Review of existing racism and housing discrimination research sheds light on how racism impacts population health

Brittney Francis head shot

Harvard Bell Fellow Brittney Francis, PhD, is an author on a paper that reviews and synthesizes the population health scientific literature examining racial discrimination in housing, which is less commonly studied than segregation. Findings point to studies using survey data, as opposed to administrative data, as more likely to reveal an association between exposure to housing discrimination with negative health outcomes.

Study shines light on how caregivers are faring during COVID-19

headshot of Sung Park

Our Sloan Fellow on Aging and Work Sung S. Park, PhD, has authored a paper published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B that examines the physical and mental health of caregivers (those offering short-term and long-term care) vs. non-caregivers during the early stages of COVID-19. Findings point to caregivers, in general, faring worse than non-caregivers in terms of fatigue and mental health, with long-term caregivers suffering more physical symptoms…

State laws permitting denial of services to same-sex couples linked to significant increase in mental distress among sexual minority adults

S. Bryn Austin, ScD, is an author on a paper published in JAMA Psychiatry that has found that state laws permitting the denial of services to sexual minorities (currently, 12 states have such laws) was associated with a 46% increase in the proportion of sexual minority (defined as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or not sure of their sexual orientation) adults experiencing mental distress.

Eliminating ‘food deserts’ not a panacea for improving diet quality & reducing disparities

Harvard Pop Center faculty members Jason Block, MD, and SV Subramanian (Subu), PhD, have co-authored a paper published in PLOS Medicine that suggests that when it comes reducing dietary disparities and improving dietary quality in the U.S. there are more effective strategies than increasing access to healthy foods (eliminating ‘food deserts’). Learn more in this Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health news post, in this piece on MedicalDaily.com and…

Chicago police use Papachristos’ theories to target those at highest risk & curb violence

The research of Harvard Robert Wood Johnson Health & Society Scholar program alum Andrew Papachristos, PhD, on social-network violence is featured in an article in the Chicago Sun Times. Papachristos and colleagues published a study in Social Science & Medicine that revealed that 70 percent of nonfatal injuries occur within networks containing 6 percent of the city’s population. Based on Papachristos’ social-network theories, the Chicago Police Department is generating lists…

Papachristos suggests ways to curb gun violence “epidemic” in Chicago in Huffington Post

Former Harvard RWJF Scholar Andrew Papachristos, PhD was lead author in a study in Social Science & Medicine that is highlighted in a Huffington Post article. Papachristos compares the majority of nonfatal gun violence in Chicago to a blood-borne pathogen transmitted within networks for specific reasons.

Report suggests that health disparities should be part of retirement age debate

Harvard RWJF Alum Jennifer Karas Montez, PhD, has co-authored a Brief Report in the Journals of Gerontology: Series B that examines the self-reported health of individuals ages 40-70 and their education levels. The findings suggest that age alone is not necessarily enough to consider when debating retirement age.