The Dornsife School of Public Health research is elevated by our partnerships with other exceptional organizations.

Dornsife’s research partnerships focus on current and emerging challenges including:

• Human rights advocacy
• Climate change and the environmental sustainability of cities
• Cancer health disparities
• Urban mobility and transportation

Below are some examples of collaborative research that Dornsife is undertaking both locally and globally.

Advancing Urban Health in American Cities

Dornsife partners with the Big Cities Health Coalition (BCHC) through our Urban Health Collaborative.

BCHC is a forum for the leaders of America’s largest metropolitan health departments to exchange strategies and jointly address issues to promote healthy, more equitable cities through innovation and leadership.

The partnership aligns with Dornsife’s expertise in public health practice in urban settings.

Learn more about the UHC/BCHC partnership

Advancing Urban Health in Latin America

Salud Urbana en América Latina (SALURBAL) was launched in April 2017 and is coordinated by Dornsife’s Urban Health Collaborative. SALURBAL partners throughout Latin America and the United States work together to study how urban environments and policies impact the health of residents in Latin American cities. The first phase of SALURBAL (2017-2023) was funded as part of the Wellcome Trust’s Our Planet, Our Health initiative.

In late 2023, SALURBAL received five years of renewed funding from the Wellcome Trust to continue work examining the impacts of specific climate related exposures on health and health inequities in urban areas across 11 countries in Latin America.

“SALURBAL-Climate” is co-led by Dornsife’s Urban Health Collaborative in collaboration with the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. The project builds upon and will expand the data infrastructure, partnerships, capacity building efforts, and interdisciplinary team to produce actionable evidence to document the health impacts of climate change and inform urban policies and interventions that address these impacts.

Learn more about SALURBAL

Advancing Health and Human Rights

Through its Office of Global Health the Dornsife School of Public Health co-publishes the Health and Human Rights Journal in collaboration with the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University.

The Health and Human Rights Journal began publication in 1994 with Dornsife’s founding dean Jonathan Mann, MD, MPH, as editor.

The journal highlights the innovative work of groups and individuals in direct engagement with human rights struggles as they relate to health.

Learn more about the Health and Human Rights Journal.

The Office of Global Health also offers a free, online human rights course: "Know It, Prove It, Change It." The course, which was developed in partnership with Asia Catalyst, teaches activists and organizers about basic human rights concepts, documentation, and advocacy. 

Advancing Targeted Research Through Community and Campus Partnerships

Dornsife’s many research centers and programs support targeted faculty research in critical areas of urban and public health.

Our centers and programs reflect Dornsife’s commitment to partnering with other Drexel colleges, communities, health professionals, policymakers and other stakeholders.

For example, in 2020 Dornsife’s Urban Health Collaborative partnered with the Philadelphia Department of Health, Fox Chase Cancer Center, and Lazarex Cancer Foundation to issue the State of Cancer in Philadelphia report. 

Our partnerships engage students in public health practice and translate into valuable career experiences such as co-ops for undergraduates and Applied Practical Experiences for MPH students.

Request more information about public health degree opportunities at Drexel Dornsife.

Apply now to begin working toward your public health degree