Health Equity

Health equity research at IHPS goes beyond documenting disparities.

IHPS research examines how individual, behavioral, social, and structural factors create population disparities. IHPS then champions efforts to address these factors and advance equity.

Current Work in Health Equity

Read more about current IHPS work in health equity in mental and behavioral health, transgender mental health, food insecurity, the effects of anti-poverty programs, community-centered care and the impacts of racism in hospital-based care here.

Jul 3, 2025

The Most Effective Diabetes Drugs Don’t Reach Enough Patients Yet

Jun 18, 2025

‘Food is medicine’ shows potential for improving diet quality and food security

Jun 10, 2025

Fitness Trackers Aid Early Health Risk Detection

May 19, 2025

13 Ways to Save Health and Science

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related publications

All Publications

Jul 01, 2025

The Health Equity Action Network Research Coordinating Center Facilitates Meaningful Community Engagement to Promote Health Equity.

May 06, 2025

Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in Genomic Medicine: Considerations for Addressing Health Equity.

Apr 15, 2025

Erosion of Traditional Employment: Impact on Health and Economic Well-Being.

All Publications

related partners & programs

Medical Cultures Lab

UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations

UCSF Social Policies for Health Equity Research Program

Erin C. Accurso, PhD

achieving health equity in eating disorders treatment

Sara Ackerman, PhD, MPH

Qualitative methods and public engagement to promote equitable benefit from emerging medical technologies

Julia Adler-Milstein, PhD

Health informatics policy and impact assessment

Anushree Agarwal, MD, MBBS

Health services, digital health, access to care, health policy

Dorie Apollonio, PhD, MPP

Tobacco, cannabis, and opioid use, substance use Commercial determinants of health

Sepideh Banava, DDS, MBA, MPH

Oral Health Literacy, Oral Health Disparities, Informatics

Naomi Bardach, MD

Pediatric quality measurement and health equity, including value-based purchasing use cases

Claire Brindis, DrPH

Adolescent and young adult health, Women’s reproductive care

Benjamin Chaffee, DDS, MPH, PhD

Adolescent health, tobacco regulatory science, oral health

Alice Chen, MD

Population health, health equity and drivers of health, Medicaid, Marketplace

Theresa Cheng, MD

intersection of health and human rights; health equity in emergency

Winston Chiong, MD, PhD

Dementia, neuroethics, decision-making

Shih-Chuan Chou, MD, MPH

Payer policies, insurance benefit design, ED care use, and value

Janet Coffman, PhD, MPP, MA

Health workforce, health insurance, access to health care

Alison Cohen, PhD, MPH

Social epidemiology; community-based participatory research; adolescent and emerging adult health; research-practice part

Beth Cohen, MD, MA

Tobacco and cannabis; PTSD; Cardiovascular disease

Jayme Congdon, MD, MS

Community-engaged pediatric health services research

Mara Decker, DrPH

Health equity and positive youth development

Daniel Dohan, PhD

Elizabeth Dzeng, PhD, MD, MPH

Equity, anti-racism, and community participatory methods; Institutional cultures and policies and its influence on serious illness care; human centered design

Erica Farrand, MD

Implementation science, digital health, health equity

Alicia Fernandez, MD

Valerie Flaherman, MD, MPH

Preventive interventions and infant outcomes

Linda Franck, RN, PhD, FAAN

Maternal child health quality and equity community partnered research, MCH, social determinants

Stuart Gansky, MS, DrPH

Health equity / health disparities, children's oral health, tobacco regulatory science

Sarah Garrett, PhD

Medical/cultural sociologist working to promote health equity

Laura Gottlieb, MD, MPH

Jennifer Grandis, MD

Qualitative research focused on gender equity in science and medicine

Matthew Gribble, PhD

Environmental Epidemiology, Oceans and Human Health, Climate Change

Elan Guterman, MD

Outcomes and implementation of high-quality neurologic care

Jose Gutierrez, PhD, MS

Understanding patient decision-making for HIV-related services

Anita Hargrave, MD

Robert Hiatt, MD, PhD

Cancer control, social determinants of health

Kristin Hoeft, PhD, MPH

Renee Hsia, MD, MSc

Access to emergency care, disparities/inequities, healthcare pricing

Jennifer James, PhD, MS, MSW

Racism and health; Intersectionality; Black bioethics; incarceration

Jeroen Jansen, PhD

Evidence synthesis and decision modeling to quantify value

Suni Kaiser, MD, MSc

Children's and adolescent health, patient experience & quality of care

Hemal Kanzaria, MD

Health-related social needs, frequent health care system users, homelessness

Leah Karliner, MD, MAS

Language barriers and language access, Quality of care delivery for older patients, Practice based research in primary care

Dan Kelly, MD

Patient-reported outcomes; sleep, physical activity

Mandana Khalili, MD

Health disparities in liver disease, healthcare delivery

Elaine Khoong, MD, MS

Implementation science, digital health, health disparities

Margot Kushel, MD

Homelessness, Housing, and Health

Erica Langnas, MD

Perioperative health equity, opioid prescribing patterns in surgical patients.

