April 5, 2022

The Urban Health Collaborative is pleased to award three proposals for collaborative working groups that will begin this Spring. The projects cover a range of topics and will engage faculty, students, trainees and partners to incubate new directions and develop interdisciplinary and scholarly activities.

Working Group Awardees:

Queer Inclusion, Equality, Health, & Rights Working Group (QuIEHR)

The Queer Inclusion, Equity, Health, & Rights (QuIEHR) working group comprises Drexel community members and community partners engaging in research, education, practice, and advocacy related to public health, human rights, and social inclusion for sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations. This working group will bring faculty and students together to collaborate on shared interests, provide students with research and practice opportunities to promote health equity for SGM in the U.S. and globally, and promote professional development of future generations of researchers to support SGM communities. The three pillars of QuIEHR’s work are (1) Research and Education about SGM Health, (2) Advocacy for SGM Rights, and (3) Application of Public Health in Practice. The group will disseminate scholarly work through written and oral mechanisms, support and champion initiatives that promote SGM equality and well-being and connect students to experiential learning opportunities with QuIEHR-affiliated projects.

Led by Casper Voyles, MPH, PhDc, Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health; Randall Sell, ScD, Professor, Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health; and Ayden Scheim, PhD, Assistant Professor, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health. For more information and to get involved, contact Casper Voyles at chv25@drexel.edu.

Migration, Ethnicity, Racism and Health Working Group (MERHG)

The Migration, Ethnicity, Racism and Health Working Group (MERHG) is a multidisciplinary group of Dornsife School of Public Health (DSPH) faculty, research staff, and graduate students committed to reducing health inequities affecting migrant, ethnic, and racialized minorities (MER) both in the U.S. and in global settings. MERHG members have been engaged in research, mentoring, and advocacy aimed at furthering the understanding of the role of migration, ethnicity, and racism as determinants of health; evaluating the impact of policies and programs on the health of MER communities; and increasing representation of members of MER minorities in public health research and practice-based settings. MERHG members work employs quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research; community-engaged research and advocacy; social network analyses; geographic information systems (GIS); systems thinking; and agent-based modeling. The group hosts a series of monthly colloquia with both internal and external speakers; supports scholarly work; collaborates on research grants and papers; leads a community coalition focused on reducing COVID-19 and other health disparities in Latino communities in Philadelphia; and maintains a website to disseminate the group’s work. MERHG seeks to expand its range of activities and impact and is committed to creating an environment that supports intellectual exchange, promotes diversity, inclusion, and collaboration.

Led by Ana P. Martínez-Donate, PhD, Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention, Dornsife School of Public Health; and Mariana Lazo, MD, PhD, ScM, Associate Research Professor, Department of Community Health and Prevention, Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health. For more information or to get involved, visit the MERHG website or contact merhg@drexel.edu.

Climate Change and Health Equity Working Group

The Climate Change and Health Equity Working Group will bring together faculty, staff, and students from across the Urban Health Collaborative (UHC) and Dornsife School of Public Health to discuss climate and health equity research and coordinate engagement activities with local policy actors and community members. The group will also seek collaboration with other climate-focused efforts across Drexel. During its first year, the working group will (1) coordinate a comprehensive assessment of climate and health-related research, data, and faculty and staff within the UHC, (2) conduct a broad assessment of climate and health research and available data at Dornsife and the University at large, and (3) summarize existing climate and health-focused curriculum at Dornsife. Key findings and available resources will be shared as a new web resource and during a webinar open to all members of the Drexel and Philadelphia community. The group seeks to leverage existing UHC connections with local public health officials to advance the relevance and accessibility of existing UHC data resources and expertise, and to drive additional research to inform policies that promote health equity in the context of current and future climate change.

Led by Josiah Kephart, PhD, MPH, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health and Katy Indvik, MSc, Policy Engagement Specialist, Urban Health Collaborative, Dornsife School of Public Health. For more information and to get involved, contact jlk465@drexel.edu.

Learn more about UHC funded working groups.