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Building the Future of Health Equity

Clyde Yancy, MD, MSc, chief and Magerstadt Professor of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine, vice dean for Health Equity at Feinberg, and leader of Feinberg’s Office of Health Equity.

Clyde Yancy, MD, MSc, the Magerstadt Professor and Chief of Cardiology in the Department of Medicine, serves as Vice Dean for Health Equity at Feinberg. As the leader of Feinberg’s Office of Health Equity, Yancy is at the forefront of efforts to close health gaps and ensure that every individual — regardless of background — has access to high-quality care.

In this Q&A, Yancy shares insights into the mission of the Office of Health Equity and the path forward for creating a more equitable healthcare system.

What is health equity, and why is it important?

The asset of health is among the few, if not only, luxuries we enjoy in life. With access to better health and especially effective healthcare, we can manage life well and provide for ourselves, our families and our communities. Yet, via impediments in our varied public systems, not every person has access, and though equal access infers a sameness for all, equitable access is providing those goods or services that are uniquely appropriate for a given individual. With health equity, all of us potentially have the opportunity for the most prosperous life and living conditions — that is at the core of our American Dream and should be considered among our most fundamental rights.

How does health equity improve care for all people?

Among the many lessons remaining from the pandemic experience was an awareness that the absence of health in any of us impacts the health of all of us. Moreover, the price we pay for health inequities is not only measured in lives and quality life-years lost but also the economic costs of varied health outcomes, estimated to total hundreds of billions of dollars per year. This cost is unsustainable and limits our investment in other critical areas of health and life sciences. The initial cost outlays to account for the needs of the individual patient pale when juxtaposed with the cost of serious illnesses and chronic care. It is an unwavering truism; prevention is more effective and less costly than treatment.

What does health equity mean to you?

An opportunity for our society to be whole. Isn’t that what we all wish? A world, a life, a community with an opportunity to enjoy the precious asset of health. From that foundational point, everything else evolves: our social health, our family health, and our economic health. The critical first step to prosperity in life is the preservation and maintenance of ideal health.

What’s on the horizon for the Office of Health Equity?

First, the Office of Health Equity is open, our mission is intact and our intent is clear: to advance healthcare and improve health for all people, everywhere. We accomplish this work by convening the voices and stories that reflect all the populations we serve and make certain all feel welcomed. Our portfolio of pathway programs, welcoming programs for medical, allied health and graduate schools and our year-round focus on all matters addressing health equity keeps our office, staff and leadership busy in constant pursuit of a mission that advocates for the best health for all members of our community. That we instill this virtue in the fabric of our early-career professionals ensures that for decades to come, consideration of best health for all remains top of mind.

How can members of the Feinberg community get involved with the Office of Health Equity?

The Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Office of Health Equity ascribes to a mission of embracing the entire portfolio of patients we serve by welcoming a heterogeneous group of medical students, residents, fellows and early-career faculty. Programming raises awareness about the health, life and living circumstances of so many. Our annual discussion of Health Equity featuring a nationally recognized luminous authority keeps our thought process and community engagement on the leading edge of best science and implementation of Health Equity. Membership on our Health Equity Council is open to all, and every event holds ample space for all members of our Feinberg community to engage. Our Health Equity events typically draw hundreds of attendees on-site and even more in the virtual space.

What’s next on the calendar for the Office of Health Equity?

The Office of Health Equity remains steadfast in its mission to advance healthcare and improve health for all people. This fall, we invite the Feinberg community to join us for the Fall 2025 Lyceum Speaker Series on Tuesday, October 14, from 10:30–11:30 AM in Hughes Auditorium, featuring Leslie R. Walker, MD. Immediately following the lecture, our annual Health Equity Research Symposium will take place from 12:00–2:00 PM in the Potocsnak Family Atrium, showcasing a dynamic poster session focused on interventions and policies that address health disparities and promote equitable care. Abstract submissions open on Monday, August 18.

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