A first-generation college graduate and College of Public Health alum, Dr. Joseph Benitez realizes the role mentors have played in his life. As he became more comfortable sharing his ideas and asking for advice, Dr. Benitez has come to know many great people who also happen to be great scientists.
“It’s hard to find people that can be so generous with their time, and I admire that they can be such great scholars as well as good people,” he said. “They have been supportive of me and my work.”
Now, Dr. Benitez, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy, has become a mentor and resource for current and former students. That role is not bound to the classroom either.
“Having former students reach out to me for support and guidance is a privilege I do not take lightly, and it is an honor that they would reach out to me for continued support even though our time in the classroom has long since ended,” he said.
As a professor for both the MHA program and PhD students in the Health Management and Policy Department of CPH, Dr. Benitez aims to bridge the gap between health policy research and health policy implementation.
His interest in the policy determinants of health care access led him to study Medicaid policy and program design. He previously received funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study how people use Medicaid during transitional poverty. More recently, he received funding to study health care accessibility within Kentucky’s Medicaid program.
Dr. Benitez’s accomplishments include articles in the journals JAMA Health Forum, Health Affairs, Health Services Research, Medical Care, and many more. He’s been featured on NPR and U.S. News & World Report.
He also has been a featured speaker and panelist for events sponsored by the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics at the University of Pennsylvania and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Most recently, he was a speaker at the Council of State Government’s annual Medicaid Leadership Academy in front of elected officials from across the U.S.
Born in Germany while his father served in the U.S. Army, he is a blend of two different cultural backgrounds. “My dad is Puerto Rican from New York, and my mom grew up in New York and St. Croix in the Virgin Islands,” Dr. Benitez shared. He considers himself a mixing pot: “I’m Black, Puerto-Rican, and ‘Southern-ish’ by adoption.”
Dr. Benitez takes pride that he can be a resource for underrepresented students both at UK and beyond.
As a believer in equity and inclusivity, Dr. Benitez wants to celebrate and support students of all backgrounds. He said it is important for him to be a resource for those who feel like certain careers are unobtainable because they do not know how to navigate the career pathway to becoming scientists or due to discrimination they may experience.
Having experienced, and continuing to experience, discrimination, racism, and feelings of being othered, Dr. Benitez understands that many students may feel like they have nowhere to turn for support. Biases and isms narrow opportunities for underrepresented persons, and he has a vested interested in helping people shape pathways towards their own success.
Dr. Benitez graduated with his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia, Master of Public Health from the University of Kentucky, and his PhD in Health Policy from the University of Illinois-Chicago. He returned to CPH to teach in 2018.
To learn more about the College of Public Health’s programs, people, and passion for public health, visit cph.uky.edu.
