Public Health Has an Equity Problem: A Latinx's Voice

Abstract

Public health has an equity problem. One of the main pillars of our public health system, schools and academic programs of public health, are under the control of white (heterosexual) faculty. They continue to exclude brown, black, and indigenous people from their faculty and leadership ranks. This racism pervades institutional policies and culture and is a major fault in the quest for health equity. In this essay, I center on the experience of Latinx faculty to examine the roots of this inequity and the arguments for diversity and inclusion. I also propose avenues for change and argue for institutional transformation that goes beyond adding people of color to faculty and leadership roles.

Embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Scientific Community—Viewpoints of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the North American Vascular Biology Organization

“…Racial injustice and disparity, including reduced access to employment, education, and crowded and substandard housing, affects public health and life expectancy in several ways. Discrimination causes adverse cognitive and emotional inadequacy, which can lead to lack of interest in healthy behaviors (e.g., sleep and exercise) and increased desire for unhealthy behaviors (e.g., alcoholism, drug abuse, and unhealthy food consumption) ( 6 – 8 ). Minorities have contracted COVID-19 far more often than the White populations.…”

Latina Women in Academia: Challenges and Opportunities

“…Despite the goal of the field of public health to promote the health of the public and to address health disparities and its commitment to social justice, certain ethnic and racial groups continue to be under-represented (UR) among the faculty of schools and programs of public health ( 1 – 3 ). For these reasons, Ramirez-Valles ( 4 ) asserted that the field of public health continues to struggle with an equity problem. Moreover, the under-representation of people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences in academic public health and other scientific disciplines is a form of epistemic oppression, defined as systematic exclusion that hinders contribution to knowledge production and advancement ( 5 ).…”

“…We begin by providing a brief overview of trends on Latinas in academia, discuss the ways in which racism and a variety of other structural determinants limit the representation of Latinas and other groups in academia, and propose solutions to address the diversity problem in academic public health by highlighting the importance of resources, initiatives and mentoring that make a difference for Latinas and other women of color in the academy to be seen, affirm their voice, and advance their careers ( 3 , 4 , 12 ).…”

Racism Within: Special Journal Issue on Scholars of Color

“…Here I am relying on the World Health Organization’s definition of public health as “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society” (Acheson, 1988). This racism is endemic and deeply rooted (Berridge, 2000; Jones, 2018; Vaughn, 1991); from the history of genetics, colonialism, human participants research, to workforce training and the delivery of health services (Karan, 2019; King, 2002; Ramirez-Valles, 2020; D. Roberts, 2011).…”

“…We are not promoting them at the same rate as we are hiring and many of them are leaving the toxic environments of academia (McChesney & Bichsel, 2020; Zambrana, 2018). In other words, institutions hire non-White faculty only, perhaps, to push them out (Ramirez-Valles, 2020). What this means is that scholars of color are not in the settings where public health research is taking place, where publications develop.…”