Refugee, Immigrant, and Global Health

Area of Focus

Refugee, Immigrant, and Global Health

Researcher teams at the Institute have long been engaged in conducting research that improves the lives of refugee and immigrant populations. Through a decades long community-partnership, Dr. Lincoln has been engaged with Dr. Heidi Ellis and the Boston Children’s Hospital Refugee Trauma and Resilience Center.

Most recently these teams have received NIMHD funding to support expanded study of the relationships among Discrimination and Health among Somali Refugees. Newer work, partnered with the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the Northeastern School of Law, is examining the role of Sanctuary Cities on Health and Well-being.

We are highly committed to continuing to expand our research partnerships with refugee and immigrant communities as they strive to improve their health and well-being as well as continuing to work to understand the ways that current policies and practices effect health.

In addition, we are growing our collaborative efforts with partners engaged in Global Health efforts – particularly those addressing global disparities and efforts to improve the health of marginalized communities.

Alisa Lincoln - Northeastern University

Alisa Lincoln
Director of IHESJR
Northeastern University

Tiffany Joseph

Tiffany Jospeh
Associate Professor
Northeastern University

Carmel Salhi - Institute of Health Equity and Social Justice Research

Carmel Salhi
Associate Professor
Northeastern University

Liza Weinstein - Northeastern University

Liza Weinstein
Associate Professor
Northeastern University

Danielle Crookes
Assistant Professor
Northeastern University

ASSOCIATED PUBLICATIONS

Faculty

Beatriz E. D., Molnar B. E., Griffith J. L., & Salhi C. (2018). Urban-rural disparity and urban population growth: A multi-level analysis of under-five mortality in 30 sub-Saharan African countries. Health and Place, 52, 196-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.06.006

Ellis, H. B. Abdi, S., Lazarevic, V., White, M. T., Lincoln, A. K., Stern, J., & Horgan, J. G. (2016). Relation of psychosocial factors to diverse behaviors and attitudes among Somali refugees. American Journal Of Orthopsychiatry, 86(4), 393-408. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000121

Ellis, H. B., Abdi, S. M., Miller, A. B., White, M. T., & Lincoln, A. K. (2015). Protective factors for violence perpetration in Somali youth: The role of community belonging and neighborhood cohesion. Psychology of Violence. 5(4), 384-392. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0039610

Ellis, B. H., Lincoln, A. K., Abdi, S. M., Nimmons, E. A., Lakin, P. R., Issa, O., & Decker, S. H. (2018). “We all have stories”: Black Muslim immigrants’ experience with the police. Race and Justice, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/2153368718754638

Lincoln, A. K., Lazarevic, V., White, M. T., & Ellis, H. B. (2015). The Impact of acculturation style and acculturative hassles on the mental health of Somali adolescent refugees. Journal Of Immigrant And Minority Health, 18(4), 771-778. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-015-0232-y

Faculty Scholars

Al-Moujahed A., Alahdab F., Abolaban H., & Beletsky L. (2017). Polio in Syria: Problem still not solved. Avicenna Journal of Medicine, 7(2), 64–66. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5398005/

Annan, J., Sim, A., Puffer, E. S., Salhi, C., & Betancourt, T. S. (2017). Improving mental health outcomes of Burmese migrant and displaced children in Thailand: A community-based randomized controlled trial of a parenting and family skills intervention. Prevention Science, 18(7), 793-803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-016-0728-2

Arredondo, J., Gaines, T., Manian, S., Vilalta, C., Bañuelos, A., Strathdee, S. A., & Beletsky, L. (2018). The law on the streets: Evaluating the impact of Mexico’s drug decriminalization reform on drug possession arrests in Tijuana, Mexico. International Journal of Drug Policy, 54, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.12.006

Arredondo, J., Strathdee, S. A., Cepeda, J. A., Abramovitz, D., Artamonova, I., Clairgue, E,… Beletsky, L. (2017). Measuring improvement in knowledge of drug policy reforms following a police education program in Tijuana, Mexico. Harm Reduction Journal, 14, 72-79. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12954-017-0198-2

Beatriz E. D., Molnar B. E., Griffith J. L., & Salhi C. (2018). Urban-rural disparity and urban population growth: A multi-level analysis of under-five mortality in 30 sub-Saharan African countries. Health and Place, 52, 196-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2018.06.006 

