Health is shaped long before someone walks into a doctor’s office, by the neighborhood they grow up in, the systems they navigate, and the resources available to them. At the Department of Population Health Sciences, this is where our work begins.
Within the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, we bring together researchers, clinicians, and educators from public health, medicine, law, ethics, sociology, anthropology, and social work. Together, we study the conditions that shape health and build solutions with the communities most affected.
Our research extends beyond the lab. We study health where people live, work, learn, and receive care, with a focus on under-resourced communities. Our three centers bring this work to life. The Center for Asian Health has spent more than two decades building trusted partnerships with Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations and other under-resourced communities to address cancer, chronic diseases, and access to care. The Center for Health Justice and Bioethics leads the nation’s only master’s program focused specifically on health justice, while addressing violence, trauma, and maternal health in North Philadelphia. The Hope Center for Student Basic Needs addresses another often overlooked challenge: food, housing, and health care insecurity among college students and its impact on their health and future.
Education is central to our mission. We prepare future healthcare providers, scientists, and policy leaders to look beyond treating disease and understand the conditions that shape health. Our students learn to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world challenges and make a meaningful difference in the communities they serve.
Our work is only possible because of the communities who partner with us. They are not subjects of our research; they are our collaborators and partners. We learn from their experiences, build on their knowledge and share in the work and its impact.
We believe the future of medicine and healthcare should not be created for communities, but with and by them. That belief shapes our research, our teaching and every partnership we build.
Whether you are a prospective student, colleague, collaborator or supporter, we invite you to join us in advancing health and education together.