Public health research

Research

Public Health program

College of Health

Engaged in groundbreaking research with local, national, and international impact, our public health faculty members are at the forefront of interdisciplinary research. Explore their ongoing projects and research opportunities through the links provided below to individual projects, programs and labs.

Research Projects, Programs and Labs

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ENLACE

ENLACE

The ENLACE program builds solidarity and amplifies youth voices, connecting Latinx and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth in fighting social isolation

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Prof. Molly Kile measuring arsenic levels in Bangladesh well

Environmental Exposure and Biomarker Lab

The Environmental Exposure and Biomarker Lab measures metal concentrations in environmental and biological samples in order to determine personal exposure to contaminants. We also examine molecular biomarkers that may be generated by exposure to environmental contaminants.

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Environmental Health Literacy and Translation Lab

Environmental Health Literacy and Translation Lab

The Environmental Health Literacy and Translation Lab evaluates the role of environmental health literacy in helping communities better frame and respond to environmental health hazards. Current projects incorporate disaster research, asthma and air pollution, and Indigenous environmental health.

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Health and Healthcare Outcomes Research Program

Health and Healthcare Outcomes Research Program

The Health and Healthcare Outcomes Research Program carries out research related to evaluation and innovation in health care to improve health outcomes (i.e., access, quality of life, satisfaction, health related social needs, costs) for people with specific chronic conditions. Health policy implications of these outcomes are a key focus.

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Health Care Workforce Needs Assessment

Health Care Workforce Needs Assessment

The Health Care Workforce Needs Assessment provides insights into health care workforce needs in communities across Oregon as well as general guidance on how to expand and diversify the health care workforce to meet the needs of patients and communities throughout Oregon and eliminate health inequities.

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Methylmercury Lab

Methylmercury Lab

The Methylmercury Lab carries out research related to methylmercury cycling and exposure.

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 Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Laboratory

Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Laboratory

The Occupational Ergonomics and Biomechanics Laboratory uses a variety of bioinstrumentation to characterize work-related physical exposures and investigate their relationships with adverse health outcomes with an ultimate goal of promoting health and well-being at workplaces.

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Occupational Safety and Health Laboratory

Occupational Safety and Health Laboratory

The Occupational Safety and Health Laboratory uses a variety of tools and methods to investigate workplace hazards and environmental pollutants on safety and health outcomes in working populations and communities.

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Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity Consortium

Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity Consortium

The Sexual and Reproductive Health Equity Consortium generates, supports, and disseminates research that improves understanding of the diverse factors affecting sexual and reproductive health equity.

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Spatial Health Laboratory

Spatial Health Laboratory

The Spatial Health Laboratory carries out diverse research related to health and place.

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The State of Nursing Facilities in Oregon

The State of Nursing Facilities in Oregon

The State of Nursing Facilities in Oregon produces an annual report that informs stakeholders, the Legislature, and the public about skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in Oregon.

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Transforming Academia for Equity

Transforming Academia for Equity

The Transforming Academia for Equity redresses the historical and present-day impacts of colonialism, racism, and other forms of oppression that permeate our society.

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Thriving After Cancer Team

Thriving After Cancer Team

The Thriving After Cancer Team aims to fill the gap in supportive care for young cancer survivors, couples struggling with reproductive and sexual health concerns, and LGBTQ+ survivors and their partners/support networks.

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Uplift Lab

Uplift: A Research and Reproductive Equity Laboratory

The Uplift Lab explores the ways community-led research, population data science, and ethnography can combine to imagine and implement more equitable reproductive futures.

Recent publications

(This is not an exhaustive list. We are still rebuilding our database of faculty publications. Visit individual faculty profiles for more extensive lists of their publications.)

2025

Hystad, P., Hill, E.L., Larkin, A., Schrank, D., Harleman, M., Volkin, E.T., Campbell, E.J., Molitor, J., Harris, L., Ritz, B.R., Willis, M.D.  (2025)  Changes in traffic-related air pollution exposures and associations with adverse birth outcomes over 20 years in Texas  International Journal of Epidemiology  54(1)
Gurinovich, A., Song, Z., Bae, H., Leshchyk, A., Li, M., Lords, H.J., Andersen, S.L., Nygaard, M., Christensen, K., Daw, E.W., Arbeev, K.G., Brent, M.R., Perls, T.T., Sebastiani, P.  (2025)  SNP rs6543176 is associated with extreme human longevity but increased risk for cancer  GeroScience  

2024

Stieb, D., Chen, L., Hystad, P., Rittmaster, R., Lavigne, E.  (2024)  Outdoor nitrogen dioxide exposure and longitudinal health status trajectory in the Canadian National Population Health Survey  Scientific Reports  14
O'Malley, K.E., Ghetu, C.C., Rohlman, D., Anderson, K.  (2024)  Assessing Wildfire Impact on Diffusive Flux of Parent and Alkylated PAHs: A Pilot Study of Soil-Air Chemical Movement before, during, and after Wildfires  Environmental Science & Technology  
Amram, O., Oje, O., Larkin, A., Boakye, K.A., Avery, A.R., Gebremedhin, A.H., Williams, B., Duncan, G.E., Hystad, P.  (2024)  Smartphone Google Location History: A Novel Approach to Outdoor Physical Activity Research  Journal of Physical Activity & Health  
Tilden, E.L., Kissler, K., Myatt, L., Lundborg, L., Turney, M., Bovbjerg, M.L., Erickson, E.N.  (2024)  More than the passage of time: neonatal health and active labor duration, the mediating role of chorioamnionitis  American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology  
Yi, L., Harnois-Leblanc, S., Rifas-Shiman, S.L., Suel, E., Pescador Jimenez, M., Lin, P.I., Hystad, P., Hankey, S., Zhang, W., Hivert, M., Oken, E., Aris, I.M., James, P.  (2024)  Satellite-Based and Street-View Green Space and Adiposity in US Children  JAMA Network Open  7(12)
Yi, L., Rifas-Shiman, S.L., Jimenez, M.P., Lin, P., Suel, E., Hystad, P., Larkin, A., Hankey, S., Zhang, W., Klompmaker, J.O., Oken, E., Hivert, M., Aris, I.M., James, P  (2024)  Assessing greenspace and cardiovascular health through deep-learning analysis of street-view imagery in a cohort of US children  Environmental Research  265
Kia, K., Chan, A., Salehi, M., Kincl, L., Kim, J.H.  (2024)  Effects of different block designs on low back and shoulders biomechanical loads and postural stability during crab pot handling  Applied Ergonomics  124
Baum, F., Musolino, C., Freeman, T., Flavel, J., Ceukelaire, W.D., Chi, C., Dardet, C.A., Falcão, M.Z., Friel, S., Gesesew, H.A., Giugliani, C., Howden-Chapman, P., Huong, N.T., Kim, S., London, L., McKee, M., Nandi, S., Paremoer, L., Popay, J., Serag, H., Thiagarajan, S., Tangcharoensathien, V., Villar, E.  (2024)  Thinking politically about intersectoral action: Ideas, Interests and Institutions shaping political dimensions of governing during COVID-19  Health Policy and Planning  39