Although Black History Month has ended, its lessons continue to inspire law students to challenge systems, advocate for justice, and create meaningful change. Michael Ampofo, whom we featured earlier on the blog, is continuing that work through his commitment to health equity.
In this Q & A , Michael Ampofo returns to sit down with fellow law student Kwaku Aurelien to discuss his journey to law school, his current studies, and the goals guiding his future in the legal profession.
To begin the conversation, Kwaku started with a simple but powerful question:
KWAKU AURELIEN:
Give us a portrait: Who is Michael Ampofo?
MICHAEL AMPOFO:
- Three core things about me:
- Man of God
- Family Man
- Basketball Enthusiast
- Adjectives:
- Kind
- Hard working
- Resilient
- Determined
- Disciplined
KWAKU:
How are you finding your first year of law school?
MICHAEL:
My first year of law school has been rewarding:
- CT kid at the state’s law school (all of grade school in CT, undergrad at UConn). If you told me in elementary school that I’d be at UConn law one day, I would have probably been in awe.
- Great community
- Pleasure being around intelligent peers with great futures ahead of them.
- I had the pleasure of meeting great people like you [Kwaku], and Maryanne, one of our librarians, who have helped me a lot.
- It has also been challenging but I’m getting better and more comfortable every day.
KWAKU:
Your undergraduate honors thesis examined healthcare experiences by race, sex, and weight status among low-wage workers before and during COVID-19. What inspired that research?
MICHAEL:
Yes, my thesis did address those things, and it is one of my proudest achievements to this day. My research was inspired by the fact that race, sex, socioeconomic status, and weight discrimination lead to health disparities for different people. These health disparities can mean life and death. The pandemic caused a lot of burnout and resource depletion in the healthcare system. We all know that a lot of lives were lost as well. Knowing that health disparities existed, I wondered how I could add new literature to public health research. I have to shout out my dad for recommending that I investigate the impact of the pandemic on health disparities, it made my work really interesting.
KWAKU:
This research is deeply personal for a lot of people. Without sharing more than you’re comfortable with, what is your relationship to these issues? Why does health equity matter to you specifically?
MICHAEL:
At the end of the day, public health is about protecting the health of our communities. It is about people and I love people; I always have and I always will. As a black man, I have a black family and a lot of minority friends. I have a lot of women in my family and outside my family that I care for as well as people struggling with their weight. The probability that they and I are more likely than others to have worse health outcomes, in part, because of our characteristics blows my mind. Health equity matters to me specifically because I see it as a matter of life and death. I have been told I can be dramatic, but I really see it that way. Everyone deserves to get the best treatment they can get without their race, sex, socioeconomic status, or weight influencing that treatment because their life could depend on it.
KWAKU:
What did you find? Did the pandemic worsen healthcare experiences for the groups you studied?
MICHAEL:
I first want to note that my study was a secondary analysis of my supervisor’s main study that examined the effect of a minimum wage increase on obesity-related behaviors and outcomes. The dependent variable in my study, “healthcare experience score” was based on three questions from my supervisor’s main study that were used as an indirect measure of perceived discrimination. These questions were not designed to directly measure perceived discrimination, but I thought that they could imply it. They asked participants if they perceived their providers listened carefully to them, respected what they said, and spent enough time with them. Participants responded with either never = 0 points, sometimes = 1 point, usually = 2 points, or always = 3 points. The totals from these responses were combined to see the change across two time points (T1 = 2019, T2 = 2021) based on participant characteristic (race, sex, weight status). Using an indirect measure of perceived discrimination did not yield a statistically significant decrease in healthcare experience scores for non-Hispanic Blacks, females, and people with obesity. However, blacks and females saw a decrease in their healthcare experiences, but it was not statistically significant. My findings lead me to believe that I would have found statistically significant decreases over time if I used a direct measure of perceived discrimination. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll return to this project.
KWAKU:
What surprised you the most in your research?
MICHAEL:
The things that surprised me the most in my research was the fact that non-Hispanic Black people, women, people with obesity, and low SES people perceive discrimination more than their counterparts and this caused them to delay seeking care.
KWAKU:
Did conducting this research influence your decision to go to law school? If so, how?
MICHAEL:
Yes, my research influenced my decision to go to law school. My research caused me to think about what could be done to reduce discrimination in healthcare and my first answer was policy. Then I did some research and found that law shaped policy and directly impacted public health. I then came to the concussion that I needed to understand the law and learn how to apply it to help put in place effective health policies and interventions to reduce health disparities among different groups of people.
KWAKU:
As a young Black man studying racial health disparities, how does your identity shape your research and advocacy?
