Dawes, '06, Named Director of Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine

27 Aug 2019    

Daniel Dawes

Nationally renowned scholar and leader in the health equity and social justice movements, Daniel Dawes, '06, was recently named Morehouse School of Medicine’s Director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and Associate Lead for Government Relations. In his new position, Dawes will bring a forward-thinking, inclusive and multidisciplinary approach to address issues impacting diverse populations in urban and rural communities in our progressively complex health system, starting on August 19, 2019. 

In this role, Dawes will champion health policy strategies focusing on social and political determinants of health to advance MSM’s health equity vision. His work focuses on health reform, health equity, mental/behavioral health, poverty, health system transformation, and bridges research, healthcare, population health and public health – the translation of research discoveries into all communities, including under-resourced, vulnerable and marginalized communities. He is the author of 150 Years of Obamacare, which provides an in-depth lens on the importance of health equity.

“I have worked with Daniel for over seven years and value him as a catalyst and bipartisan collaborator in the health equity space. He has been instrumental in shaping major federal health policies, including the Mental Health Parity Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act and the Affordable Care Act where he led the largest network of leaders committed to prioritizing health equity in federal and state public policies,” said President and Dean Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD. “His outstanding leadership and tireless work at a national level speaks volumes to his leading the Satcher Health Leadership Institute to the next level.”

“I join in welcoming Daniel Dawes as the new director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute. He brings with him a knowledge of public health and health policy that will serve both the institute and the institution well,” said former Morehouse School of Medicine President and 16th U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, MD., Ph.D., MPH.  “We all look forward to working with Daniel and appreciate his commitment to the institution.”

Dawes is an elected fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and has served on several boards, commissions, and councils focused on improving health outcomes and elevating health equity in the United States.  He is an adviser to international, national, regional, state, and municipal policymakers, as well as think tanks, associations, foundations, corporations, and nonprofit organizations. Dawes obtained his Juris Doctorate from the University of Nebraska.