Officials named an inaugural director for the Equity Institute in a University release Monday.
The release states Wendy Ellis, the director of the Center for Community Resilience and an assistant professor in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, will serve as the director for the GW Institute for Racial, Ethnic and Socioeconomic Equity — an institute researching worldwide disparities. The hire comes about three years after the institute originally launched in 2021 to support engineering, social science and law scholars researching racial and ethnic inequalities and 11 months after officials chartered the institute, which established the institute’s goals and structures.
Ellis will design new Equity Institute courses, create a board of directors and increase external funding, according to the release. The release states she will also develop core projects for the institute by identifying interdisciplinary research topics and community engagement strategies.
“Let’s activate the power that we are sitting upon here at the university and our great alumni network, and let’s tap it in a very strategic and intentional manner to close gaps in health, wealth and wellbeing,” Ellis said in the release.
GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew said in the release that Ellis’ scholarly interest in systematic inequalities and commitment to using research to generate change prepares her for the role.
Ellis’ research focuses on addressing health disparities between dominant and marginalized communities and learning about the systems promoting inequality, according to the release.
“Dr. Ellis is an exemplar of the Equity Institute’s commitment to fomenting actionable change,” Matthew said in the release.
The release states Ellis’ long-term goal is to create a minor in equity studies. She will also grow 13 projects already funded by the Equity Institute, develop additional academic collaborations and partnerships and support research projects that educate community members on equity gaps and propose solutions during her tenure, according to the release.
Lynn Goldman, the dean of the Milken Institute School of Public Health, said in the release Ellis’ role as director of the Center for Community Resilience connected her to “vulnerable communities” around the country.
The Center for Community Resilience is a Milken center that provides technical and policy guidance to institutions and organizations working to improve outcomes for children and families through community advocacy, health-promoting infrastructure and social services.
The release states Ellis will create solutions for opportunity gaps alongside affected communities who can advocate for the most effective ways to close the gaps.
“Her leadership will position the Equity Institute as a trusted voice in the fight to address systemic racism and the need to close equity gaps,” Goldman said.
