Population Research Discovery Seminars

Racism as a Social Determinant of Equity

Wendy Barrington, UW Department of Child, Family, and Population Health Nursing

Register for Zoom Seminar HERE

10/30/2020
12:30-1:30 PM PT

Race-based disparities in health outcomes within the U.S. have continued despite the emergence of health disparities research as a prominent line of inquiry. This is most likely attributable to a lack of systemic intervention to address racism in health. Dr. Barrington will examine how race has been conceptualized in research, how historic racial injustices continue to operate today through structuring exposures to the social determinants of health, including socioeconomic status and neighborhood resources, and impacts related to the burden of cancer and COVID-19. Finally, Dr. Barrington will conclude with a discussion of considerations for the implementation of individual-, organizational-, and community-level anti-racist strategies for health research and practice.

Dr. Barrington is an Associate Professor in the UW School of Nursing, Adjunct Associate Professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Health Services in the UW School of Public Health, and Affiliate Investigator with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. She obtained her BS in Earth Systems from Stanford University, her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of New Mexico, and her PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Washington. She applies community-based participatory research principles to engage marginalized communities and health systems to transform policy, practices, and norms to reduce racial disparities in health service outcomes including cancer screening.