Christopher Willoughby, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of African American & African Diaspora Studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), housed within the Department of Interdisciplinary, Gender, and Ethnic Studies. His scholarship interrogates the intersection of race and medicine, focusing on how medical schools and physicians in the United States developed and disseminated racial science, particularly under slavery and its enduring legacies. Research Interests Willoughby’s work centers on the history of medicine, the racialization of medical knowledge, and health disparities. He explores how 19th-century American medical schools institutionalized racial theories, the role of slavery in shaping medical education, and the long-term impacts of these practices on African American health and healthcare activism. His investigations extend to the transatlantic dimensions of race and medicine, environmental racism, and the politics of medical authority. Publication Trends Across more than two dozen publications since 2016, Willoughby has consistently examined themes of racial science, medical education, and the health of enslaved and free Black populations. His forthcoming 2025 pieces continue this trajectory, spotlighting individual physicians like Dr. JD Harris and institutional actors like John Collins Warren, thereby linking biographical detail to structural analysis. Scientific Awards & Honors No awards or honors are listed in the provided materials. Advising & Grants No information on current or former students, grants, or funded projects is available in the provided text. Labs & Research Groups No laboratories, centers, or formal research teams are mentioned.






