Over the past 18 years, Dr Rupa Marya has created a unique path in medicine at the intersection of health, social movements and the humanities. As an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hospital Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, her clinical time focuses on the care of acutely ill adult patients. Prior to coming on as faculty, she studied documentary radio at the Salt Institute where she learned the critical importance of listening to the stories patients have to tell, about their own health and their understanding of wellness.
At the request of community members from the Justice 4 Mario Woods Coalition and the mother of Mario Woods, Rupa’s research focuses on the health impacts of racism, specifically on police violence when there is no justice for that violence. She is also actively researching the health benefits of agroecology and urban agriculture, through building soil biodiversity where people live.
Understanding the colonial roots of medicine, Dr Marya believes that health equity cannot be possible until we decolonize structures that impact the capacity of all beings to live in health.