Investigators in NYU Langone’s Section for Health Equity pursue research to improve the health of and eliminate health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities, including Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Arab American, Black, and Latinx communities in the New York City metropolitan area and beyond.

We conduct studies through two major National Institutes of Health (NIH)– and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)–funded research centers, five dedicated scientific tracks, and an Applied Research and Evaluation Unit—as well as provide research training for community-based organizations, junior investigators, students, and health professionals.

Our Research Centers

The Section for Health Equity houses two major federally funded research centers dedicated to health disparities research.

NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health

The NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health is an NIH National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD)‒funded Specialized Center of Excellence. The center, established in 2003, focuses on understanding, addressing, and reducing health disparities in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) populations using a community-based participatory research approach.

Now in our fourth continuous cycle of NIMHD funding, we have established a deep roster of community partnerships locally and nationally, allowing us to evolve our mission and goals to advance health disparities research within a population health equity framework.

Learn more about the NYU Center for the Study of Asian American Health.

NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center

Established in 2014, the NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center is a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‒funded collaboration that aims to implement, evaluate, and disseminate innovative community‒clinical interventions for improved linkage to preventive care and chronic disease prevention and management. Following the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and a population heath equity framework, we focus on addressing the leading causes of poor health among Black, Latinx, Asian American, and other ethnically diverse, socially disadvantaged populations.

Our research studies are based in NYU Langone’s Department of Population Health and at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

Learn more about the NYU-CUNY Prevention Research Center.

Our Research Tracks

Our population health scientists conduct research in five key areas: cancer, cardiovascular health and diabetes, mental health, healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease, and gender equity. We explore a broad range of topics, including the psychological needs of cancer patients; type 2 diabetes prevention and management in the South Asian community; the effects of immigration, acculturation, and structural factors on health outcomes; creating a research action plan for Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias; and assessing gender-based violence during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic among many others. The wide variety of our ongoing research underscores the significant health needs experienced by at-risk and racial and ethnic minority populations in the New York City area and beyond.

Applied Research and Evaluation Unit

Our section’s research activities are supported by the Applied Research and Evaluation Unit, both for studies driven by track investigators, as well as those driven by the unit itself. In the Applied Research and Evaluation Unit, part of NYU Langone’s Division of Health and Behavior, we employ community-partnered, rigorous methodology as a cornerstone of our work.

We perform secondary data analysis of national and regional surveys and analyses of our community health worker interventions, as well as identify community health priorities through the Health Atlas report and community health resources and needs assessments for Asian Americans, Arab Americans, and AANHPI community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We also drive several community participatory systems science projects, such as Assessment of Policies through Prediction of Long-term Effects on Cardiovascular Disease Using Simulation (APPLE CDS), and Systems to Understand Nutrition, Diet, and Active Living Opportunities in Adults 50+ Years (SUNDIAL).

Finally, we use implementation science methodology to guide our work and established frameworks such as Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research across multiple projects, including Implementing Million Hearts for Providers and Community Transformation (IMPACT) Project, Patient-Centered Stomach Cancer Prevention in Chinese Americans, and the Diabetes Research, Education, and Action for Minorities (DREAM) Initiative.

Health Equity Research Training

The Section for Health Equity provides research training for early-career junior investigators and postdoctoral fellows through our innovative pilot project program, which focuses on health disparities research. Additionally, we provide research training for community health workers, community-based organizations, health professionals, and student researchers at various levels through the Health Disparities Research Training Program, Community Empowered Research Training program, and Health Equity Community Participatory Approaches to Systems and Science (ComPASS), among others. Learn more about our research training programs.