The Child Health Equity Laboratory promotes the health and well-being of underserved communities through cutting-edge research on the role of social work in informing interventions that optimize growth in early childhood. Research studies examine the complex system of interactions that influence health disparities across the socioeconomic spectrum, primarily in the areas of pediatric obesity, chronic illness, and maternal and child health. Active projects investigate dimensions of adversity and material hardship and the protective factors theorized to provide protection from adversity-imposed obesity risks. The lab also partners with nonprofit organizations in Philadelphia to address local food security priorities and actively reduce socioeconomic-driven health disparities. Research methods include community-engaged and mixed-methods approaches such as sequential explanatory designs that prioritize community stakeholder involvement and the application of advanced statistical methods. Implications of our research have contributed to innovative explanatory frameworks that inform the development of novel interventions for interrupting the maladaptive effects of adversity on healthy child development.

Director