Douglas Brooks (SSW’99) Receives Mass. Public Health Assoc. Award For Fighting Health Inequities
Douglas Brooks (SSW’99), an alum of BU School of Social Work, was awarded the Paul Revere Award by the Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA). The MPHA recognized Brooks’ notable impact on the community through his work fighting health inequities. The award is the highest recognition at the MPHA, meant for those who have shown outstanding impact on public health in the Commonwealth. The winners will be celebrated at MPHA’s 22nd Annual Spring Awards Breakfast.
Brooks has significant experience in public policy and advocacy, and his work focuses on HIV preventive care and treatment. Previously, he worked in community centers, support groups, and business organizations, where he tackled health inequities ranging from anti-Black racism, homophobia, and other systemic issues.
Brooks began his career in social work as a case manager, clinical social worker, and program director in Massachusetts. From 2014 to 2016, he served as a director of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP). In this role, he identified populations that were disproportionately affected by the epidemic and directed community-based care to communities, including gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities, Black and Latino communities, and people living in the Southern U.S.
Currently, Brooks is a senior leadership fellow at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Practice and Policy. He serves as a board member for the Justice Resource Institute following his decade-long tenure with the intervention organization. He also recently joined a project funded by the Philadelphia Health Department to engage older adults living with HIV to better understand their needs.
The MPHA is a non-profit organization working to remove barriers to quality healthcare. The organization focuses on policy changes that are community-driven and have a positive impact on health outcomes, which can be determined by affordable housing, healthy food, and transportation.