Thomas A. LaVeist, PhD, director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, received the first annual Minority Health Knowledge Award from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health. The award was presented at the National Leadership Summit on Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health on January 10, in Washington, D.C. The award is given to recipients who contribute substantial research, as well as written and published work, that advances knowledge about minority health and the elimination of health disparities. These efforts must also have led to or inspired others to contribute to the body of knowledge needed to close the minority health gap. LaVeist, a professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Department of Health Policy and Management, focuses his research on social and behavioral factors that predict the occurrence of various health-related outcomes. He also investigates social and behavioral factors that explain race differences in health outcomes. In addition, he looks at the impact of social policy on the health and quality of life of African Americans. LaVeist consults often with policy-makers regarding health disparities and is developing policy and interventions to address race disparities in health-related outcomes. He authored over 30 articles in the last five years alone, and in 2005 published the first textbook on minority health and health disparities, entitled Minority Populations and Health: An Introduction to Health Disparities in the United States. Click here for more information. | 
