Fellows News

Many have heard of “driving while Black”, but also “biking while Black” or even “walking while Black”, can have deadly consequences for Black Americans. A public health historian and scholar explains for Reset how legacy policies, planning and practices disproportionately endanger African American pedestrians, joggers and cyclists. GUEST: Jennifer Roberts, assistant professor of Kinesiology, University of Maryland School of Public Health; director, Public Health Outcomes and Effects of the Built Environment Laboratory Find here…

Continue reading “Closing The Gap On Transportation: Walking Or Biking While Black Can Be Deadly”

One-third of American households struggle to pay for their basic energy needs. University of Michigan’s Tony Reames explores the role of policy in overcoming energy poverty. Energy justice and poverty have come to the forefront of public dialogue, and are part of long-standing inequities that continue to persist in the United States. In this country, a third of households find it difficult to afford the energy they need to heat and…

Continue reading “Combating Energy Poverty in the U.S. – Podcast”

Experts share experiences, consider approaches to the coronavirus pandemic and inequalities in its impact. At the beginning of the pandemic, many people thought that COVID-19 would be a so-called great equalizer. Because no one was immune to the new coronavirus, everyone could be affected, regardless of race, wealth, or geography. Instead, the pandemic proved to be the great exacerbator, hitting marginalized communities the hardest, according to Marccus Hendricks, Ph.D., from the…

Continue reading “Disaster research response experts share insights for pandemic”

Public health officials recommend wearing a mask to reduce the spread of COVID-19, yet individual compliance varies. Understanding the full range of determinants of mask-wearing is critical for promoting evidence-based public health solutions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Using data from a survey of 3,059 respondents across six US states, this study investigates the relationship between psychological factors, including threat- and efficacy-related perceptions, on mask-wearing behavior. It is found…

Continue reading “New Article: Perceptions of Efficacy are Key Determinants of Mask-Wearing Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic”

Existing environmental justice (EJ) and hazard vulnerability literatures inadequately address key texts and topics related to critical physical infrastructure, including stormwater, green space, sewerage, energy, and roads, among other systems. This scoping review demonstrates how fundamental principles of EJ can bolster and compliment those of social vulnerability (SV) with a focus on stormwater systems and flood risks. The discussion and conceptual framework provide in-depth insight to how neighborhoods are not…

Continue reading “New Article: Unequal Protection Revisited: Planning for Environmental Justice, Hazard Vulnerability, and Critical Infrastructure in Communities of Color”

High blood pressure. And structural racism. What do they have in common? Researchers say they are two of the biggest factors responsible for the gap in poor heart and brain health between Black and white adults in the United States. And they are inextricably linked. Studies show high blood pressure, also called hypertension, affects Black adults – particularly women – earlier and more dramatically than their white peers. By age…

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Locals can tell you exactly which streets need repaving, which sidewalks require fixing, which spots pool with rainwater after a storm. And they know all too well that such things tend to be neglected in poor neighborhoods of color, degrading their well-being and leaving them more vulnerable to weather-related damage. As a grad student, Marccus Hendricks calculated the disparities in infrastructure investment in Houston, which endures increasingly bad flooding.  Read…

Continue reading “JPB Fellow Marccus Hendricks is paving the way to equitable infrastructure reform”

A new School of Public Health study is the first to evaluate metals in the new generation of metallic nail polish finishes, as well as on nail salon surfaces and in the bodies of nail salon workers. Published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, the study identified toxic metals including antimony and aluminum in many of the sampled polishes, even though these polishes did not disclose them as…

Continue reading “Toxic Metals in Nail Polishes, But Not on the Labels”

It can begin with the occasional missed bill payment. An inability to remember names. Telling the same story repeatedly. There may be personality changes or mood swings. Confusion. Over time, it’s as if the person who once was slowly disappears. Dementia. As the population ages, a growing number of families face this debilitating condition, which can be both emotionally and financially exhausting, and require near-constant supervision from spouses or adult…

Continue reading “Black, Hispanic families hit hardest by dementia”

Darien and Ksenia are joined by Dr. Marccus Hendricks, an Environmental Planning professor at the University of Maryland and Director of the Stormwater Infrastructure Resilience & Justice (SIRJ) Lab.  Learn more about JPB Fellow Marccus Hendricks research.