UE Honors Program to Host Speaker Discussing Racial Bias in Healthcare

Evansville, IN (10/20/2022) — The community is invited to attend the University of Evansville Honors Program common read speaker event, which will include a presentation by author Linda Villarosa. The event will be held Monday, October 24, in Eykamp Hall, located on the second floor of Ridgway University Center. It will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Villarosa will discuss her recently published book, Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation. It was the common read for UE's Honors Program freshmen this year. Under the Skin is a landmark book that tells the full story of racial health disparities in America by revealing the toll racism takes on individuals and public health. In this book, Villarosa lays bare the forces in the American healthcare system and in American society that cause Black people to "live sicker and die quicker" compared to their white counterparts. Anchored by unforgettable human stories and offering incontrovertible proof, Under the Skin is, according to Oprah Daily, "perhaps one of the most important and thought-provoking publications of the year."

In addition to authoring her book, Villarosa is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, where she covers race, inequality, and public health. She also serves as an associate professor and journalist in residence at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at City University of New York (CUNY), and she teaches journalism, English, and Black Studies at the City College of New York.

The University of Evansville empowers students to think critically, act bravely, serve responsibly, and live meaningfully in a changing world. Through an innovative academic curriculum combined with practical hands-on experiences, UE students engage the local and international community in meaningful ways. With a diverse student body from 44 states and 48 countries, students choose from an array of majors in business, engineering, arts and sciences, and health science. UE graduates engage the world and workplace with the tools and skills to excel in fulfilling careers. For more information, please visit evansville.edu.