Center for Research on Race, Health Justice, and Public Policy

Dr. Martell Teasley is Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Center for Research on Race, Health Justice & Public Policy, as well as Professor in the College of Social Work. Since arriving at the University of Utah in 2017, he has served in several administrative positions including Associate Provost for Strategic Academic Initiatives, interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Dean of the College of Social Work. As the lead investigator on the Social Work profession’s Grand Challenge to Eliminate Racism, his major areas of research interest are African American adolescent development, school social work practice, and racism in social work education and practice. Dr. Teasley served in the U.S. Army for 10 years and participated in the First Persian Gulf War as a licensed practical nurse. His education includes a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Fayetteville State University in 1994. He received a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1996 and a Ph.D. in Social Work in 2002 from Howard University.

Dr. Julie Lucero is Director of Operations for the Center for Research on Race, Health Justice & Public Policy. She is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Health & Kinesiology in the College of Health. Her research agenda focuses on health equity and social justice. Using a community engaged research orientation, she strives to achieve health equity by means of education, research, and policy development. Through the identification of modifiable social determinants, community- academic partnerships can reduce the burden of health inequities within underrepresented populations. She has been working toward health equity in partnerships with American Indian, Latino/Hispano, LGBT and other underrepresented populations for nearly two decades. She has a Ph.D. in Health Communication and a Master's degree in Public Health from the University of New Mexico.

Amit Kumar is Associate Director for Research at the Center for Research on Race, Health Justice & Public Policy. He is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy at the College of Health. He specializes in health services research with training in population health and epidemiology. His influential research involves assessing how social determinants of health impact the variation in rehabilitation services based on race, region, and insurance status. He has extensively studied and compared Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries. He has identified approaches to improve the efficiency and timeliness of rehabilitation care access, delivery, and continuity of post-acute care among minority, dual-eligible, and rural populations. His ongoing research centers on understanding the factors contributing to inequalities in post-acute rehabilitation care. This includes documenting the underlying causes of disparities and identifying actionable models of care to improve equitable healthcare delivery and outcomes for Medicare populations.

Dr. Chou is a quantitative researcher specializing in health service and biostatistics, with over ten years of experience in both industry and academia. Her expertise spans secondary databases such as cancer registries, Medicare and private insurance claims, electronic medical records, and national surveys. With a Ph.D. in Clinical Science-Health Service Research and an M.S. in Biostatistics, she provides statistical consulting on study design and analytical strategies across diverse research areas. Dr. Chou has extensive experience in biostatistics for clinical trials, ensuring robust and reliable results in medical research. Her research agenda focuses on health outcomes, minority health, and advancing health care equity. She collaborates with a range of investigators to address pressing issues in racial diversity and justice, bringing a data-driven perspective to promote inclusive healthcare solutions.

Laurence Parker is a professor and chair in the Educational Leadership and Policy department in the College of Education. His areas of research interests are critical race theory and its application to K-12 and higher education policy to improve educational outcomes for students. He is a 2021 fellow for the American Educational Research Association and a 2021 recipient of the University of Utah mentorship awards from the graduate school. He is also the 2023 recipient of the University Council of Educational Administration award for racial and social justice. He has published in journals such as Teachers College Record, the Review of Research in Education, and Race Ethnicity and Education.

Dr. Paula Smith is a developmental psychologist with expertise in school-based preventive intervention. Her research uses a risk and protective factors framework to understand youth involvement with risky behavior, such as violence, drugs, early sexual debut to prevent their engagement with the juvenile justice system. Using a collaborative framework for working with teachers and school leaders, she supports them in developing a positive school climate to provide youth with social and emotional support coupled with expectations for academic excellence. Importantly, this preventive intervention framework engages a systemic, comprehensive, and sustainable approach towards positive youth development.

Dr. William A. Smith is the Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Chair and a Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah. He is the Chief Executive Administrator for Strategic Initiatives and Mental Health Justice at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Renowned for his pioneering work on Racial Battle Fatigue, a term he coined in 2003, Dr. Smith’s research addresses systemic, racism-related repetitive stress injuries. His interdisciplinary work spans psychology, psychiatry, education, sociology, and social justice. In 2023, he ranked in the top 1% of the RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings and received the AERA Scholars of Color Distinguished Career Contribution Award.