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Public Health Research at Drexel Dornsife: Urban Health, Global Impact

Social inequalities in health remain a major challenge for societies around the globe. Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health is committed to understanding the drivers of health disparities, investigating the possible interventions to reduce those disparities, and working with partners to eliminate them. Our school views social justice as critical to population health.

All of Dornsife's public health research has a community component to it. Co-created research projects result in co-created solutions to public health problems that are ultimately more sustainable and have more community investment.

The growth of research at Drexel Dornsife is one of the School’s defining features, having more than quintupled since 2014.

Public Health Research Resources

Dornsife has a diverse research portfolio in areas of population health including urban health, health disparities, translation of evidence into practice and policy, and health and human rights. Learn more about our research centers, interests and activities.

Drexel Urban Health Collaborative analyzes neighborhood-level data

Centers and Programs

Dr. Jana A. Hirsch at APHA

Faculty Research Interests

Shiriki K. Kumanyika speaks at APHA 2019

Faculty Grants and Announcements

Dornsife Research Expertise

Learn more about how Dornsife, both locally and globally, is building partnerships and focusing on health in cities.

Research Partnerships

research partnerships

Dornsife research is elevated by our partnerships with other exceptional local and international organizations. Learn more about our alliances.

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Urban Health

Urban Health

By 2050, cities will be home to two-thirds of the world’s population. Learn about the work of Dornsife's Urban Health Collaborative.

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Featured Public Health Research Topics

Below are two featured areas of research that reinforce Dornsife's commitment to the three goals of generating the best scientific evidence, putting it into practice, and promoting equity and social justice.

Maternal & Child Health

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Our Maternal and Child Health Program strives to improve the health of families through education and research.

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Climate Change

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The Drexel Urban Health Collaborative was awarded three grants that affirm the center's role as a major urban health and climate change research hub.

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Faculty Research Highlight

Dornsife is fortunate to have among our faculty many experienced public health practitioners, and many researchers focused on generating policy relevant evidence. Evidence and action are two sides of the same coin, reinforcing and informing each other continuously to improve population health and eliminate health disparities.

ComPass logo

Drexel Dornsife to Serve as National Coordinating Center for New NIH Community-led Health Equity Research Program

Dornsife received a $20 million award through the NIH's Community Partnerships to Advance Science for Society (ComPASS) program to study health equity solutions nationwide. The ComPASS Coordinating Center at Drexel will be led by Amy Carroll-Scott, PhD, associate professor and chair of Community Health and Prevention, and Jan M. Eberth, PhD, professor and chair of Health Management and Policy.


Latest Public Health Research News

Dornsife researchers show the value of public health by addressing current and emerging issues facing the world today. Read about our research and activities making news locally, nationally and globally.


Street level view of West Philadelphia mural depicting community members and a map of city

New Report Provides Recommendations for Enhancing Capacity to Ensure Research Is Ethical and Beneficial to Communities

A recent PZRC report highlights recommendations that Philadelphia and other Institutional Review Boards can do to ensure the research they oversee is ethical and beneficial to the communities they study.

worker outside in heat wiping sweat from his brow

Q+A: What Lessons Have We Learned This Summer to Protect Workers in Extreme Heat?

As global temperatures rise, the U.S. federal government and some states are taking renewed interest in protecting vulnerable workers against the dangers of prolonged heat exposure on the job.

U.S. Urban Opioid Crisis Spreads South, But a Solution Is Found to the North

The UHC is closely tracking the steady rise in drug overdose deaths in big US cities. Cheap and easily produced synthetic drugs, including fentanyl and xylazine, have driven recent increases, signaling an urgent need to address this crisis as it bleeds into neighboring countries. New research shows the toll of this crisis in border cities in Mexico, as well as a promising solution in Canada, where an intervention reduced citywide overdose death mortality rates by nearly half.

Dornsife researchers gather with Philly Joy Bank community evaluators at Cecil B. Moore Library in North Philadelphia

Dornsife Researchers to Lead Evaluation Efforts of the Philly Joy Bank, a Community-Driven Guaranteed Income Program

To determine whether and how Philly Joy Bank, a community-driven guaranteed income program, impacts birth outcomes and other related health outcomes researchers at Dornsife are conducting an evaluation study of the program.

Q+A: Assessing the Durability of a Cash Transfer on Physical Intimate Partner Violence

A new study led by researchers at Dornsife assessed the durability of a cash transfer on physical intimate partner violence and sexual relationships among adolescent girls and young women in rural South Africa.

Person spraying bug spray on their arm

Q+A: As Temperatures Climb, Is the United States Prepared for a Dengue Fever Outbreak?

Dr. Esther Chernak explains the current global situation for dengue, how to minimize the disease’s spread, and next steps for the United States.

Free Rides, Fewer Steps? Bogotá Study Examines Public Transit's Impact on Health Equity

A new study examining transportation policies in Bogotá, Colombia reveals important trade-offs between equitable access to public transportation and physical activity levels.

How do Sanctuary Policies Affect Immigrant Health and Participation in Public Programs?

UHC faculty Dr. Brent Langelier and Dr. Alina Schnake-Mahl were recently awarded funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study how state preemption laws affecting immigrant sanctuary policies impact the lives and health of Hispanic and Latino people in the U.S.

Tree casts a shadow on exterior wall of an apartment building

Q+A: What Happens When Going Inside Doesn’t Beat the Heat?

In a recently published review of research, a Drexel team called for focused efforts to understand how indoor overheating affects the health and wellbeing and how building design standards must evolve to ensure people can find refuge indoors.

Research Matters for Creating Urban Heat Adaptation Plans

New research shows that physical and cognitive function are more important factors than age when assessing the risk of heat-related mortality among older adults. The UHC's Josiah L. Kephart, PhD, MPH and Safiyyah M. Okoye, PhD, MSN, RN explain the significance of these findings and how they relate to climate policy in a commentary published in Nature Medicine.

Children walking down a hallway in a school

Q+A: Are Some Modernized School Features More Effective Than Others?

Findings from an interdisciplinary team of Drexel researchers suggest that school modernization has a significant positive impact on key educational indicators, including test scores, graduation rates and enrollment over time.

New Study Connects Air Pollution to Increased Death Rates in Latin American Cities

A newly published study from the SALURBAL group finds that increases in fine particulate air pollution were associated with increases in death from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in adults in 337 cities across nine countries in Latin America.

Neighborhood Greenness Associated with Decreased Depressive Symptoms in Mexican Cities

A recent SALURBAL study published in Applied Geography sheds light on the relationship between neighborhood greenness and mental health and depression in cities across Mexico.

More School News


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