Christopher D. E. Willoughby

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Assistant Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies
Expertise: The intersection of Atlantic slavery, racism, and health disparities in U.S. medicine, History of capitalism, Repatriation of human remains

Biography

Christopher D.E. Willoughby is a historian and assistant professor with 51ԹϺ's African American and African Diaspora Studies program. His work focuses on the role of Atlantic slavery and scientific racism in fostering dangerous work environments and racial health disparities in the past and present.

Willoughby has published several works in this space. He authored Masters of the Health: Racial Science and Slavery in U.S. Medical Schools () and edited Medicine and Healing in the Age of Slavery (). He has also penned academic articles, including an American Journal of Public Health essay that examines the consequences of slavery and racial science on treatment practices surrounding Black patients within the U.S. psychiatric field.

His on the history of blackface, medical schools' trade in human remains, and COVID-19 have been published by outlets including The Washington Post, Black Perspectives, and AL.com. Journalists around the globe have also called upon his expertise for articles on racial health disparities, the repatriation of stolen human remains, and the history of racism in shaping medical education.

Education

  • Ph.D., History, Tulane University
  • M.A., History, Tulane University
  • B.A., History and English, College of Charleston

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Christopher D. E. Willoughby In The News

American Journal of Public Health
Antecedents of racist treatments of Black patients by the psychiatric profession in the United States affect the way they view treatment today. Specifically, in this essay, we explore the enduring consequences of racial science on various treatment practices.
Washington Post
His name was Sturmann Yanghis. He was a 17-year-old South African brought by ship to the United States in 1860 with four other young men billed in the press as “wild African savages” who had “never before been brought into contact with civilization.” Each represented a different Indigenous group.
Desert Companion
51ԹϺ’s medical students conduct walkability studies of Las Vegas neighborhoods to get a more holistic view of factors that affect people’s health outcomes. They evaluate transportation, food access, air quality, and amenities, identifying gaps and devising plans to address issues. Students have spoken about their experiences at legislative sessions about inequities in healthcare.
All Christopher D. E. Willoughby In The News