Desmond Banks

Dr. Desmond Banks, PhD, MPH, has over twenty years of experience in addressing social determinants of health amongst Medicaid-eligible populations.

Dr. Banks worked as a Case Manager for Medicaid recipients with histories of substance abuse at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, NY from 2003 – 2009. Desmond was responsible for enrolling Medicaid beneficiaries in substance abuse treatment and addressing the social determinants of health that were prohibitive to competitive employment.

Dr. Banks worked as a Senior Consultant with Health Management Associates (HMA) from 2014 -2020, where he specialized in implementing, operating and evaluating Section 1115(a) Medicaid Demonstrations, including the Healthy Indiana Plan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Banks was recruited by the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) to support CDC’s Chief Health Equity Officer (CHEO) COVID-19 response team, where he informed practices designed to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccinations for underserved populations. Dr. Banks also informed evaluation efforts to assess the impact that CDC funding had on promoting equitable access nationwide, particularly among lower-income people, Medicaid participants and rural residents.

Most recently, Dr. Banks served as the Policy Director for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) where he managed bipartisan policy activities for nearly 700 elected officials and corporate sponsors.

Dr. Banks is an expert on intersectionality, particularly the impact and its impact upon the health and wellbeing of people of color, rural residents and other underserved populations.

Desmond holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Columbia University, a Master of Public Health from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, and a Doctor of Philosophy in public health policy from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.