Beletsky, L., Baker, P., Arredondo, J., Emuka, A., Goodman-Meza, D., Medina-Mora, M.E.,… Magis-Rodriguez, C. (2018). The global health and equity imperative for safe consumption facilities. The Lancet, 392(10147), 553-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31469-7

Beletsky, L., Wagner, K. D., Arredondo, J., Palinkas, L., Rodriguez, C. M., Kalic, N.,… Strathdee, S. A. (2015). Implementing Mexico’s “Narcomenudeo” drug law reform: A mixed-methods assessment of early experiences among people who inject drugs. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 10(4), 384-401. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558689815575862

Borquez, A., Beletsky, L., Nosyk, B., Strathdee, S. A., Madrazo, A., Abramovitz, D.,… Martin, N. K. (2018). Evaluating the impact of public health-oriented drug law reform on HIV incidence among people who inject drugs in Tijuana, Mexico: an epidemic modelling analysis. The Lancet Public Health, 3(9), e429–e437. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(18)30097-5

Cepeda J. A., Eritsyan K., Vickerman P., Lyubimova A., Shegay M., Odinokova V., Beletsky L.,… Martin N. K. (2018). Modelling the potential impact of implementing and scaling-up harm reduction and antiretroviral therapy on HIV and overdose deaths among people who inject drugs in two Russian cities. The Lancet HIV, 5(10), 578-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ S2352-3018(18)30168-1 

Gaines, T., Beletsky, L., Arredondo, J., Werb, D., Rangel, G., Vera, A., & Brouwer, K. (2015). Examining the spatial distribution of law enforcement encounters among people who inject drugs after implementation of Mexico’s drug policy reform. Journal of Urban Health, 92(2), 338-51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-014-9907-2.

Hammett T., Phan S., Gaggin J., Case P., Zaller N., Lutnick A., Kral A. H., Fedorova E. V., Heimer R., Small W., Pollini R., Beletsky L.,… Des Jarlais D. C. (2014). Pharmacies as providers of expanded health services for people who inject drugs: A review of laws, policies, and barriers in six countries. BMC Health Services Research, 14, 261. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-261

Jeong, J., McCoy, D. C., Yousafzai A. K., Salhi, C., & Fink, G. (2016). Paternal stimulation and early child development in low-and middle-income countries. Pediatrics, 138(4), e20161357. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1357

Joseph, T. D. (2017). Falling through the coverage cracks: How documentation status minimizes immigrants’ access to health care. Journal of Health Policy, Politics, and Law, 42, 961-984. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28663178/.

Joseph, T. D. (2017). Still left out: Health care stratification under the Affordable Care Act. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 12, 2089-2107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1323453

Joseph, T. D. (2018). Stratification and universality: Immigrants and barriers to coverage in Massachusetts. In Castañeda, H., & Mulligan, J. (Eds.), Unequal Coverage: The Experience of Health Care Reform in the United States. New York: New York University Press.

Joseph, T. D. (2016). What healthcare reform means for immigrants: A comparison of the Affordable Care Act and Massachusetts health reforms. Journal of Health Policy, Politics, and Law, 41, 101-116. https://10.1215/03616878-3445632.

Joseph, T. D. & Marrow, H. B. (2017). Health care, immigrants and minorities: Lessons from the Affordable Care Act in the United States.” Special Issue of the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 12, 1965-1984. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2017.1374655.

 Mackey T. K., Werb D., Beletsky L., Rangel G., Arredondo J., & Strathdee S. A. (2014). Mexico’s “Ley de Narcomenudeo:” drug policy reform and the international drug control regime. Harm Reduction Journal, 11(21), e1-e7. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7517-11-31

Marrow, H. B., & Joseph, T. D. (2015). Excluded and frozen out: Unauthorized immigrants’ (non) access to care after healthcare reforms. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41, 2253-2273. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2015.1051465

McBain, R. K., Salhi, C., Hann, K., Kellie, J., Kamara, A., Salomon, J. A., & Betancourt, T. S. (2015). Improving outcomes for caregivers through treatment of young people affected by war: a randomized controlled trial in Sierra Leone. Bulletin of the World Health Organization93(12), 834. https://doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.139105

McCoy, D. C., Salhi, C., Yoshikawa, H., Black, M., Britto, P., & Fink, G. (2018). Home-and center-based learning opportunities for preschoolers in low-and middle-income countries. Children and Youth Services Review88, 44-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.02.021

