Dr. Lorece Edwards from the School of Community Health & Policy engaging in scholarship related to public health
Morgan State University—Maryland’s Preeminent Public Urban Research University—announces plans to launch the University’s first-ever Center for Urban Health Equity. Housed within the University’s School of Community Health and Policy (SCHP), the new center will engage in research to address health inequities in Maryland.
The initial launch of the Center for Urban Health Equity at Morgan is being made possible through funds recently received from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott and maintained by way of an annual $3 million appropriation commitment from the State of Maryland to the University’s operational budget.
For its part, Morgan is dedicating $500,000 from the historic Scott gift to get the new center started, while the majority of the remaining funds have been placed into an endowment to support other strategic initiatives for future generations.
“On the heels of receiving the historic gift from MacKenzie Scott, we are taking immediate action placing these resources to purpose in addressing some of the disparities and conditions identified by Ms. Scott in her call for more to be done to assist the most vulnerable in our communities,” said Morgan President David Wilson. “We appreciate the State of Maryland’s support in ensuring that this effort will be a priority for years to come with the establishment of the new Center for Urban Health Equity at Morgan. The Center, which is essential to our University mission, allows us to leverage the expertise of our world-class faculty and researchers in collaboration with our government partners.”
The Center for Urban Health Equity at Morgan will occupy a unique space among the existing state supported centers. Notably, the Center will be designed to focus on community-driven interests allowing maximum research energy and effort for immediate allocation and response to the root issues that influence—and in many cases, perpetuate—health disparities. The University plans for the Center’s research to be transformative, disruptive, innovative and, most critically, impactful. The Center will also seek to provide leadership to a coordinated effort committed to bringing diverse thought and perspectives around establishing a proactive framework for health equity throughout the state and beyond.
