Next-Generation Vaccine Cards: New Technology for Improved Equity in East Africa

The University of Michigan Center for Global Health Equity has awarded $1.1 million to the Next Generation Vaccine Project co-led by Kenyan health researcher Gershim Asiki and Emily Treleaven of the Population Studies Center and Survey Research Center at the Institute for Social Research. The project will develop a digital vaccine card and registry to… Continue reading Next-Generation Vaccine Cards: New Technology for Improved Equity in East Africa

Health surveys, studies exclude trans people and gender-diverse communities, impacting health care

Contact: Morgan Sherburne, 734-647-1844, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—Health surveys and clinical studies have a data collection problem: Because of the way they record sex or gender, they often exclude transgender and gender-diverse people, according to University of Michigan research. Most studies and surveys either ask participants for their sex, a biological construct, or their gender, a… Continue reading Health surveys, studies exclude trans people and gender-diverse communities, impacting health care

Human rights a thing of the past? Google says: No

Contact: Morgan Sherburne, 734-647-1844, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—Recently, scholars have expressed doubt that the language of human rights still animates the global fight for better living conditions. Critics say the “human rights-based approach,” defined by the United Nations as a “conceptual framework for the process of human development that is normatively based on international human rights… Continue reading Human rights a thing of the past? Google says: No

U-M PhD Candidate Erin Ice Receives the PAA Dorothy S. Thomas Award

ANN ARBOR—Erin Ice, a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology and a trainee at the Population Studies Center (PSC) at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, received the Dorothy S. Thomas Award established by the Population Association of America (PAA) on Friday, April 14, during the PAA Annual Meeting in New Orleans.  “This… Continue reading U-M PhD Candidate Erin Ice Receives the PAA Dorothy S. Thomas Award

The Family Safety Net Project led by RCGD’s Lisa Wexler builds on community strengths to prevent suicide in rural Alaska

While suicide is a dire public health problem in rural Alaska, building on the strength of Alaska Natives’ family ties and the value they place on providing safe environments for young people may be more effective for preventing deaths than emphasizing the risks firearms pose in the home. Alaska Native communities suffer disproportionately from suicide,… Continue reading The Family Safety Net Project led by RCGD’s Lisa Wexler builds on community strengths to prevent suicide in rural Alaska

Build on community strengths to prevent suicide in rural Alaska, research says

Contact: Tevah Platt, 734-660-4999; Morgan Sherburne, 734-647-1844, [email protected] ANN ARBOR—While suicide is a dire public health problem in rural Alaska, building on the strength of Alaska Natives’ family ties and the value they place on providing safe environments for young people may be more effective for preventing deaths than emphasizing the risks firearms pose in… Continue reading Build on community strengths to prevent suicide in rural Alaska, research says

‘Weathering,’ the Life’s Work of Arline Geronimus

Arline Geronimus, who coined the term “weathering” to describe the corrosive effects of systemic oppression on marginalized people’s bodies, has a new book that is the culmination of almost 40 years of research furthering our understanding of how population groups who experience systemic cultural oppression, long-term material hardship, exploitation, stigma and political marginalization suffer biological… Continue reading ‘Weathering,’ the Life’s Work of Arline Geronimus

How Households Adapt to Water Scarcity: A New Study in Mexico City Sheds Light on Hidden Costs of a Global Issue

Architecture student and Wallenberg Fellow Meghana Tummala is another University of Michigan scholar grappling with the impacts of climate change. In this artwork, inspired by study abroad in Mexico City, she reflects on the city’s relationship with water: “Historically, it’s clear through the pyramids that the Aztecs clearly valued and respected all aspects of the land they were inhabiting — including the water — but after colonization, water was seen as an obstruction to “development.” Today, in the neighborhoods and places we have traveled to, water is luxuriously drained or used, through ornate spouts, intentionally exposed piping, grand fountains, or to clean the streets/sidewalks we walked on. It’s both feared and valued. Very little to no remnants of the lake that was Mexico City remains. Except in Xochimilco and UNAM, where we begin to see spouts and drains to bring water back to the way it was. It shows that water isn’t something to be feared but rather just as beautiful as other aspects of nature. This drawing is a visual representation of how water is treated and perceived over time."

ANN ARBOR– As climate change and population growth make water scarcity increasingly common, a much larger share of the global population will be forced to reckon with the costs of urban water scarcity. A new study in PLOS Water sheds light on how households bear the monetary and non-monetary costs when water supply is intermittent, rather than… Continue reading How Households Adapt to Water Scarcity: A New Study in Mexico City Sheds Light on Hidden Costs of a Global Issue

Robert Joseph Taylor and Karen Lincoln Tell their Stories in PRBA Black History Month Talks

In observance of Black History Month, the Program for Research on Black Americans hosted two online seminars in February 2023, with one talk by PRBA Director Robert Joseph Taylor, and another from PRBA alumna Karen Lincoln of UC Irvine, who was a graduate student with PRBA while completing U-M’s joint doctoral program in Social Work and Sociology.… Continue reading Robert Joseph Taylor and Karen Lincoln Tell their Stories in PRBA Black History Month Talks

Four projects selected for grants in joint program focused on rural life

Contact: Jon Meerdink ([email protected]) ANN ARBOR — Rural areas around the globe face distinct challenges and four new projects bring social scientists and engineers together to improve understanding and develop solutions. The projects are part of a joint pilot program between the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) and College of Engineering (CoE).… Continue reading Four projects selected for grants in joint program focused on rural life