Monica Wang, associate professor of community health sciences and chair of the Narrative Office at the Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, has been named to the 2023 “40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health” by the National Minority Quality Forum (NMQF).

Wang is a health equity researcher in obesity and chronic disease prevention, who leads community-based interventions that target racial inequities in health. In 2021, she received a five-year, $3.3 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases to reduce sugary drink consumption and obesity risk at 10 Boys & Girls Clubs in Massachusetts. Her work and insights have been featured in a variety of national news outlets. Last year, she received the Leading the Narrative Award from the Society of Behavioral Medicine for an op-ed on COVID-19 vaccine equity written from her perspective as both a public health expert and mother.

“My experiences as an immigrant and a busing student, combined with my learning of how health inequities were rooted in history and policy, profoundly shaped my decision to pursue health equity as a career,” says Wang, who is also an adjunct associate professor of health policy and management at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

NMQF was founded in 1998 to support evidence-based, data-driven programs to eliminate the disproportionate burden of premature death and preventable illness for minority populations. Since 2016, NMQF has selected 40 health leaders from minoritized populations under the age of 40 who have been leading the charge to better patient outcomes and build sustainable healthy communities. This eighth class of honorees joins a growing field of clinicians, patient advocates, researchers, and policy makers who have been previously recognized.

“This award celebrates the commitment and innovation of the next generation of thought leaders dedicated to health equity. I feel honored, inspired, and grateful [to receive it],” says Wang. “This recognition in part reflects the amazing mentors, coaches, sponsors, and collaborators I have and the unwavering support from my family to do work that I love.”

Wang grew up in Boston, in rent-controlled housing in a mixed-income, racially diverse neighborhood. She commuted to school in Belmont, a wealthy, predominantly white suburb, through METCO, the nation’s largest voluntary school desegregation program. The two neighborhoods—just 10 miles apart—may have been different worlds, she says.

“My Boston neighbors and METCO peers knew not to frequent parks in our community past a certain hour—ever. Our streets were lined with fast food outlets, liquor stores, and corner stores. Walking or biking wasn’t always accessible or safe,” says Wang. “In Belmont, many of my classmates walked or rode bikes to school on smooth, safe, tree-lined streets; brought colorful lunches packed with fruits and vegetables to school; spent afternoons in expensive arts and athletics programs; and received new cars for their sixteenth birthdays.”

Wang would later learn that variations on her story can be found in almost every city in the United States. The nation’s history of racism and racial residential segregation created stark differences in neighborhood characteristics, such that walkability, quality of housing, pollution, and access to health care and healthy food are inextricably linked with race, she says. This translates into equally stark differences in adverse health outcomes for communities of color.

Today, Wang advocates for utilizing narratives to translate research and engage a broad public audience. She serves as an advisory board member and occasional contributor to The Emancipator, a digital revival of the nation’s first abolitionist newspaper. The multimedia publication, a partnership of BU’s Center for Antiracist Research and The Boston Globe, features scholarship and journalism dedicated to changing the national conversation on racial justice.

In a press release shared for the “40 under 40” award, Dr. Gary Puckrein, president and chief executive officer at the NMQF, says, “I am confident that these leaders will serve as an inspiration to aspiring healthcare professionals hoping to make a difference.”

There is evidence Wang already has. She was recently named as a runner-up for BU Supervisor of the Year for 2023 by the BU Student Employment Office, nominated by her student employees Katherine Togher, Marielis Rosa, and Olivia Britton. She will be celebrated alongside her students at the 2023 Student Employee and Supervisor of the Year ceremony on April 10.

“It was a privilege to be able to work with such outstanding students as Olivia, Marielis, and Katherine,” says Wang. “They represent the very best of what BU students have to offer… I can’t wait to hear of all the successes and accomplishments they will experience as they advance through their careers.”

Wang acknowledges advancing health equity can be mentally and emotionally taxing, particularly if one’s own lived experiences have been challenging due to systemic injustices.

“There may be times where you are the only advocate for health equity, or the only person who is female, or the only person of color in the room,” says Wang. “I’ve been fortunate to work with organizations and leaders who demonstrate consistent commitment to values that I believe are essential for this work—integrity, accountability, equity and inclusion… I also believe that we can do hard things because we live softly and are kind to ourselves physically and mentally.”

Wang will receive the “40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health” award at the National Minority Quality Forum’s Summit on Health Disparities and Spring Braintrust on April 17 and 18.