Urban Health

Water trickles out of the end of a rusty pipe

Lead exposure may alter the body's response to stress

Chris Giang and Olivia M. Halabicky, PhD, RN

The water crisis in Flint, Michigan garnered national attention, but there are thousands of cities in the US with even higher levels of lead poisoning. Despite knowing lead is harmful, we still don’t know how lead causes such harmful health outcomes. Identifying potential biological pathways is key for developing interventions to mitigate health risk.

Food market in Detroit

Emergency Food Security Funding Must Continue

Alek Ostrander and Carly Truett

The economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of the nearly 26 million adults in the US struggling to access and afford food. Federal nutrition assistance programs like SNAP help, but additional assistance is needed for those already receiving maximum benefits. And many of these emergency measures should become permanent.

Katherine Hoffman at her desk in the biostatistics and epidemiology division at Weill Cornell Medicine.

On the Sidelines: New York's COVID-19 Outbreak from the Eyes of a Biostatistician

Katherine Hoffman, MS ’18

It's March. An early-career biostatistician at a large medical facility, alum Katherine Hoffman is living through New York City’s explosive COVID-19 outbreak. As the statistician for a pulmonary and critical care team, she is quickly pulled into COVID-19 work. Her hospital is running out of ventilators. She is told to drop all other research projects for COVID-19 work. This is her story.

3 people in a business meeting

Homelessness and Job Security: Challenges and Interventions

Nisha Bharat, Jenna Cicatello, Emily Guo, and Vennela Vallabhaneni

On any given night, half a million people in the US face homelessness. Many people experiencing homelessness face a range of challenges with finding stable jobs. Providing resources to overcome common obstacles to stable employment is a good first step in combating this pervasive problem.