WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 20, 2016) – Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Leana Wen today joined students, faculty, and community members at the Howard University College of Medicine for the fourth annual Dr. W. Montague Cobb Lectureship in Health Policy.

The lecture honors Dr. W. Montague Cobb, a 1929 graduate of the Howard University College of Medicine who was the first African American to earn a Ph.D in anthropology and a pioneering civil rights leader who championed the elimination of racial barriers to health care. During today’s lecture, Dr. Wen spoke about the vital role public health can play in combating systemic health disparities:

“Here in Baltimore, health disparities affect all aspects of life. As we approach the one year anniversary of the unrest in our city, we are reminded that violence is a result of years of racial inequality and poverty, and we must take steps to close these gaps in health care,” said Dr. Wen. “Public health is a powerful social justice tool through which we can develop a framework to level the playing field of inequality. By changing the conversation around how we view public health, we can find innovative ways to move the needle over the short term, while catalyzing social change that will advance outcomes for generations of Americans.”

Throughout his career, Dr. Cobb sought to end segregation in hospitals and other medical care facilities. On behalf of the NAACP and the National Medical Association, he provided expert testimony to Congress regarding health care legislation and his testimony on Medicare was instrumental in its passage.

Dr. Cobb served as editor of the Journal of the National Medical Association from 1949 to 1977, as well as president of the National Medical Association, the NAACP and the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.