Mittal M. L., Artamonova I., Baker P., Strathdee S. A., Cepeda J., Bañuelos A.,… Beletsky L. (2018). Improving police conceptual knowledge of Mexico’s law on cannabis possession: Findings from an assessment of a police education program. The American Journal on Addictions, 27, 608-611. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.12827

Mittal M. L., Beletsky L., Patiño E., Abramovitz, D., Rocha, T., Arredondo, J.,…Strathdee, S. A. (2016). Prevalence and correlates of needle-stick injuries among active duty police officers in Tijuana, Mexico. Journal of the International AIDS Society, 19(4), 20874. https://doi.org/10.7448/IAS.19.4.20874

Piñedo M., Beletsky L, Alamillo N, & Ojeda, V. D. (2017). Health-damaging policing practices among persons who inject drugs in Mexico: are deported migrants at greater risk? International Journal of Drug Policy, 46, 41-46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.05.028.

Rolon, M., Patiño Mandujano, E., Beletsky, L., Arredondo, J., Rocha, T., Olivarri,a O.,…Strathdee, S. A. (2015). Más miedo a una enfermedad que a un balazo [More afraid of a disease than a bullet]: Implementation of system-wide needlestick injury surveillance system in the Tijuana Police Department, Mexico. Annals of Global Health, 81(1), 9-12. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.aogh.2015.02.534

Terriquez, V. & Joseph, T. D. (2016). Ethnoracial inequality and insurance coverage among Latino young adults. Social Science & Medicine, 168, 150-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.08.039.

Werb, D., Medina Mora, G., Beletsky, L., Arredondo, J., & Strathdee, S. A. (2014). Mexico’s drug policy reform: Cutting edge success or crisis in the making? International Journal of Drug Policy, 25(1), 823-825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2014.05.014

Werb, D., Strathdee, S. A., Meza, E., Rangel, G., Palinkas, L., Medina-Mora, M. E., & Beletsky, L. (2017). Institutional stakeholder perceptions of barriers to addiction treatment under Mexico’s drug policy reform. Global Public Health, 12(5), 519-530. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2015.1093524

Werb, D., Strathdee, S. A., Vera, A., Arredondo, J., Beletsky, L., Gonazalez-Zuniga, P., & Gaines, T. (2016). Spatial patterns of arrest, police assault, and addiction treatment center locations in Tijuana, Mexico. Addiction, 111(7), 1246-5. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13350.

Werb, D., Wagner, K. D., Beletsky, L., Gonzalez-Zuniga, P., Rangel, G., & Strathdee, S. A. (2015). Police bribery and access to Methadone Maintenance Therapy within the context of drug policy reform in Tijuana, Mexico. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 148(1), 221-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.01.011.

Weinstein, L. (2014). The Durable Slum: Dharavi and the Right to Stay Put in Globalizing Mumbai. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

Weinstein, L. (2017). Insecurity as confinement: The entrenched politics of staying put in Delhi and Mumbai. International Sociology, 32(4), 512-531. https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580917701604

Weinstein, L., Rumbauch, A., & Sinha, S. (2019). Resilient Growth: Fantasy Plans and Unplanned Developments in India’s Flood‐Prone Coastal Cities. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 43(2), 273-291. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12743

Wood, E. F., Werb, D., Beletsky, L., Rangel, G., Cuevas Mota, J., Garfein, R. S., & Wagner, K. D. (2017). Differential experiences of Mexican policing by people who inject drugs residing in Tijuana and San Diego. International Journal of Drug Policy, 41(1), 132-139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugpo.2016.12.010

Student Graduate Assistants

Musyimi, C. W., Mutiso, V. N., Nayak, S. S., Ndetei, D. M., Henderson, D. C., & Bunders, J. (2017). Quality of life of depressed and suicidal patients seeking services from traditional and faith healers in rural Kenya. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes, 15(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-017-0657-1

Mutiso, V. N., Musyimi, C. W., Nayak, S. S., Musau, A. M., Rebello, T., Nandoya, E., … & Ndetei, D. M. (2017). Stigma-related mental health knowledge and attitudes among primary health workers and community health volunteers in rural Kenya. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 63(6), 508-517. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764017716953

Nayak, S. S., Kshtriya, S., & Neugebauer, R. (in press). Trauma alleviation treatment for unaccompanied children after the Rwandan Genocide: A cautionary tale. Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas. https://doi.org/10.4103/INTV.INTV_10_18