarly traditions like public health, psychology, sociology, and law. Scholars here marshal a truly interdisciplinary approach to generate the kinds of deep insights that can drive the structural change we need.

GILBERT C. GEE: One of the historic strengths of our school is its focus beyond the individual. As far back as the 1960s, Leo Reeder, a founder of what would become FSPH’s Department of Community Health Sciences, was a prominent medical sociologist interested in the forces of society that stratify health. He and many of the CHS faculty who followed — such as Steve Wallace, Carol Aneshensel, Margie Kagawa-Singer, and Anne Pebley — understood that while individuals are important, we need to look intensively at policies and structural inequities in our society.

WHEN DID STRUCTURAL RACISM AND OTHER FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION BEGIN TO BE VIEWED THROUGH A PUBLIC HEALTH LENS?

GG: Racism as a public health issue has been around a long time, but as a topic that people take seriously, it is a relatively new phenomenon. Scholars like W.E.B. Du Bois, and activists such as the Black Panthers, connected racism and health many generations ago. But only in recent years has it become more accepted in mainstream public health.

WHAT MOTIVATED EACH OF YOU TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS AREA OF STUDY?

SDH: In my experience as a legal practitioner, I saw how racial bias in juvenile institutions led many low-income Black and Latinx youth to be uniquely vulnerable to trajectories of harm, exclusion, and mental health challenges. That led me to work with other scholars to reduce racial bias through psychological interventions, and to explore the potential of intergroup contact to reduce bias at a population level.

GG: In the 1990s, when I was a grad student at Johns Hopkins, I was invited to give a talk to the master’s class on race and health and spent well over a month thinking about these issues. It was easy to describe racial differences in health, but what explained them? I went through the usual suspects — social class, access to care, culture — and none made sense when you considered the totality of the disparities. The only thing that made sense that we hadn’t grappled with was racism. That lecture launched my interest and my career.

WITH MORE INQUIRY, WHAT ARE WE LEARNING ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH IMPACT OF RACISM, AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS YET TO BE ANSWERED?

SDH: We now understand that racial bias drives inequity not simply because it makes us consciously decide whom we’ll give advantages to, but because it has a subconscious impact on how we respond in situations where there is discretion and ambiguity. That allows us to design and test interventions that shift mindsets and behaviors for teachers and parole officers in ways that reduce racial disparities in school discipline and juvenile outcomes, among other things, and can help create a more just society.

GG: We need to better understand individual experiences — the biological pathways whereby discrimination gets into the body and affects the brain and immune system. It’s also important to identify the policies and procedures within specific institutions, like medicine and policing, that create inequities. But at an even higher level, how do institutions collaborate to create this web of racial, gendered, disability-based, transphobic, etc., inequality that is so durable? The forces of equilibrium in our society are toward inequality, and we haven’t actually dismantled the structures that hold everything together.

SDH: In my work, I have sometimes looked at racism as being potentially intractable, and have evaluated interventions that work by sidelining or circumventing our mental recruitment of biased beliefs. But there is also interesting research that treats racial bias as a malleable construct. Especially during COVID-19, we saw how political rhetoric that stigmatized Asian individuals increased anti-Asian racial bias. But perhaps if rhetoric can increase bias, it can also reduce it. Perhaps if we articulate our views about racial groups and racial inequality in fruitful ways, we can reduce racial bias and animus at a population level.

IN WHAT WAYS HAS COVID-19 MAGNIFIED THESE ISSUES?

SDH: COVID clarified how structural racism can drive negative health outcomes. Even in Hurricane Katrina, when Black individuals experienced this natural disaster in a more negative way, it was partially because generations of Black people had to locate near levees, so you could point to historical factors. But COVID was different. No one was immune — and yet, because of structural racism, mortality and incidence rates were markedly higher for Black and Latinx people, and particularly in the counties where anti-Black bias was highest.

GG: COVID also helped put Asian American concerns in the national spotlight as a conversation point. Much of the time, Asian Americans are talked about as a model minority and used as a tool to argue there’s nothing wrong with American society with regard to inequality. That’s a false narrative, because Asian Americans encounter many disparities and inequalities. After COVID, more people are talking about Asian Americans in regard to civil rights.

WHAT IS IT YOU HOPE TO INSTILL IN YOUR STUDENTS TO HELP THEM SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESS THESE ISSUES?

GG: A major priority for me is to bring people to research as a career who have historically not been part of the research process. That requires shedding all the insecurities we are taught as oppressed people. We are taught not to believe in our own ideas, to be overly deferential. How do you persevere as an academic through disappointments and criticism? The best advice I have is to channel your emotions. The emotions that drive me are anger and love — anger at all the inequities, and love for the communities that have fought to provide the privileges I have, and hope to pass forward.

