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Dr. Gail C. Christopher Named Vice President for Health of the W.K.
Kellogg Foundation
Dr. Christopher Built Strong Legacy at Joint Center HPI Fighting
Health Disparities
Dr. Gail Christopher, DN
Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) - Dr. Gail C. Christopher, DN, Vice
President and Director of the Health Policy Institute (HPI) at the
Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, today was named
Vice President for Health Programs at the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.
In her new position, Dr. Christopher will oversee the foundation's
extensive investments to improve health and well-being for
vulnerable children and families.
Dr. Christopher, a strategic visionary leader with more than 20
years of experience designing and managing national initiatives and
non-profit organizations, will become one of the most influential
African Americans in the foundation community. The W. K. Kellogg
Foundation, with assets of $7.8 billion, administered $329 million
in grants and program funding in the last fiscal year. Its mission
is "to help people help themselves through the practical application
of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that
of future generations."
Dr. Christopher has authored three books and served previously as
Executive Director of Harvard University's Institute for Government
Innovation at the John F Kennedy School of Government. She is also a
Fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Her
appointment at Kellogg comes after Dr. Christopher's work at the
Joint Center HPI received national recognition for its impact on
policies that affect racial and ethnic health disparities,
particularly among young men of color in the United States.
Moreover, Dr. Christopher's new role underscores the strong
partnership between the Joint Center and the Kellogg Foundation.
Since 2002, Kellogg has contributed $16 million to the Joint Center,
funding that has helped sponsor the landmark Dellums Commission
research into conditions faced by young men of color in America and
many other HPI projects instrumental in reducing health disparities.
"Dr. Christopher has spearheaded work at our Health Policy Institute
that is making a difference in the lives of people of color across
the country," said Ralph Everett, President and CEO of the Joint
Center. "This is a win-win opportunity. Now, Dr. Christopher will
have a larger impact and she will play a tremendous role in
improving the health conditions of the most vulnerable people in our
society. She has given the HPI, and the entire Joint Center, a
foundation and blueprint to build upon for the future as we strive
to improve the quality of life for people of color."
Dr. Christopher vowed to continue her life long commitment to
improving health and life options for the disadvantaged, especially
children and families. She maintained that "a key" to eliminating
health disparities is addressing the social determinants of health
such as education, economics, environmental and behavior factors.
These conditions, she said, reinforce the important role that
"place" plays in determining health outcomes.
"I remain deeply committed to eliminating racial and ethnic health
disparities through a Fair Health movement that gives people of
color the inalienable right to equal opportunities for healthy
lives," Dr. Christopher said. "At HPI, we have begun that process. I
will work to continue and expand it even further within Kellogg."
Clearly, there is synergy between Dr. Christopher's personal mission
and the Kellogg Foundation's vision. Sterling Sperin, Kellogg
President and CEO, recently stated that "Kellogg aspires to become
an antiracist institution, one in which achieving health will
require an acknowledgment of the multifaceted dimensions of racism
and how they impact health and the achievement of health." At
Kellogg, Dr. Christopher's health division currently espouses three
core values: (A) Healthy children supported by healthy communities;
(B) Quality health and health care is multi-dimensional; and (C)
Health is a right, a social justice and equity issue.
Dr. Christopher will assume her new position on July 1.
"We were proud to support Dr. Christopher's work at the Joint Center
HPI, and we look forward to her commitment, leadership and vision
having an even more significant impact," said Pat Babcock, Interim
Vice President for Health Programs. "Kellogg will continue its great
partnership with the Joint Center for Political and Economic
Studies. The Joint Center is this nation's premier research
organization dedicated to addressing issues of concern to African
Americans and other communities of color. Their important research,
particularly, the Health Policy Institute, will continue to make a
difference."
Since 2004, when she joined the Joint Center, Dr. Christopher set
the agenda for HPI and launched several major initiatives:
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Place Matters. A national project
comprised of leadership teams from counties where people of color
live in high concentration and experience health disparities. These
leaders are creating data-driven strategies for reducing health
disparities, with a special focus on areas such as housing,
economics, poverty and other real life factors that contribute to
poor health outcomes. Counties will develop promising practices and
share them with other communities across the country.
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Dellums Commission. An esteemed group of
scholars, public officials, community activists and legal experts
investigated the circumstances faced by a wide range of minority
male youth ranging from the challenges that African American and
Hispanic youth face in urban and rural communities, to the plight of
Native American and Alaskan youth, to the often overlooked obstacles
that Asian immigrant youth encounter. The Commission developed
public policy recommendations to improve the quality of life for
young men of color and has launched a coalition to support
implementation of these policy recommendations.
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The Courage to Love Commission on Infant
Mortality. A group of scholars, physicians and public health
experts have developed new and promising research on the impact that
the lack of social support and unmitigated stress has on preterm
births and infant mortality rates. African American babies are twice
as likely to die in their first year of life as white babies. The
Commission's report will be released in the near future.
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Disaster Planning. Work to produce a more
culturally competent and responsive framework and approach to
disaster preparedness and recovery, which will ensure that
vulnerable communities in the target areas develop, and can
implement, preparedness plans beneficial to a diverse population.
Citing the strong HPI legacy, Mr. Everett said that
he is implementing a plan to ensure that the HPI work continues to
flourish. The Joint Center has hired Gina Wood, a former cabinet level
health official in the State of South Carolina, to work closely with Dr.
Christopher during the transition and provide senior management support
during the search for a new HPI Director. Ms. Woods will be HPI's deputy
director.
"Clearly, with HPI, we have found a formula that is working," Mr.
Everett said. "The Joint Center and HPI will continue to be a catalyst
for public policy that will have a positive impact on the lives of
people of color."
The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies is a national,
nonprofit research and public policy institution based in Washington,
D.C. Founded in 1970, it is recognized as one of the nation's premier
think tanks that focuses on issues of importance and concern to African
Americans and other people of color. For more information about the
Joint Center, visit its Web site at www.jointcenter.org or call
202-789-3500.
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