Research in the Pediatric Obesity, Chronic Illness, and Maternal and Child Health Laboratory actively works to advance the Grand Challenge for Social Work to close the health gap by examining the social determinants of pediatric obesity and the parental, socio-environmental and policy-related factors that influence risk and adverse health and developmental outcomes in early childhood. Research goals are to develop and test community-based interventions that provide low-income neighborhoods with the resources needed to buffer the effects of systemic stressors and promote optimal health behaviors to protect children from preventable chronic health conditions that can result in impaired quality of life, disability and premature death.

Director