Adia Harvey Wingfield, the Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, received The Society for the Study of Social Problems’ C. Wright Mills Award for her 2019 book, “Flatlining: Race, Work, and Health Care in the New Economy.”
The annual award is given to the author of a new book that critically addresses an issue of contemporary public importance and contains implications for courses of action. Wingfield’s book addresses “racial outsourcing” in the health care industry.
According to Wingfield, in addition to their medical duties, Black doctors, nurses, and technicians often take on uncompensated work so their employers could achieve stated diversity goals. “The efforts that these Black health care workers put forth are certainly valued by the organizations, and they certainly go towards achieving organizational mission. The problem is that you cannot have individuals trying to solve organizational-level and structural problems, and essentially that’s what I found with the study,” she said.
Read more about the award and Wingfield’s book.