SDH: I agree with Gil — it’s helping students develop a growth mindset so they can overcome the imposter syndrome and internalized beliefs that often stop members of marginalized communities from engaging in this work for an entire career. That means making sure students of all backgrounds can gain the skills they need to help their communities thrive. It also means teaching them how best to collaborate with communities, which requires shedding assumptions, listening to what the community is experiencing, and working with, not working on.

WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES YOU HOPEFUL ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH’S ROLE IN TAKING THESE ISSUES ON IN THE FUTURE?

SDH: We have people at FSPH who have invested their intellectual energy and capital into identifying, improving, and evaluating potential solutions to problems we once thought were intractable. That’s incredibly invigorating. On the flip side, we’re educating a generation of possibilists. They’re not asking what it is, they’re asking what can be. It’s been magical to watch students approach the world with this possibilistic lens. If we give them the tools to take that possibilism to wherever it can go, the sky’s the limit.

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Faculty Referenced in this Article

Dr. Gilbert Gee
Gilbert C. Gee
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Donald Morisky
Donald E. Morisky
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Michael Rodriguez
Michael Rodriguez
Community Health Sciences
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Jason H. Moore, Ph.D.
Jason H. Moore

Automated and accessible artificial intelligence methods and software for biomedical data science.

Biostatistics
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Dr. Jessica Gipson
Jessica Gipson
Community Health Sciences
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Paula Tavrow
Paula Tavrow
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Robert Erin Weiss
Robert Erin Weiss
Biostatistics
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Brunilda Balliu headshot
Brunilda Balliu
Biostatistics
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Headshot
Damla Senturk
Biostatistics
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Dr. Dorota Dabrowska
Dorota M. Dabrowska
Biostatistics
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David Eisenman
David Eisenman
Community Health Sciences
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Honghu Liu
Biostatistics
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Hua Zhou
Hua Zhou
Biostatistics
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Dr. Marc Suchard
Marc Suchard
Biostatistics
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Dr. Gang Li
Gang Li
Biostatistics
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Dr. Michael Goldstein
Michael Goldstein
Community Health Sciences
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Faculty/staff profile placeholder image
David Elashoff
Biostatistics
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Dr. May Sudhinaraset
May Sudhinaraset
Community Health Sciences
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Jennifer A. Wagman
Jennifer A. Wagman
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Alina Dorian
Alina Dorian
Community Health Sciences
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Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim headshot.png
Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim
Community Health Sciences
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Falco Joannes Bargagli Stoffi
Falco J. Bargagli Stoffi
Biostatistics
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Virginia C. Li
Virginia C. Li
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Elizabeth D'Amico
Elizabeth D’Amico
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Samuel Stratton
Samuel Stratton
Community Health Sciences
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Courtney Thomas Tobin headshot.png
Courtney S. Thomas Tobin
Community Health Sciences
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glik, deborah
Deborah Glik
Community Health Sciences
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Catherine M. Crespi headshot
Catherine M. Crespi
Biostatistics
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Hyun J. Grace Kim
Biostatistics
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Dr. Jin Zhou
Jin Zhou
Biostatistics
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Robert Kim-Farley
Robert J. Kim-Farley

Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences

Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Dr. Dana Rose Garfin
Dana Rose Garfin
Community Health Sciences
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Li, Jingyi Jessica
Jingyi Jessica Li
Biostatistics
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Dr. Randall Kuhn
Randall Kuhn
Community Health Sciences
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Andrew Holbrook
Andrew Holbrook
Biostatistics
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Catherine Ann Sugar
Catherine Ann Sugar
Biostatistics
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William G. Cumberland
Biostatistics
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Thomas Belin
Thomas R. Belin
Biostatistics
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Ron Brookmeyer
Ron Brookmeyer
Biostatistics
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Dr. Judith M. Siegel
Judith M. Siegel
Community Health Sciences
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Kimberley Shoaf
Community Health Sciences
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Abdelmonem Afifi
Abdelmonem A. Afifi
Biostatistics
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Dr. Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez
Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez
Community Health Sciences
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David Gjertson
Biostatistics
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Dawn Upchurch
Community Health Sciences
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Dena Herman
Dena Herman
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Michele Guindani
Michele Guindani
Biostatistics
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Ilan H. Meyer
Ilan H. Meyer
Community Health Sciences
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Martin L. Lee
Martin L. Lee
Biostatistics
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James Macinko
James Macinko

Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research

Community Health Sciences Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Shira Shafir
Shira Shafir
Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Cathy Lang
Cathy Lang

Assistant Dean for Research & Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences

