CESSMIR member Dr. Ama Kissi is a clinical psychologist and postdoctoral researcher at Ghent University. She is receiving the award for the attention she rightly draws to the inherent exclusion of people of color in a healthcare system that has historically developed around white norms.
In her work, she investigates why people of color face an increased risk of health problems and how inequalities within the healthcare system itself arise and are perpetuated. Her research, which focuses on factors such as bias and attention processes that help explain racial inequalities within healthcare, and her social engagement inspired the book White Care, Black Suffering. In the book, she describes how racism permeates mental health care and how we can address it, with a particular focus on the Belgian context. “The therapy room is often portrayed as neutral, but it isn’t,” says Ama. “This isn’t about individual guilt or bad intentions, but about a healthcare system that has historically developed around white norms and therefore excludes people.” The book’s message is confrontational, yet hopeful. For healthcare leaders, it offers important insights and concrete starting points for working with their teams to build a more equitable and inclusive healthcare system.