Courtney D. Cogburn

How does racism impact individuals – and by extension organizations and society? In an age some call “post-racial,” Professor Courtney D. Cogburn of Columbia University demonstrates that racism is deeply embedded – often invisibly – in institutions and our public psyche. The persistence of casual, semi-hidden prejudice harms racial and ethnic minorities and, more broadly, restrains social progress. Moving beyond bias, Cogburn’s research explores ways in which understated forms of cultural racism shape ideologies and norms, showing that exposure to subtle racism can actually have a greater impact on targets than blatant bigotry. Integrating principles and methodologies across the disciplines of health, psychology, education and virtual reality, Cogburn aims to influence the thoughts and behaviors of people who are impervious to the ways racism is still being exercised – including by themselves.

Both consumers and workforces have become more diverse in recent years. These trends require companies to be more attuned to the ways in which racism undermines their ability to reach more customers and recruit (and maintain) valuable talent. Cogburn began her career by focusing on and measuring how racism affects the health and education of racial minorities, particularly African Americans. This research has enabled her to detect and communicate the language and behaviors that cause psychological and physiological distress for individuals from racial minority groups. In doing so, Cogburn helps organizations better come to terms with knowledge and empathy gaps in identifying cultural and structural barriers that impede the recruitment, retention and promotion of their increasingly diverse population of customers and employees.

Recently, Cogburn partnered with virtual reality expert Jeremy Bailenson to develop an immersive experience simulating the experience of Blacks facing racism, discrimination and systemic brutality. Their work, which debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018, is supported by the Brown Institute for Media Innovation and the Hearst Foundation. The experience – which Cogburn eloquently describes in her TED Talk, “Experiencing Racism in VR” – is just one component of a broader curriculum aimed at supporting individual growth, but more importantly, structural and cultural transformation in service of achieving racial equity. In a world of rising social consciousness, this kind of proactive training is increasingly necessary to prevent the types of unconscious and/or casual racism that lead to employees feeling victimized or a brand’s reputational damage. In working to better understand the ways in which racism is intertwined in the structural and cultural fabric of society, Cogburn has made it her mission to bring these insights to light and make a difference in public discourse about race.

Cogburn is the co-director of the Justice Equity + Technology laboratory at the Columbia University School of Social Work. In addition to her academic research, she has consulted organizations invested in meaningful social change and engagement, including the Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. She also serves as a board member at the International Center Advocates Against Discrimination in New York City, which aims to educate and build community activism around issues of racism and health. Before coming to Columbia in July 2014, Dr. Cogburn was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar at the Harvard School of Public Health. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia, master’s degree of social work from the University of Michigan School of Social Work, and doctorate in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology from the University of Michigan.

Cogburn’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Brown Institute for Media Innovation at the Columbia School of Journalism and the Hearst Media Foundation.

Courtney D. Cogburn is available to advise your organization via virtual and in-person consulting meetings, interactive workshops and customized keynotes through the exclusive representation of Stern Speakers & Advisors, a division of Stern Strategy Group^®.