CUNY's Black, Race and Ethnic Studies Initiative (BRESI) has named two Lehman professors 2025-2026 BRES Faculty Fellows and awarded them seed grants to advance their research.

In support of her work to address the roots of stark health disparities in The Bronx, Associate Professor Fetsum-Rahwa Haile will receive a $6,500 grant for her project, “An in depth understanding of barriers and facilitators to health equity work in the Bronx.” Haile will undertake a detailed analysis of social factors impacting health in the region through in-depth interviews with Bronx health equity workers.

Haile’s scholarship in the field of critical social epidemiology focuses on the ways structural social inequities produce health disparities among different sectors of the population. The award recognizes her potential to make important contributions to the field of Black, Race, and Ethnic Studies.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Brittany Fox-Williams, who is currently a visiting scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation, was also awarded a BRESI grant for 2025-2026 to support her research on the impact of racial inequality on youth, particularly in relation to the education and justice systems.