Release Date: May 9, 2023

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Welcome from the Dean

Welcome to the latest issue of the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health’s (DSPH) magazine. This issue focuses on health equity and features a sample of exciting projects at our School that address health equity and other key public health challenges with which health equity intersects, as it does with virtually all population health topics.

We are fortunate to have terrific faculty, staff, and students at Dornsife who have been focusing on health equity and the fundamental links between social justice and health from the very origins of the School more than 25 years ago. Our approach to health equity is driven by the knowledge that the structures and systems of society are ultimately what drive inequities in health: systemic racism and its multifaceted implications for health across history and across generations; systems of inequality rooted in our economy; and the organization of work and educational systems, among others.

All these systems act together and reinforce each other in many ways. This is why addressing health equity requires addressing the fundamental ways in which our society is organized, and the way in which we live together.

In the 2023 issue of DSPH Magazine you will see many new names and faces, as this academic year we welcomed 15 new faculty members housed in various departments and centers within DSPH. They have a wide range of public health expertise spanning behavioral change, stress, housing, neighborhoods, climate, environmental justice, spatial methods, policy evaluation, community-based participatory research, and of course the impacts of systemic racism and inequality on health. You will also see featured our amazing staff who work every day to support, advance, and lead so many initiatives at our School from ensuring that our students get the most out of their time with us, to advancing our research, to engaging with our practice and service mission. And last but not least, of course our students, the reason we are all ultimately here, who keep us on our toes with their energy, questions, and calls for a more just, healthier, and sustainable world.

I hope you enjoy these pages and that they motivate you to reach out and connect with us whether you are an academic, a practitioner, a researcher, a community member, a policy-maker, a student, or an alumnus. We are eager to work with all of you to build the coalition we need to advance the cause of social justice, health equity, and create a sustainable and equitable future for our world together.

Ana V. Diez Roux, MD, PhD, MPH
Dana and David Dornsife Dean and Distinguished University Professor of Epidemiology
Drexel Dornsife School of Public Health