Community Health Sciences
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halbert, ronald
Ronald Halbert
Community Health Sciences
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Xiaowu Dai headshot
Xiaowu Dai
Biostatistics
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Dr. Christina Ramirez
Christina Ramirez
Biostatistics
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Dr. Chandra Ford
Chandra Ford
Community Health Sciences
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Kimberly Gregory
Kimberly Gregory
Community Health Sciences
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May Wang headshot
May C. Wang
Community Health Sciences
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Charlotte Neumann
Charlotte G. Neumann
Community Health Sciences
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Sudipto Banerjee
Sudipto Banerjee
Biostatistics
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Dr. Anne Pebley
Anne Pebley
Community Health Sciences
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Wendelin Slusser
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Michael Prelip
Michael Prelip
Community Health Sciences
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Philip Massey headshot
Philip Massey
Community Health Sciences
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Natalie Muth
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Weng Kee Wong
Weng Kee Wong
Biostatistics
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Dr. Elizabeth Yzquierdo
Elizabeth Yzquierdo
Community Health Sciences
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Ondine S. von Ehrenstein
Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Sheba George
Community Health Sciences
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Dana Hunnes
Dana Hunnes
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Donatello Telesca
Donatello Telesca
Biostatistics
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Image of Dr. Verissimo in the Sculpture Garden
Angie Otiniano Verissimo
Community Health Sciences
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Sarah Blenner
Sarah Blenner

Director of Field Studies and Applied Professional Training

Community Health Sciences
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Marjorie Kagawa-Singer
Marjorie Kagawa-Singer
Community Health Sciences
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Marjorie Kagawa-Singer
Marjorie Kagawa-Singer
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Anne Pebley
Anne Pebley
Community Health Sciences
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glik, deborah
Deborah Glik
Community Health Sciences
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Faculty/staff profile placeholder image
Ondine S. von Ehrenstein
Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Dr. Samuel Stratton
Samuel Stratton
Community Health Sciences
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Dana Hunnes
Dana Hunnes
Community Health Sciences
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Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim headshot.png
Bo-Kyung Elizabeth Kim
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Gilbert Gee
Gilbert C. Gee
Community Health Sciences
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Faculty/staff profile placeholder image
Kimberley Shoaf
Community Health Sciences
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Jennifer A. Wagman
Jennifer A. Wagman
Community Health Sciences
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Charlotte Neumann
Charlotte G. Neumann
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Alina Dorian
Alina Dorian
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez
Hiram Beltrán-Sánchez
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Chandra Ford
Chandra Ford
Community Health Sciences
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Sarah Blenner
Sarah Blenner

Director of Field Studies and Applied Professional Training

Community Health Sciences
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Cathy Lang
Cathy Lang

Assistant Dean for Research & Adjunct Associate Professor of Community Health Sciences

Community Health Sciences
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May Wang headshot
May C. Wang
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Shira Shafir
Shira Shafir
Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Dr. Elizabeth D'Amico
Elizabeth D’Amico
Community Health Sciences
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Courtney Thomas Tobin headshot.png
Courtney S. Thomas Tobin
Community Health Sciences
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Virginia C. Li
Virginia C. Li
Community Health Sciences
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James Macinko
James Macinko

Professor of Community Health Sciences & Health Policy and Management, and Associate Dean for Research

Community Health Sciences Health Policy and Management
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Dr. Michael Goldstein
Michael Goldstein
Community Health Sciences
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Faculty/staff profile placeholder image
Natalie Muth
Community Health Sciences
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Image of Dr. Verissimo in the Sculpture Garden
Angie Otiniano Verissimo
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Michael Rodriguez
Michael Rodriguez
Community Health Sciences
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Paula Tavrow
Paula Tavrow
Community Health Sciences
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Faculty/staff profile placeholder image
Wendelin Slusser
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Judith M. Siegel
Judith M. Siegel
Community Health Sciences
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Philip Massey headshot
Philip Massey
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Jessica Gipson
Jessica Gipson
Community Health Sciences
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Dena Herman
Dena Herman
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Dana Rose Garfin
Dana Rose Garfin
Community Health Sciences
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Ilan H. Meyer
Ilan H. Meyer
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. May Sudhinaraset
May Sudhinaraset
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Randall Kuhn
Randall Kuhn
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Michael Prelip
Michael Prelip
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Elizabeth Yzquierdo
Elizabeth Yzquierdo
Community Health Sciences
Read Faculty Profile
Robert Kim-Farley
Robert J. Kim-Farley

Robert J. Kim-Farley, MD, MPH, is a Professor-in-Residence with joint appointments in the Departments of Epidemiology and Community Health Sciences

Community Health Sciences Epidemiology
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Faculty/staff profile placeholder image
Sheba George
Community Health Sciences
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halbert, ronald
Ronald Halbert
Community Health Sciences
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David Eisenman
David Eisenman
Community Health Sciences
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Kimberly Gregory
Kimberly Gregory
Community Health Sciences
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Dawn Upchurch
Community Health Sciences
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Dr. Donald Morisky
Donald E. Morisky
Community Health Sciences
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