“Who’s in CHARGE?” spotlights a member of the AAMC Collaborative for Health equity: Act, Research, Generate Evidence (CHARGE), a forum for investigators, clinicians, and community partners who design and implement research and policies that eliminate health and health care inequities. Today we’re featuring Gelise Thomas, JD, MS, director of research health equity at the Clinical and Translational Science Collaborative (CTSC) of Northern Ohio at Case Western Reserve University. Connect with Gelise on LinkedIn, X, and ResearchGate.
What sparked your interest in health equity work?
I formally learned about diversity, equity, and inclusion as a sixth-grade student in public school in Bedford, Ohio. I've always had a propensity to advocate for justice, which is likely why I became a lawyer. I’ve also always had a great appreciation for science. After attending a biotechnology camp at Case Western Reserve University in high school, I was confident that there was a way to weave my different interests together. My inclination toward having a nonlinear career path has added value in every industry in which I’ve worked. My willingness to gain experience in various industries has provided me with a unique perspective that I’ve leveraged for research health equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility work.
Why does health equity matter? Why should health equity matter to others?
When we all thrive, we all thrive. When only some of us thrive, we've missed an opportunity to catalyze, contribute to, and collaborate for the greater good. Life isn't a competition, but if we are going to compete, let's compete to eliminate barriers, increase access, and reconstruct systems that currently maintain the status quo. Healthy people contribute to healthy environments, communities, and economies. If we allow our compassion, curiosity, and urgency to serve as our universal compass, we’ll discover new ways to intervene and eradicate health disparities on our journey to advancing health equity.
Why is now the right time for us all to work together on health equity?
There are more than enough wrongs to right, systems that we can reimagine, and resources and sustainable infrastructure that we can cocreate. All that we do to advance health equity will have consequences for entire ecosystems and communities that are directly impacted by action and inaction from those without lived experience. That leads to health injustices. If we approach these problems together, with community, our total impact will not only advance health equity but also increase the likelihood of health equity for all.
What health equity project are you most proud of or excited about?
The health equity project that I'm most proud of is the CTSC of Northern Ohio's Black Maternal Health Equity Summit. Investments from 25 sponsors and 37 nationwide collaborators resulted in an event that centered Black-led community-based organizations, namely, the work and impact that these organizations have on the health of Black moms, babies, their families, and the community at large. It is rare that we have opportunities to come together — community, research, academia, health care, government, philanthropy, and entrepreneurs — to leverage our collective genius for good. Many of the 450 participants expressed joy, excitement, and gratitude to convene with so many people who had shared lived experiences or who had complementary skill sets that could help solve challenges in Black maternal health equity work, such as improving available data. This event was the beginning of something great, as some participants opted to participate in a READI (Research Equity, Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion), Set, BRACE (Building Research for Academic and Community Equity) experience, where physician-scientists and community members will have an opportunity to build a relationship over three to six months, using MetroHealth CHEEER (Center for Health Equity Engagement Education and Research)'s BRACE Toolkit and the Institute for eHealth Equity's Our Healthy Community Platform. Insights from that experience, and the research that will follow, will be disseminated at future events, discussed with government officials to help inform policy, and serve as a starting point for additional funding and implementation opportunities.
Imagine you’re an investigator on your dream research project. What question are you trying to answer?
How can we create equitable and innovative industry-academic-community partnerships and collaborations that invest in community-based organizations to increase sustainability, grow resource reserves, balance power dynamics, and improve individual and family socioeconomics?
Do you have an immediate research collaboration need?
I'd love to collaborate with people in various industries who are codeveloping transformative social determinants or drivers of health interventions that have policy influence and short- and long-term implementation potential. Having spent most of my career in the nonprofit sector, I am also interested in collaborating on research projects that embed sustainable, capacity-building resources and infrastructure as the foundational goals of the partnership and research collaboration.
What do you like to do for fun outside of work?
Anything outdoors — from the zoo and the beach to treetop adventures and zip-lining. Listening to live music outdoors is a bonus.
You can meet other health equity champions like Gelise in the AAMC CHARGE virtual community. Interested in nominating yourself or a colleague for a future “Who’s in CHARGE?” member spotlight?