The Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities is an institute at the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC), and it is dedicated to the reduction, and ultimate elimination, of health disparities through community engagement.
Established in 2014, the Evers-Williams Institute is focused on addressing the social determinants of health, specifically: food insecurity, education, and child safety; each of which is a salient issue in Mississippi.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), “health disparities are differences in incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, or survival rates compared to the health status of the general population.” The Myrlie Evers-Williams Institute focuses on health care, food insecurity, education, and research to address the determinants of disparity as well as interventions and policies designed to eliminate them.