Welcome to the Scholarly Exit
and i'm your host...
Hey everyone, my name is Dr. Joy Woods Bennett, but y’all can just call me Dr. JWB. I am a health communication scholar, strategist, and advocate specializing in health disparities, reproductive justice, and public health campaigns. With a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from UT Austin, she has worked on statewide public health initiatives, consulted on health equity messaging, and developed interventions to improve mental health resource utilization among student-athletes. A former Stanford Brainstorm Mental Health Innovation Fellow, Dr. Woods Bennett bridges academic research and real-world impact, ensuring public health messaging resonates with communities and drives meaningful change. I am proud to say I am the person behind The Scholarly Exit.
What is The Scholarly Exit?
The U.S. healthcare system wasn’t built for everyone—and history proves it. From slavery to present-day disparities, racism has shaped medicine, public health policies, and access to care, leaving marginalized communities, especially Black Americans, disproportionately affected. These injustices aren’t just relics of the past; they persist in medical bias, unequal treatment, and systemic neglect. But health isn’t just about hospitals and doctor’s offices—it’s about everything. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the wages we earn, the policies we vote for—all of it shapes our well-being.
The Scholarly Exit breaks down key texts, historical moments, and real-world policies to uncover the roots of racial health disparities. Here, we make complex ideas accessible—no academic jargon, just real, necessary conversations about how history informs today’s healthcare system. Whether it's the maternal health crisis, environmental racism, or economic policies affecting Black and Brown communities, we examine how every issue is a health issue. I approach these discussions with the belief that everything is connected to health, and that understanding history is essential to making real change. Whether you're a scholar, activist, or someone simply seeking to understand why these inequities exist, this space provides the knowledge and context to help you engage in meaningful conversations and action. If you’re looking for a place to start, you’re in the right place.
What to expect?
Second Opinion(s): unfiltered musings/thoughts on certain current events that I feel should be addressed with a different set of eyes.
book notes & reading guides: let's talk about some heavy shit and discuss books about the history of racism in america...while we still can
endnotes*:You’ve probably seen superscript numbers in a book leading to endnotes—extra thoughts and insights that don’t fit on the main page but still matter, and that’s exactly what these are, just less formal.
*p.s. as a Black woman, i feel that i’ve done enough free labor in my life so some of these things will be behind a paywall because I have taken quite a bit of time to put them together and I got bills to pay. (and these degrees ain’t cheap)