racial-equity | Emory School of Medicine

Transforming systems through place-based approaches to promote and sustain racial equity for children throughout their life course: early brain development; academic achievement; and environmental justice.

In the words of Frederick Douglas, “It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Building strong children requires transforming systems to nurture children, families, and communities and validate their worth; an ecosystem that maximizes early brain development, laying the foundation for learning, good health, and success in life; and a society devoid of racial and social inequities. The Center on Racial Equity for the Child, Youth and Family will uphold these principles and serve as a trusted partner to promote racial equity. Supported by three pillars and a place-based approach, the center will strengthen early child development and holistic family wellness, student health and achievement, and environmental justice. These integrated pillars will transform health care, education, and environmental policy to promote healthy families, academic success, social mobility and thriving communities. Uprooting racial inequities across systems will afford every child the opportunity to realize their fullest potential.

Team

Veda Johnson

PARTNERS for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health, Emory

Veda Johnson, MD is a Professor of Pediatrics, the Marcus Professor in General Academics and Pediatrics, and Director of PARTNERS for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health at Emory University. PARTNERS’ purpose is to increase access and improve the delivery of healthcare and to advance equity and well-being for children and adolescents in at-risk communities throughout Georgia. Dr. Johnson has over 32 years of experience working with families, communities, schools and service organizations to develop placed-based systems of care, primarily for children of color. Her expertise is in community engagement/ partnership, school-based health care, social determinants, and health equity.

Terri McFadden

PARTNERS for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health, Emory

Terri McFadden, MD, is a Professor of Pediatrics at Emory University where she has delivered care for children and families and taught medical students, residents and allied health professions students for 30 years. She is Director of Primary Care initiatives at PARTNERS for Equity in Child and Adolescent Health, with a particular focus on social determinants of health and adverse childhood experiences. Her leadership roles include Medical Director for Reach Out and Read Georgia and Past President of the Georgia Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics, and she has expertise in early brain development, implicit bias, and health equity.

Briana Woods-Jaeger

THRIVE Research Lab, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory

Briana Woods-Jaeger, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Public Health at Emory University, Licensed Child Clinical Psychologist, and Director of the Together promoting Health and Resilience through Interventions, Voice, and Equity (THRIVE) Lab. She has over a decade of experience utilizing community-based participatory research approaches to better understand trauma and stress-related health disparities and promote health equity among communities of color. Dr. Woods-Jaeger serves in leadership roles including Co-Chair of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s Multicultural Advances Special Interest Group and member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Task Force.

Partners

Our partners include Atlanta’s public school systems, a law center that promotes and protects the legal rights/interests of children involved with the juvenile justice system, a community–based family support organization focused on family resilience, a board that partners with youth and family in action-oriented research, and a center that addresses complex challenges at the ‘nexus’ of the environment and society.

Atlanta Metropolitan Area School Districts
Barton Child Law and Policy Center
Families First Community Organization
Project Thrive Community Action Board
Resilience and Sustainability Collaboratory