David A. Ansell, MD, MPH, is a physician, social epidemiologist, health equity advocate, and author, known for his lifelong commitment to addressing and combating health disparities in the Chicago area. He has been the senior vice president of community health equity at RUSH University Medical Centre since 2016. Ansell has a medical degree from the New York Upstate Medical University and completed his residency at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, where he later became the chief medical officer. These experiences provided him with a detailed understanding of the systemic inequities that plague the American healthcare system.

As an advocate for health equity, Ansell has spearheaded initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities in Chicago, such as the Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Taskforce, which aims to reduce the incidence of breast cancer among Black women. In The Death Gap: How Inequality Kills, Ansell draws upon research and his vast personal experience to highlight the profound impact of socioeconomic factors on health outcomes. His firsthand observations at Cook County Hospital, RUSH hospital, and Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago, where he witnessed the dire consequences of health inequities, provide a foundation for the book’s exploration of these issues.