Thomas A. LaVeist, the William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Management at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and founding director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, has been elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. LaVeist's research focuses on understanding health disparities, such as the racial health gap in infant mortality rates, as well as the impact of socioeconomic status on health outcomes.
LaVeist has published more than 100 scientific articles, five books, and numerous policy briefs and reports. In 2012 he organized the International Conference on Health in the African Diaspora, which gathered scholars from throughout the Western Hemisphere who work on health issues among African descendants. He is currently developing a documentary and book project titled The Skin You're In to communicate the scientific reasons and recommended solutions for the African-American health disparity.
LaVeist received his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, which he attended on a football scholarship, and earned his doctorate from the University of Michigan. He joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 1990.
