Penn Medicine’s 9th Annual Health Equity Week

Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA (Medical Ethics, Health Care Management, Community Health)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) Professor of Health Policy and Health Equity

Sarah Tishkoff, PhD (Genetics, Human Evolution)
David and Hyn Silfer University Professor in Genetics and Biology

Dorothy Roberts, JD (Law, Society, Africana Studies)
George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology

Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH (Public health, Psychology)
George A. Weiss University Professor of Epidemiology and Nursing

Robert I. Field is a professor of law at the Kline School of Law and professor of health management and policy at the Dornsife School of Public Health at Drexel University. He is also a senior fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on the structure of health systems and health reform. He is the author of two books, Mother of Invention: How the Government Created “Free-Market” Health Care and Health Care Regulation in America: Complexity, Confrontation and Compromise, both published by Oxford University Press, and is author or co-author of more than 50 articles. He has lectured globally, including in New Zealand, China, Japan, France, Denmark, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Portugal. He writes and edits a blog on health policy for the Philadelphia Inquirer called Health Cents and is frequently quoted in the media on health care issues. He received a PhD in psychology from Boston University, MPH from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, JD from Columbia Law School, and AB magna cum laude from Harvard College.

Lisa Lewis is the Penn School of Nursing Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusivity with an interest in increasing diversity throughout the health services research field. Using mostly community-based research methods, Lewis studies determinants of medicine adherence in African-Americans living with Hypertension with an emphasis on psychosocial and clinical factors such as depression, self-efficacy, social support, spirituality and perceived discrimination.

George Dalembert is an attending physician in the Division of General Medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dalembert’s academic and research interests include adolescent health, health equity, and increasing patient/ family engagement in the primary care setting.

Wendy Ross, MD, is the Director of Jefferson’s Center for Autism and Neurodiversity (JeffCAN). Her work combines clinical and programmatic efforts to improve healthcare for those on the spectrum and others with neurodiverse conditions. JeffCAN’s efforts include improving the training available to healthcare personnel, offering better educational materials for those in a variety of community settings such as schools, workplaces, and housing centers, and working directly with patients while measuring outcomes in a variety of ways to best assess the value of various healthcare approaches. Dr. Ross is a leader in the field who, in addition to her extensive academic and clinical work, created the first air travel program for families affected by autism. She has worked with museums (including the Smithsonian), sports teams, and other venues to improve inclusion of children affected by autism in the community. She is the recipient of numerous honors and recognitions for her work in the autism community, featured in major media outlets including People Magazine, who named Dr. Ross a “Hero Among Us,” and CNN, who named her a “CNN Hero.” Dr. Ross earned her doctorate at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, before going on to complete a pediatrics residency at Yale and a developmental and behavioral pediatrics fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Sabra Townsend is the Director of Operations for the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity (JeffCAN). Her position is multi-faceted in the field of autism services: directing Center operations, clinical and strategic development, training, and grants management. Prior to Jefferson, she worked in public health, focusing on community service to children with special needs. Most recently, focusing on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, she directed an AmeriCorps national service program, managed medical and nursing students who performed basic health assessments, conducted focus groups, and provided training to both parents and professionals on topics including special education and everyday strategies for improved life outcomes. Her work experience includes community coordinating at the Philadelphia Dept. of Public Health and The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Sabra served as group leader on the statewide PA Autism Task Force and works with the city, state and private organizations to improve services people with special health care needs. Recent publications topics include Engaging University Partners in HealthMeet® - assessments for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sabra was honored with the Small Miracles award by the Center for Autism in 2012.

Alex Fossi is the Research Coordinator for Jefferson’s Center for Autism and Neurodiversity (JeffCAN). His responsibilities include developing research and evaluation plans for the Center’s interventional efforts, creating study protocols for use with IRB submissions, and data collection and analysis involved in ongoing research. Alex received his MPH from Jefferson in 2017 and has worked as a study coordinator since then. His work has focused on social epidemiology, complementary and alternative medicine, and healthcare delivery research. He has experience with community-based participatory research and his past work has included a focus on delivering research results with practical applications in community and healthcare settings.

Theodore McKee is a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has previously served on the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, working in both narcotics and firearms, as well as political corruption units.