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Refugee, Immigrant, and Global Health For more than a decade, the institute has organized interdisciplinary research teams to improve the lives of refugee and immigrant populations. Working in partnership with Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, we recently received federal funding to explore discrimination and health issues among Somali refugees. Another current project involves the impact that sanctuary cities have on health and well-being have on its communities.
Violence Prevention and Trauma Studies The institute conducts research on the cause and prevention of violence, including child abuse, youth violence, sexual assault, community violence, and intimate partner/teen dating violence. We evaluate the effectiveness of proposed interventions and develop new interventions based on an ecological approach to environmental, social, and individual determinants of violence.
Northeastern University Public Evaluation Lab Northeastern’s Public Evaluation Lab provides program consultations with community organizations and faculty researchers, so they can enhance the lives of the people they serve. Evaluations can assess operations, resources, services, benchmarking, outcomes, impact, and more. In addition, our interdisciplinary faculty can help organizations hone funding proposals that are essential to carrying out their mission.
Public Mental Health and Substance Abuse The institute is home to national thought leaders in behavioral health research, with a special emphasis on mental health and substance abuse. We explore how stigma, discrimination, and socioeconomic factors affect access to education, employment, and medical health. The institute also promotes public involvement in our research through community-based participatory research methods.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Institute faculty research how social and economic factors influence health and disease prevention. Currently, we are focused on HIV/AIDS, obesity, and Hepatitis C, as well as how racial and ethnic disparities affect pregnancy outcomes across generations.

Institute for Health, Equity, and Social Justice (IHESJR)

Disparities in health and mental health arise and persist as the result of complex individual, societal, and global factors. We bring together faculty and students from across Northeastern University, along with external research partners, to tackle these complex challenges. Our teams draw upon a wide range of research methods and interventions, but share a common commitment to promoting health equity and social justice through high-impact, community engaged research.

APHA Thought Leadership Project

The Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice was honored by being chosen as one of the American Public Health Though Leaders for 2022. Click on the link to learn more about the work being done at the Institute.

APHA Video

Available Job Opportunities

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Health Equity Intern Opportunity

Health Equity Interns are Northeastern University undergraduate students who commit to working four hours a week during one academic semester at the Institute on Health Equity and Social Justice Research in its mission of conducting research towards advancing health equity and social inclusion and reducing health disparities.  Opportunities are available for interns to continue an affiliation with the Institute once the semester internship is completed.

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Advancing Health Equity Pilot Awards

Our Faculty Scholars program provides an opportunity for faculty from colleges across the University engaging in research with shared commitments to health equity and social justice to come together for shared learning opportunities, mentor Health Equity Interns, and to facilitate interdisciplinary research collaborations. With the support of the Dean’s Office of Bouvé College of Health Sciences, since 2018 the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research has been able to provide funding to support Faculty Scholars as they develop their research portfolios in advancing the goals of health equity for diverse populations made vulnerable through marginalization and exclusion through the Advancing Health Equity Pilot Awards.

2018/19
2019/20
2020/21
2021/22
2022/23

Student PEAK Experiences Awards

The PEAK Experiences Awards are funded by the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, a progressively structured sequence of opportunities designed to support learners as they continue climbing to new heights of achievement in undergraduate research and creative endeavor throughout their Northeastern journeys. From the beginner surveying the landscape with a Campfire Chat or establishing a Base Camp, to those gaining experience while making the Ascent and Building Bridges, to those reaching the Summit, Blazing new Trails, and Shouting Out their successes, the PEAK Experiences Awards offer something for everyone.

2019/20
2020/21
2021/22

IHESJR Report

This has been an exciting and productive year for us at the Institute for Health Equity and Social Justice Research. As you will see in the reports our teams of faculty, students and community partners, have been busy with new and exciting programmatic and research efforts…

2019-2020
2020-2022

NEWS

Dr. Tiana Yom Co-authors Post for the American Evaluation Association about Culturally Responsive Evaluation Series

Dr. Tiana Yom, IHESJR Faculty Scholar and Northeastern University’s Public Evaluation Lab’s (NU-PEL). Program Director and Kelly Washburn, GBEN Programming Co-chair, recently co-authored a post for the American Evaluation Association [...]

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Student Researchers Receive PEAK Awards for Fall 2022

Four student researchers and Health Equity Interns were awarded PEAK Experiences Awards for Fall 2022. The Institute would like to celebrate the ongoing work our undergraduate researchers are doing alongside [...]

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HEI Dylan Hogan Launches a New Adaptive Sport in Boston and at Northeastern

One of our Health Equity Interns, Dylan Hogan and his Research Advisor, Lorna Hayward were featured in Northeastern News about their involvement in Volt hockey. Volt hockey, a new sport [...]

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SGAs Selected for the Robert Wood Foundation’s Health Policy Scholars Research Program

We are proud to announce that two graduate assistants from the Institute, Tiffani Elliott, Sociology PhD student, and Natalia Coriano-Díaz, Population Health PhD student, have been selected to participate in [...]

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