Working Groups Overview
Although pre-existing and novel PHS research projects span the gamut of scientific arenas and disciplines, our Center attempts to focus efforts through a series of “working groups”—informal networks of researchers sharing a conceptual area of shared interest. It may be a life course phase, a methodological approach, or a perceived area of critical deficiency in our present knowledge. Centered around these working groups, periodic lunches, presentations, seminars and other events bring members together to achieve the discovery agenda of the Center by generating “cross-talk” and fostering new collaborative initiatives that may have been impossible or unlikely previously. These working groups are also the organizing principle for our seed grant program and resource allocations. We recognize that there remain vast areas of overlap as well as “uncovered territory” and encourage you to reach out to us if you have an idea or request.
Interested in joining a working group? Email us!
Across the Lifespan
Adolescent Health
Studying adolescence as a key inflection point for determining future health
Immigration and Health
Assessing health impacts of immigration in the US and other countries; evaluating the impact of immigration policies and programs on population-level health outcomes
Preconception, Pregnancy and Early Childhood
Advancing our understanding of health from conception to age 2, including developmental biology, environmental impacts, the role of health care and early child development
Sex and Gender in Health Research
Examining the role of sex and gender in health over the life-course; closing gender data gaps in health research
Special Populations and Rare Diseases
Utilizing a life-course approach to characterize risks and understand the progression of disease in special populations, including underserved groups
Work-Life, Retirement, Disability, Aging and Cognitive Decline
Analyzing the evolution of health to chronic disease in order to prevent mid-life and late-life disability; exploring how declining physical and cognitive function impact later life decisions
Health Determinants
Environment and Health
Exploring relationships between global environmental risk factors and health outcomes
Food and Nutrition
Examining the dynamic interplay between food, nutrition, and population health
Gene-Environment Interaction
Identifying cause-and-effect relationships between the environment, genes, and human health; developing new analytical approaches and standards for sample sizes, DNA replication, and causal inferences
Health and Behavior
Researching the influence of the social environment on behavior and health; developing social and behavioral interventions to improve health
Health Disparities - Global and Domestic
Helping to reduce health disparities by understanding the roles of social, economic, environmental, and political factors driving these inequities
Methods, Technology, and Systems
Analytics
Developing innovative computational and statistical methods for acquiring, representing, and analyzing biological, observational, and clinical data to personalize healthcare and improve the health on a population scale
mHealth and Other New Technologies for Health
Leveraging cutting-edge technologies and applications to improve health on a population scale
The Learning Health System and the Science of Care Delivery
Developing novel methods and information systems designed to improve health and healthcare delivery through a cycle of data input, analysis and resulting system modification