Dr. Keith Wailoo

Biography

Keith Wailoo is the Henry Putnam University Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University, where he also serves as Vice Dean of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs. He has produced award-winning research on topics such as drug policy, race, science, health policy, and the social implications of medical innovation. His influential scholarship earned him the Dan David Prize in 2021 and election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine. His work draws attention to racial disparities in healthcare and the political dimensions of disease, contributing to public understanding and inform policy debates. His notable publications include 'Pushing Cool: Big Tobacco, Racial Marketing, and the Untold Story of Menthol Cigarettes' and 'Cancer Crossed the Color Line.' Wailoo has organized and edited numerous academic studies aimed at informing contemporary health public policy and has served in various committees regarding organ donation and ethical social policy considerations. Before his tenure at Princeton, he taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Rutgers University, where he was the founding director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity. Wailoo earned his Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from Yale University and his Ph.D. in History and Sociology of Science from the University of Pennsylvania.

Research Interests

Experience