
Dr. William D. Lopez is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and the author of the book, Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid, published by Johns Hopkins University Press.
As a Clinical Assistant Professor, William teaches a range of public health classes, including “Health Impacts of Immigration Law Enforcement in the U.S.” This class focuses on the violence of immigration enforcement on the individual, family, and community levels and asks what we, as researchers and advocates, can do to address it. Themes include militarized immigration raids, ICE and local police collaboration, routinized fear, the stigma of being targeted by ICE, and the links between the immigration advocacy and the Black Lives Matter movement. His current public health research considers 1) the ways in which fear of immigration enforcement impacts health service utilization in mixed-status communities and 2) community responses to large scale immigration work raids.
William has been fortunate to collaborate both in his research and advocacy with the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights and Synod Community Services, which operate the Washtenaw County ID Program.

Read Me on Medium
Separated: A High School Discussion Guide
When I wrote Separated, I wanted it to be a book that extended beyond the bounds of the book cover. I hoped it would generate conversatio...
May 25, 2023 / Read More
Public Health through Musicals
In April 2022, as part of a course on the impacts of law enforcement on public health, we began a conversation about the portrayals of la...
May 02, 2023 / Read More
Guerrero’s ‘Crux’ is a Story of Self-Discovery & Cross-Cultural Mental Illness (REVIEW)
[Review first published with Latino Rebels at https://www.latinorebels.com/2023/01/19/jeanguerrerocrux/%5D
Jan 24, 2023 / Read More
A Letter to Public Health Students on the Eve of An Historic Election
Yeah, I’m worried too.
Nov 02, 2020 / Read More
That Feeling When Someone Steals Your Book Title
I’ll cut to the chase here.
Jun 19, 2020 / Read More
I’m sorry I prayed for your deportation
I’m sorry I prayed for your deportation to happen.
May 03, 2020 / Read More
I’m sorry you’re detained during a pandemic.
I’m sorry you’re detained during a pandemic.
Mar 21, 2020 / Read More
To Social Scientists Following the American Dirt Saga: We Have the Tools to Do This Right.
In the past few days, social media has been flooded with discussions and reactions to American Dirt, the new novel by Jeanine Cummins tha...
Jan 27, 2020 / Read More
Hi Book, Welcome to the World
Separated: Family and Community in the Aftermath of an Immigration Raid, took three years to write, three years from the day I defended t...
Oct 17, 2019 / Read More
“This is Officer Carter. Thank you for your help with his voluntary departure.”
“Hello. My name is William Lopez. I’m calling on behalf of Carlos Mejía Montamayor(1). I wanted to talk to you about his voluntary depart...
Nov 28, 2018 / Read More