Causes of Death: Macro-Social Determinants of Health, the Biological Embedding of Racism and Next Steps in Anti-Racism Research

Join UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy and the Health Humanities Program in the College of Medicine virtually or in-person for a talk by David Chae, who will discuss a social-ecological, psychobiological and developmental approach to studying racism and implementing anti-racist interventions. Racial inequities in health are caused by racism ­— a social and moral dilemma, as well as a serious public health concern. In addition to causing direct physical damage, racism is also embodied covertly, including via biological processes underlying multiple disease pathways, such as accelerated aging at the cell level.

About the speaker:
David Chae, ScD, MA, is director of the Society, Health and Racial Equity Lab and associate dean for research at Tulane University. His research focuses on social determinants of health inequities and the embodiment of racism. He studies racism as a social-environmental toxin that shapes the inequitable population-level distribution of disease. As part of this work, he investigates the interplay between social context, developmental period, behavior, and biology, and links to disease susceptibility and progression.

Registration is required for in-person or virtual attendance.