FEBRUARY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Deirdra Wilson, Ph.D., MPH
Associate Professor at Touro University
Getting to Know Dr. Deirdra Wilson, Ph.D., MPH
Wanting to address some of the disparities she saw in her community, especially on the topic of breast cancer, Dr. Deirdra Wilson started her academic career studying premed at UC Berkeley and had thoughts of becoming an oncologist or a pediatrician. It wasn’t until she crossed paths with an African American woman who was studying to get her Ph.D. in epidemiology that she was exposed to the field of public health.
“…for the very first time, I was exposed to a different way to address some of the problems that I saw within the community and disparities, and how to not just address the kind of outcome or the expression of disease, but to actually prevent it, which is what I was more interested in. So I decided to get my MPH and focus on community health.”
Dr. Wilson obtained her MPH in Community Health from UCLA and her PHD in Epidemiology from UC Berkeley. While obtaining her MPH at UCLA, she focused on community health, low birth weight in African American babies, mental health around pregnant/postpartum women, and breast cancer prevention. She designed one of the first interventions that was set in a beauty salon to address and educate African American women about breast cancer and the importance of screening. Some of her additional work covers areas including violence, chronic disease, asthma prevention, and smoking cessation. She is currently an associate professor at Touro University California where she teaches epidemiology, social inequalities, and health research methods. She is also the co-leader for the school’s Social Justice Series, which focuses on educating the next generation of clinicians and public health practitioners about the importance of addressing social determinants.
What made you want to go into academic public health?
The mentorship of professors like her advisor Mahasin Mujahid and others at UC Berkeley helped Dr. Wilson succeed in the doctoral program and set an example of the importance and impact mentorship has in helping the next generation of public health leaders emerge.
“I felt like I had some impact in the health department, focused on particular communities, but I felt like being a good instructor to inform students about different ways of thinking, to really think outside the box, to problem solve, to bring their personal experiences to the table, that felt really important to me.”
What does Black History Month mean to you?
When it comes to Black History Month and African American history, Dr. Wilson believes it’s important to celebrate and highlight the achievements made by African Americans, but wants to mention that we can do a much better job at acknowledging that African American history is American history. Dr. Wilson believes that African American history should not be contained to just one month, but rather should be integrated into our curriculum from kindergarten through high school and on through college because African Americans have been part of so many of the most important historical contributions to our country.
“I've had to rethink this over time. And now, as a parent, think about how to teach history to my children. And one thing that I've come back to over and over again is that African American history is American history. When I think of the building of the infrastructure of this country, we helped build that infrastructure, whether it’s roads, hospitals, agriculture, and then on through both scientific and medical advances, and yes, public health.”
How have the contributions made by the Black community impacted you and/or your work?
While Dr. Wilson finds it important to note people like WEB Dubois, Charles Drew, and Henrietta Lacks who made so many great advances in healthcare, she also wants to note that some of the contributions made by the Black community were made unwilling. She mentions that had it not been for African slaves being used as experimental subjects, the current advancements in obstetrics, gynecology, and vaccinations would not have progressed. What really sticks out to Dr. Wilson is the Black community’s resilience to move forward, even when they were not acknowledged.
“If we're not welcome in the general hospitals in America, then we're going to create our own. We're going to create our own hospitals to care for our own communities. We're going to create our own medical schools to care for and to train up the next generation. And I think the establishment of those kinds of institutions, many of which have lasted, I think, was really important. They're examples of how we, as African American people, decided to kind of stand and provide whatever was necessary to our community until the rest of our nation decided to acknowledge us. And so, even without acknowledgment, we moved forward.”
What advice would you have for Black professionals seeking to pursue a career in public health?
“I would say, know your worth. Meaning? Know that what you're bringing to the table, your experiences, your insight, your observations, are valid and that they bring value to a conversation about health disparities, about health in general, about health outcomes… Number two, have faith in the solutions that you propose. And I think that that's really important. Kind of your research perspective. Your solutions really stand on your knowledge and your experience and move forward with those ideas, even if others don't see the value or if, in the moment, they can't see how the solution you propose is a solution… We really do need unique thinkers and creative ideas to solve today's problems.”