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

(AANEWSWIRE)WASHINGTON- 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:

l 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.
l 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.
l 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.
l 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."
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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 http://www.jointcenter.org or call 202-789-3500.

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