MICHAEL:
My identity shaped my research and my desire to fight health disparities because it illuminates the fact that I could have worse health outcomes due to racial discrimination. My identity allows me to put myself in the place of every minority whose health has suffered due to discriminatory practices and makes my goals all the more meaningful and personal.
KWAKU:
What do you want people to understand about the relationship between race and health in America?
MICHAEL:
I want people to understand that, unfortunately, someone’s race can have a negative impact on their health because of racial discrimination in the healthcare system. Studies show that racial discrimination influences physicians to be more likely to recommend a better treatment to one racial group over another. Studies also show that the perception of racial discrimination influences patients to not use the healthcare system the way they should (delay seeking care, avoiding care altogether). Racial discrimination in the healthcare system ultimately contributes to racial health disparities.
- My literature review on racial discrimination in the healthcare system revealed that non-Hispanic black people tend to perceive racial discrimination more often than non-Hispanic white people. This increased perception contributes to health disparities between the groups because it makes Black people more likely than White people to delay care, not seek it at all, and/or not adhere to healthcare treatments.
- A literature review also revealed that race influences physician medical treatment decisions due to implicit and explicit racial bias. This further contributes to racial health disparities.
KWAKU:
In your undergraduate thesis, you included weight status as a variable. Why is weight-based discrimination in healthcare important to study?
MICHAEL:
Weight-based discrimination is important to study in healthcare because patients with obesity are more likely to suffer from diseases due to their BMI more than people without obesity. This means that they require more medical attention. Unfortunately, patients with obesity perceive and receive weight-based discrimination more than patients without obesity. This causes them to receive worse treatment from physicians and be more likely to under-utilize the healthcare system, contributing to health disparities.
KWAKU:
How does weight stigma intersect with racism and sexism in healthcare?
MICHAEL:
Weight stigma intersects with racism and sexism in healthcare for the worse. Studies indicate that people with obesity perceive and receive more weight-based discrimination than those without obesity. A black person with obesity is more likely to perceive and receive discrimination than a black person without obesity because of their weight. This goes for any other race as well. Studies indicate that weight stigma, racism, and sexism in the healthcare system contribute to weight, race, and sex health disparities due to negatively influencing provider decisions and patient use of the healthcare system.
KWAKU:
You shared with me that you don’t intend to practice law after graduation, but rather, you want to use your legal education to supplement public health advocacy. Can you talk about your vision?
MICHAEL:
I see the law as something important to understand and as an essential tool that could be used to advance and protect public health. Public health is shaped by policies, policies are created by institutions, and those institutions have to adhere to the law. As someone who is interested in contributing to public health policy, I believe that an understanding of how the law works and how it could be applied would be important in my work. My undergraduate research made epidemiology appealing to me since it uses data to inform public health policies and decisions. I plan on pursuing a master’s in public health focused on public health policy and epidemiology. If I can, I might get a PhD focused on either of those disciplines after that.
KWAKU:
You also shared with me that you have encountered resistance from peers and professors about this path. Without sharing more than you’re comfortable with, what does that resistance look like, and how do you respond to it?
MICHAEL:
What I’ve come to realize is that there is resistance anytime someone tries to do something different or if what they’re trying to do makes others insecure. With this in mind, I respond with silence. I don’t give in to their resistance by trying to explain myself because I said what I said. I’ve decided to keep my aspirations to myself because of these interactions but am open to sharing my plans with open-minded people.
KWAKU:
What keeps you resolute in your intentions despite the resistance?
MICHAEL:
There is only One Being in the universe that I want to please and must answer to and that is God Almighty. He is the reason why I am here and He is reason why I get up every day. I do not live to please anyone else because at the end of the day I want to be able to look back at my life and be happy with the fact that I lived for God’s approval, not for others’ approval. I want to be able to look back with joy, not regret. I want to pour out everything God gave me and I refuse to let anyone get in the way of that.
KWAKU:
Have you found “your people” on this campus – peers and professors who are fully supportive of your aspirations?
MICHAEL:
You, and maybe Dominic [Bellido], are the only peers that really understand my aspirations, and you guys seem to be supportive. I definitely appreciate you guys. A staff member who has been really supportive is Maryanne, the librarian. I truly appreciate her kind words and encouragement. I have not really talked to others about this much, but I know other supportive people are out there.
KWAKU:
What would you say to other students who have unconventional goals but feel pressure to conform?
MICHAEL:
I would tell them to do what they feel led to do and to never bow down to pressure to conform. I don’t care if it is their parents, partners, or professors; this is their life. If they conform, they will end up living a life that they weren’t supposed to live. They’ll probably be miserable too; I know I would be. Like, think about it. Imagine being in your eighties or nineties and asking yourself, “what if?” What if I didn’t allow people to talk me out of what I wanted to do? What if I took a chance on myself and wasn’t such a people pleaser? What if I did what I wanted to do instead of what other people wanted me to do? Les Brown and Dr. Myles Munroe are known for the quote that the graveyard is the richest place on earth. The reason why they believed that is because a lot of people die without tapping into their full potential. Things like conforming to pressure lead to this happening. For students like me who have unique goals and paths, keep going and do not allow pressure to shape your life. You want to be able to look back at your life with joy, not regret.
