Bita Amani is a social epidemiologist whose teaching and research focus on the synergies and tensions between community health, racism, politics, and power. Her work investigates how social disinvestment and state-sanctioned violence result in public health crisis. She prioritizes solutions that strengthen our existing community health infrastructure. She is an Associate Professor at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), and lead co-chair of the UCLA/CDU COVID-19 Racism and Equity Task Force housed in the UCLA Center for the Study of Racism, Social Justice, and Health. She is also Co-Director of CDU’s Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence.