Distinguished Community of Disparity Health Experts Appointed as Senior Fellows by W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute

Former HHS Secretary Dr. Louis Sullivan and colleagues will focus on new initiatives in health disparities research and intervention

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Reflective of the vision and teachings of William Montague Cobb, M.D., Ph.D., LL.D about health disparities, the Cobb Institute has announced its inaugural class of Senior Fellows.  This distinguished community of scholars represents demonstrated leadership and expertise in addressing health disparities mainly through research, but also in the areas of clinical care, interventions, pipeline programs and mentoring.

"As the challenge of reducing health disparities continues to evolve, effective reality-based solutions require multi-disciplinary collaboration from various perspectives and care settings," said Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Board of Directors and newly appointed Senior Fellow.  "This august panel represents superior subject expertise and a wealth of experience in addressing the varied factors that increase access to care and improve health outcomes."

The Cobb Senior Fellows – drawn from academia, hospitals, government, clinical practice and research – will perform various functions including:

• support the implementation of the Cobb Institute's mission, vision and goals including new initiatives in health disparities research and interventions.
• mentor mid-career level and early career research specialists to address the paucity of African-American researchers, and strengthen the pipeline of funded researchers by federal agencies such as NIH.

"Current challenges in the U.S. health system are inextricably linked with the rising cost of health disparities," said new Senior Fellow, Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., former HHS Secretary and President Emeritus of Morehouse School of Medicine. "The Affordable Care Act requires bold ideas to collaboratively address the deficiencies in our healthcare system."

Along with Drs. Sullivan and Laurencin, the other members of the inaugural class include:

Joseph Betancourt, M.D., M.P.H. -
 Director, The Disparities Solutions Center
 and Senior Scientist, Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital

Carolyn Britton, M.D., M.S. - Associate Professor of Clinical Neurology, The Neurological Institute of New York, Columbia University Medical Center

W. Michael Byrd, M.D., M.P.H. - Senior Research Scientist, Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health and Clinical Instructor, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School

Linda Clayton, M.D., M.P.H. - Associate Medical Director, Division of Medical Assistance, Massachusetts
Division of Public Health Practice, Harvard School of Public Health

Donna Christensen, M.D. - U.S. House of Representatives (D-USVI) and Chair, Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust

James Gavin III, M.D., Ph.D. - Clinical Professor of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine and former President, Morehouse School of Medicine

George Hill, Ph.D. - Levi Watkins Jr. Distinguished Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology Emeritus, Medical Education and Administration, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Rodney Hood, M.D. - Vice Chair, The Cobb/NMA Institute and President & CEO, Multicultural Health Disparities Institute

Edith Irby Jones, M.D. - Hall of Fame Inductee, University of Arkansas School of Medicine and Past President, National Medical Association

Camara Jones, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D. - Research Director on Social Determinants of Health and Equity, Division of Adult and Community Health, NCCDPHP, Centers For Disease Control

Lovell Jones, Ph.D. - Director, The Dorothy I. Height Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research (DH-CHEER), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Thomas LaVeist, Ph.D. - Director, Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions and William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy, Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health

Robert Like, M.D., M.S. - Professor and Director, Center for Healthy Families and Cultural Diversity, 
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School

Edith Mitchell, M.D. - Clinical Professor of Medicine at Jefferson Medical School and Director, Center to Eliminate Cancer Disparities, Jefferson University Hospitals

Roderic Pettigrew, M.D., Ph.D. - Director, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health

Vivian Pinn, M.D. - Former Director, Office of Research on Women's Health, National Institutes of Health

Griffin Rodgers, M.D. - Director, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health

John Ruffin, M.D. - Director, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health

David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D. - Former U.S. Surgeon General and Director, The Satcher Health Leadership Institute and Center of Excellence on Health Disparities, Morehouse School of Medicine

Brian Smedley, Ph.D. - Vice President and Director, Health Policy Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies

Augustus A. White III, M.D., Ph.D. - Ellen and Melvin Gordon Distinguished Professor of Medical Education, Harvard Medical School and Orthopaedic Surgeon in Chief Emeritus, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Richard Allen Williams, M.D. - Founder, Association of Black Cardiologists and Professor of Medicine, UCLA School of Medicine

Gail Wyatt, Ph.D. - Director, Sexual Health Programs, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA

About The W. Montague Cobb/NMA Institute
The National Medical Association (NMA) launched the W. Montague Cobb/NMA Health Institute in December 2004 to develop, evaluate, and implement strategies to promote wellness and eliminate health disparities and racism in medicine.  The Cobb Institute conducts data-driven research, makes policy recommendations where appropriate, and serves as a resource for NMA members and the greater healthcare community.  For more information, visit cobb.nmanet.org.

Contact: Michele Andwele
404.769.5810
[email protected]

SOURCE The W. Montague Cobb/NMA Institute