Thomas A. LaVeist, Ph.D. is William C. and Nancy F. Richardson Professor in Health Policy and Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He is a frequent visiting lecturer on minority health issues at other universities. He is also a frequent speaker at professional conferences and workshops sponsored by leading public health professional associations. Dr. LaVeist consults often with federal agencies and healthcare organizations on minority health and cultural competency issues and racial disparities in health. He has conducted several important studies of minority health. His research on minority health has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities, Center for Disease Control, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Brookdale Foundation, Commonwealth Fund, Russell Sage Foundation and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Lydia Isaac, PhD, is assistant professor and fieldwork coordinator, Community Health, Department of Urban Public Health, Hunter College. She formerly served with the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions. Dr. Isaac's research interests include translating research into policy and practice, racial and ethnic health disparities, the social determinants of health and the neighborhood environment and its role in health promotion.