Leandris Liburd is dedicated to reducing racial and ethnic health disparities. She retired from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) after serving as director of the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity for 12 years. She was recognized by TIME Magazine as one of 18 Black leaders in the U.S. working to close the racial wealth gap. At Mesa, Leandris worked on her book, which offers ways to fight back against the denial of public health services to communities at risk for poor health outcomes and (re)build equitable systems of public health and health care.