KWAKU:
What, in your opinion, do a JD and an MPH degree each bring to the table? What does a JD offer you than an MPH alone wouldn’t, and vice versa?
MICHAEL:
- I believe that a JD brings an understanding of the laws that shape our lives and gives us the ability to use those laws in society.
- An MPH gives someone the knowledge and skills needed to protect and improve the health and well-being of our communities.
- Without a JD, I will not have the knowledge and skills needed to use the law to protect and improve public health. Without the MPH, I will not have the knowledge and skills needed to understand the health system and use it to protect and improve public health.
KWAKU:
Where do you see the most critical intersections between law and public health?
MICHAEL:
The most critical intersections between law and public health can be seen in infectious disease control (ex. Vaccine mandates, mask mandates, and quarantines during COVID-19) and environment regulations (ex. pollution laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act).
KWAKU:
Can you provide specific examples of how law shapes health outcomes? Or an example of a legal problem that requires public health expertise?
MICHAEL:
- One specific example is speed limit laws. The reason why the speed limit changes as you are driving is because the state has determined, through professional expertise, that it is more hazardous to drive at higher speeds in one place than in another. The different speed limit laws in different areas help to prevent injuries and deaths.
- Another specific example is gun safety laws. Gun safety laws that have age, mental screening, and training requirements help to prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands and ultimately help to reduce the likelihood of gun-related injuries and deaths.
KWAKU:
Have you been able to find ways to connect your 1L coursework to your public health interests?
MICHAEL:
No, but my 2L and 3L coursework definitely will.
KWAKU:
Do you feel your research background gives you a different perspective than other 1L students? If so, how?
MICHAEL:
I feel like my research background may give me a different perspective over 1L students who had traditional law school undergraduate majors like political science or pre-law. I may have a different perspective because I see the law not only as a career as a tool to be used in a variety of fields and careers because of how versatile it is.
KWAKU:
Are there classes or professors that “get” what you’re trying to achieve?
MICHAEL:
Even though I have not had a chance to take health related classes since I am a first-year student, I know that there are classes that are shaped around health and professors that understand my approach. I spoke to a professor during Orientation, and he affirmed my desire to get a master’s in public health, so I am optimistic about my future classes and faculty interactions.
KWAKU:
When did you realize you would have to forge your own path rather than following an existing template?
MICHAEL:
I came into law school knowing I wanted to combine my education with a master’s in public health due to my undergraduate experiences. I realized that I’d have to be fully intentional on the experiences I’d search for in law school during my first semester. It became very clear that my goals were non-traditional. After that, I knew I needed to be fully intentional about the things I chose to do here and find like-minded people.
KWAKU:
Epidemiology is your interest. Can you describe for the UConn Law community what epidemiologists do? What is their role within the healthcare system?
MICHAEL:
Epidemiology is a cornerstone of public health. It is the study of the distribution and patterns of diseases in communities. Epidemiologists use community health data to determine what is causing a disease, how the disease is spreading, and what groups of people are affected. They use the answers to these questions to help create interventions to slow/stop the spread of diseases in communities. You can think of them as the “disease detectives” of the healthcare system.
KWAKU:
Are there specific health disparities or public health issues you want to tackle with your combined JD/MPH? If so, what are they?
MICHAEL:
Public health issues that I want to tackle are gun violence in schools, diabetes/high cholesterol/high blood pressure in Ghanaians living in the U.S., and the galamsey issue (illegal goldmining that pollutes water bodies) in Ghana, West Africa.
KWAKU:
If you could change one policy or law to improve health equity, what would it be and why?
MICHAEL:
I am not sure if it is already in effect, but I would mandate, via law or policy, that healthcare workers have yearly implicit bias screenings. These screenings should also be mandatory during the hiring process. Healthcare workers having implicit bias towards patients can negatively impact treatment decisions and interactions with patients, leading to health disparities. Implicit bias screenings will help supervisors make better hiring decisions and create better trainings focused on reducing those biases.
KWAKU:
What legacy do you hope to leave in public health advocacy?
MICHAEL:
I want people to look at my career and be inspired by someone who cared about the health of his community and worked hard to protect it.
KWAKU:
Is there anything I haven’t asked that you think is important for students to take away from your journey and/or the work you’re doing?
MICHAEL:
No, these were great questions. Thank you for the interview.