Chuan Mei Lee, MD, MA

Improving access to child and adolescent mental health

Pamela Ling, MD, MPH

Tobacco industry marketing and tobacco use in young adults

Christina Mangurian, MD, MAS

Promoting mental health equity in the delivery system and the workplace

William Martinez, PhD

Behavioral health equity; health-legal partnerships; behavioral health workforce

Erin McCauley, PhD, MEd, MA

Health equity, sociology, demography, and mass incarceration

Renee Mehra, PhD

workforce divesification, maternal, infant and child health, racial inequities in health, social and structural determinants of health and racism

Melanie Molina, MD, MAS

health disparities, policy, COVID-19, microaggressions

Emily Mrig, PhD

Interdisciplinary, mixed-methods, insurance, precision medicine

Sunita Mutha, MD

Language barriers in care; Health workforce diversity; Leadership development

Nhung Nguyen, PhD, PharmD

mHealth interventions for tobacco and cannabis use among young adults

Bruce Ovbiagele, M.D., M.Sc., M.A.S., M.B.A., M.L.S.

Equity neuroscience; global health policy; stroke outcomes

Matt Pantell, MD, MS

Linda Park, PhD, NP, FAAN

Morgan Philbin, PhD, MHS

Social policy; HIV; substance use; LGBTQ youth; housing

Laura Plantinga, PhD

Quality of chronic disease care for minoritized populations

Rebecca Plevin, MD

Injury prevention, trauma care, healthcare disparities, vulnerable populations

Elena Portacolone, PhD, MBA, MPH

Science of living arrangements, Health disparities in dementia research

Marissa Raymond-Flesch, MD, MPH

John Rose, MD, MPH

Surgical care: access, quality, outcomes

Lisa Rotenstein, MD, MBA

primary care delivery, the electronic health record, and the healthcare workforce

Vivek Rudrapatna, MD, PhD

Data science, IBD, IPD meta-analysis, NLP, machine learning

Urmimala Sarkar, MD

Patient safety, chronic disease, and health equity

George Sawaya, MD

Healthcare value; Cervical cancer screening; Disparities in cancer outcomes

Dean Schillinger, MD

Health communication, Chronic disease, Primary care, Health policy

Gabriela Schmajuk, MD

Quality of care and patient safety in rheumatology

Eleanor Schwarz, MD, MS

Primary Care, Reproductive Justice, Health Equity

Neelam Sekhri Feachem, MS

Comparative health systems internationally. Financing healthcare. Delivery of care

Hilary Seligman, MD, MAS

Food & nutrition insecurity, food policy, and impact-oriented science

Lauren Shapiro, MD, MS

High-value, patient-centered care in orthopeadic surgery

Janet Shim, PhD

Sociology of science, medicine & inequality; bioethics

Samira Soleimanpour, PhD

adolescent health, school health services, participatory research

Leslie Suen, MD, MAS

mproving health systems and policies for people who use drugs

Matt Tierney, MS, NP, FAAN

Expanding APRN-driven treatment of substance use disorders

Marina Tolou-Shams, PhD

behavioral health equity for systems-impacted youth and families

Anusha Vable, ScD, MPH

Social and structural determinants of health inequities

Maya Vijayaraghavan, MD, MAS

Tobacco cessation and tobacco control policy

Sharad Wadhwani, MD, MPH

Pediatric liver transplantation, social determinants of health, and implementation science

Yingning Wang, PhD

economic impacts of tobacco control policies

Charles Windon, MD

social determinants of health, access to dementia care

Lena Winestone, MD

social determinants of health, health equity, health disparities, access to care, outcomes research, child health.

Veronica Yank, MD

Family caregivers; persons living with dementia, chronic conditions, disabilities

Tingting Yao, PhD

Economic impact of tobacco and cannabis use

Jennifer Yarger, PhD

Access to care; sexual and reproductive health; adolescents and young adults

Jarmin Yeh, PhD, MPH, MSSW

age-friendly communities and health systems, dementia, caregivers

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