Kosali Simon selected by National Academies to examine current state of racial and ethnic health disparities in the U.S.

The National Academy of Science, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) has announced that a committee will examine the current state of racial and ethnic healthcare disparities in the U.S.

The committee, which includes Distinguished Professor Kosali Simon of the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, will help update the National Academies’ 2003 report on Unequal Treatment. It will highlight the major drivers of healthcare disparities, provide insight into successful and unsuccessful interventions to reduce disparities, identify gaps in the evidence base, and propose strategies to close those gaps.

“As the nation commemorates the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this week, it’s notable there are still large disparities in health outcomes by race today: life expectancies at birth are 71.8 years among Black populations, compared to 77.6 years for White populations,” Simon said. “The NASEM committee aims to systematically sift through the research evidence that supports recommendations to advance health equity.”

Dr. Simon’s research has informed economic and health care policy, with a particular focus on the impact of law and policy on low-income households and people of color. The Herman B. Wells Endowed Professor and Paul H. O’Neill Chair at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IU Bloomington, Kosali is elevating issues of equity through her insights.