Roshanak Mehdipanah attends Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria meeting in Washington, D.C.

June 13, 2024

University of Michigan School of Public Health professor Roshanak Mehdipanah was recently in Washington, D.C. to speak on a panel for a Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB) meeting. The federal advisory council provides information and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services on antimicrobial resistance. 

The panel, titled “Unequal Exposure, Unequal Risk: Environmental Racism and Drug Resistance” included academic researchers from the University of Michigan, Emory University, University of California San Diego, and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. While there, Mehdipanah discussed environmental racism and its impact on health disparities, contextualizing how historical examples of redlining practices have influenced contemporary health challenges and outcomes. 

“Access to adequate and affordable housing is not only a basic human right, but also an important determinant of health,” said Mehdipanah, an associate professor of Health Behavior and Health Education. “We know unaffordable housing can result in individuals not adhering to their medication and treatment regimens, and we also know that inadequate housing conditions can create environments that place residents at higher risk for antibiotic-resistant infections.”

Mehdipanah is the co-lead for Michigan Public Health’s research and engagement initiative Public Health IDEAS for Creating Healthy and Equitable Cities and the director of the Housing Solutions For Health Equity initiative. Recently, a research team led by Mehdipanah and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority outlined housing challenges and opportunities in the state in the 2024 Michigan Statewide Housing Needs Assessment.

Lead image caption: Jacinda Abdul-Mutakabbir, University of California San Diego; Roshanak Mehdipanah, University of Michigan School of Public Health; and Maya Nadimpalli, Emory University post for a photo together at the PACCARB meeting in Washington, D.C. on May 22, 2024. 

• Related: New Michigan Public Health-led initiative builds health equity through housing
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Contact

Destiny Cook

Senior Public Relations Specialist

University of Michigan School of Public Health

descook@umich.edu

734-647-8650

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