Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation (FIRST) Initiative
In 2021, Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH) and the College of Nursing and Health Professions (CNHP) received a 5-year $14.4 million NIH grant to focus on health disparities research on population health and intervention science in aging, chronic disease, and environmental determinants.
The NIH-funded Drexel FIRST (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation) program aims to create sustainable institutional changes necessary to promote inclusive excellence for all and contribute to the science of health disparities that have an impact on individuals, communities, and populations.
Inclusive excellence refers to:
- A culture that establishes and sustains scientific environments that cultivate and benefit from a full range of talents
- The recruitment of a critical mass of diverse, early career researchers who are dedicated to understanding the drivers of health inequities
Diverse, early career researchers are faculty from groups identified as underrepresented in the biomedical, clinical, behavioral, and social sciences (described in NOT-OD-20-031) including but not limited to racial and ethnic minoritized populations, those from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, individuals with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, and women.
Meet the FIRST faculty below, and visit the Drexel FIRST website to learn more.
FIRST Faculty at the Dornsife School of Public Health
-
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel FIRST Program
smh483@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Demography
- Sexual and Gender Minority Health
- Intersectionality
- Minority Stress
- Hispanic/Latino Health
- Socioeconomic Status
- Social Determinants of Health
-
Assistant Professor
Environmental and Occupational Health, Drexel FIRST Program, Urban Health Collaborative
jlk465@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Environmental Exposures
- Urban Health
- Health Disparities
- Environmental and Social Epidemiology
- Climate Change
- Global Health
-
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel FIRST Program
jal538@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Structural and Interpersonal Racism
- Racial/Ethnic Health Inequities
- Social Epidemiology
- Urban Health
- Quantitative Methods for Social Epidemiology
- Aging and Cognitive Function
- Embodiment
- Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
-
Assistant Professor
Community Health & Prevention
bm3345@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Immigrant Health
- Global Health or International Health
- Community Engaged Research
- Community Based Participatory Research
- Race and Ethnicity
- Health Disparities
-
Assistant Professor
Community Health & Prevention, Drexel FIRST Program, Joint Appointment with the College of Nursing and Health Professions
lp954@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Social Determinants of Health
- Health Disparities
- Community-Engaged Research
- Tobacco Prevention and Control
- Tobacco-Related Health Disparities
- Tobacco Regulatory Science
- Health Communication
- Racism and Discrimination
-
Assistant Professor
Health Management & Policy, Drexel FIRST Program
gs839@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Social Epidemiology
- Health Inequities
- Urban Health
- Housing
- Segregation
- Police Violence
- Quantitative Methods
- Social Policy
- Life Course Epidemiology
- Structural Racism
- Social Stratification
-
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology
Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Drexel FIRST Program
as5796@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Aging
- Biopsychosocial Factors of Health
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Health Disparities
- Life Course
- Racial Health Inequalities
- Renal Disease
- Socioeconomic Status
- Stress
-
Assistant Professor
Community Health and Prevention, Drexel FIRST Program
lav53@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
- Gender-Transformative Interventions
- Patriarchy and Health
- Men’s Health
- Participatory Action Research
- Latinx Health Disparities
- Substance Use
- Nutrition and Physical Activity
- Stress
-
Assistant Professor
Community Health and Prevention, Drexel FIRST Program
kofoworola.williams@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
The bio above outlines Dr. Williams's research interests within the scope of her research program.
FIRST Faculty at the College of Nursing and Health Professions
Assistant Professor, Creative Arts Therapies Department
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Secondary appointment in Dornsife's Department of Community Health and Prevention
klb457@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
Obesity, Stress, Cardiometabolic Health, Disordered Eating
Assistant Professor of Nursing
College of Nursing and Health Professions
Joint appointment with Dornsife's Department of Health Management and Policy
smo93@drexel.edu
Research Interests:
Aging, Accidental Falls, Sleep, Home Environment, Socioeconomic Factors
Latest Research News from Drexel FIRST Faculty
Dr. Gabriel L. Schwartz was selected for the 2024-25 cohort of the Health Equity Scholars Program. The Scholars Strategy Network, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, created this program to support early-career scholars researching social determinants of health.
Dr. Kristal Brown was accepted as a 2024 COURAGE program scholar. The program annually accepts 20 underrepresented researchers yearly whose focus area is nutrition, obesity or diabetes.
Dr. Agus Surachman led research that found grandchildren of college-educated grandparents showed slower biological aging. The study, from researchers at Drexel and colleagues from the University of California and the University of North Carolina, was published in Social Science and Medicine.
Dr. Jourdyn Lawrence was named Health and Wellness Coordinator on a 10-member committee that will study the possibility of reparations in Philadelphia.
A large study of older adults in China points to physical and cognitive function — not age — as key predictors of heat-related mortality, highlighting the need for climate adaptation policies to prioritize accessibility across all age groups. (Nature Medicine commentary authored by Dr. Josiah Kephart and Dr. Safiyyah Okoye).
Worsening human-induced climate change may also extend to influencing mental distress among high schoolers in the United States, according to findings published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports (co-authored by Dr. Josiah Kephart).
Rates of people experiencing homelessness plummeted in big U.S. cities when pandemic-era housing safety net programs and policies were in effect. Now that these programs have ended, rates of people experiencing homelessness have risen to record levels (cites research from Dr. Gabriel Schwartz).
Harvard's Center for Health and Happiness invited Dr. Kofoworola Williams to talk about the current state of mental health literature from a digital equity and intervention lens, pulling in some of her past and current research. (Harvard T.H. Chan)
Socioeconomic status — frequently measured as a combination of education, income and occupation — has a huge impact on health outcomes, according to a study (lead author Dr. Stephanie Hernandez) published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. (UNC Gillings)
Young adults who are more familiar with e-cigarette marketing practices are more likely to have attitudes against vaping than those unaware of the industry’s marketing, according to a study led by Drexel University public health researchers (lead author Dr. Lilianna Phan) published this month in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control.
The Dornsife School of Public Health received a $20 million award to be disbursed over five years from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Common Fund through the agency’s Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) program to study health equity solutions nationwide.
Over 200 million people in Latin American cities are exposed to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution at levels that exceed WHO guidelines, according to Drexel University researchers including lead author Dr. Josiah Kephart in a new Lancet Planetary Health publication.
At the start of the new academic year, Dornsife welcomed new faculty members in various departments including new Drexel FIRST faculty.
A special edition of the American Journal of Public Health featured papers by Dr. Jourdyn Lawrence and other researchers at the Dornsife School of Public Health on structural racism and practices that need changing.
UHC and Drexel FIRST faculty member Dr. Josiah Kephart, has been studying the health effects of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and other household air pollutants for years. In a series of recent interviews, he explained how emissions from indoor gas appliances can affect health and how to mitigate exposure by switching to electric or induction cooktops or by using a gas range hood.
Research from Drexel (led by Dr. Safiyyah Okoye) found that targeting specific fall-risk factors could improve fall screening and prevention strategies.
.ashx?&w=570&h=300&as=1&hash=79F2DF1C70D699082FC46F15D4F02AF7BBCE441F)
Dr. Kasim Ortiz is helping to guide a new partnership with Galaei, a Queer and Trans, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (QTBIPOC) radical social justice organization.
More School News
Are you ready to do research that moves us toward a better, safer, and healthier world? Enhance your career and open yourself to opportunity with Drexel Dornsife.
Apply Now
Email an Advisor
Request More Information