High Risk, Underserved, and Vulnerable Populations

Older African American woman smiling towards health care provider.

Much of the research conducted by Columbia University School of Nursing is focused on understanding the biological and psychosocial risk factors that underlie the adverse health outcomes disproportionately experienced by high risk, underserved, and vulnerable populations. These include individuals who experience greater risk factors for poor health outcomes due to their racial or ethnic status or sexual preferences . Also vulnerable are children, the elderly, the socioeconomically disadvantaged, underinsured individuals, or those with certain medical conditions. In many societies, females also experienced poorer or more tardy care for the same diseases as men. High-risk, underserved, and vulnerable populations also often experience chronic and co-occurring conditions and health care issues exacerbated by social factors. They frequently have worse access to care and experience and increased morbidity and mortality compared with the general population. Not only are our researchers dedicated to improving the quality of life of such high risk, underserved, and vulnerable populations, but Columbia Nursing is geographically positioned to maximize the impact of its research on local populations such as the Latino residents of the Washington Heights and Inwood neighborhoods of northern Manhattan.

Researchers

  • Gregory L. Alexander, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, FIAHSI

    • Helen Young CUPHSONAA Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Health Services and Policy, Informatics

    Research Interests: Quality Measurement, Long-term Care, Digital Maturity, Surveys, Rural, Nurse Practitioners, Care Environment

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  • Suzanne B. Bakken, PhD, MS, BSN, FAAN, FACMI, FIAHSI

    • Professor of Biomedical Informatics
    • Alumni Professor of the School of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Informatics, Interdisciplinary, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Latino, Symptom Science, Self-Management, Informatics, Information Visualization, Precision Health

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  • Veronica Barcelona, PhD, MSN, RN, PHNA-BC, FAAN

    • Assistant Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Informatics, Interdisciplinary, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Reproductive Health, Pregnancy Health, Pregnancy-Related Morbidity and Mortality, Racism and Discrimination, Implicit Bias, Structural Racism, Epigenomics, Machine Learning, DNA methylation, Electronic Health Records, Stigmatizing Language

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  • Melissa P. Beauchemin, PhD, MSN, BSN, BA, CPNP-PC, CPON, FAAN

    • Assistant Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Dissemination and Implementation, Health Services and Policy

    Research Interests: Children Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer, Underrepresented Populations in Cancer Research, Limited English Proficiency Patients with Cancer

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  • Natalie Benda, PhD

    • Assistant Professor of Health Informatics (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Informatics, Dissemination and Implementation
    Research Interests: Maternal health, human-centered design, inclusive design, consumer health informatics

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  • Walter Bockting, PhD, LP

    • Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry and Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Health Services and Policy, Interdisciplinary, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Sexual and Gender Minority Populations, Gender Identity Development, Sexuality

  • Ulf G Bronas, PhD, ATC, ATR, FSVM, FAHA

    • Professor of Biobehavioral Science (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Comparative Effectiveness, Interdisciplinary

    Research Interests: older adults, cognition, peripheral vascular disease, neural network plasticity, older adults, chronic kidney disease, physical activity, exercise, rehabilitation, dietary habits in midlife, stress reactivity, racial/ethnic disparities, age-related cognitive decline, Alzheimer's disease

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  • Jean-Marie Bruzzese, PhD

    • Professor of Applied Developmental Psychology (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Dissemination and Implementation, Interdisciplinary
    Research Interests: Asthma, School-Based, Adolescents, Behavioral Medicine, Intervention, Self-Care

  • Billy Caceres, PhD, MSN, RN

    • Assistant Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Comparative Effectiveness, Interdisciplinary, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Cardiovascular Health, Interventions, Adverse Life Experiences, Intersectionality

  • Elizabeth J. Corwin, PhD, MSN, BS, BSN, FNP, FAAN

    • Anna C. Maxwell Professor of Nursing Research (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Interdisciplinary, Precision Health, Symptom Science, Omics
    Research Interests: Maternal-Child Health, Health Disparities, Multiple Chronic Conditions, Intersectionality, Preterm Birth, Microbiome, Metabolomics, Symptoms

  • Suzanne Courtwright, PhD, PNP, NEA-BC

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Comparative Effectiveness, Health Services and Policy
    Research Interests: Adolescents and Young Adults, Mental Health, Chronic Conditions, Sexual and Gender Minority Populations, Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations, Primary Care, Nurse Practitioners, Healthcare Systems

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  • Jennifer E. Dohrn, MS, BA, DNP, CNM, NP

    • Professor of Nursing at CUMC

    Research Approaches: Dissemination and Implementation, Health Services and Policy, Interdisciplinary
    Research Interests: Migrant Health, Pandemic Response, Global Health Equity

  • Maureen George, PhD, AE-C, RN, FAAN

    • Professor of Nursing at CUMC

    Research Approaches: Dissemination and Implementation, Interdisciplinary, Translational
    Research Interests: Adherence, Chronic Disease, Shared Decision-Making, Motivational Interviewing, Community-Based Participatory Research, Qualitative, Behavioral Interventions, Pragmatic Trials

  • Tonda L. Hughes, PhD, RN, FAAN

    • Henrik H. Bendixen Professor of International Nursing (in Psychiatry)

    Research Approaches: Survey, Quantitative, Mixed Methods, Methodological, Couple-level
    Research Interests: Health Disparities, Social Determinants of Health, Alcohol and Other Drug Use, Sexual Minority Women's Health, Sexual and Gender Minority Health, Intersectionality, Intimate Partner Aggression, Epidemiology

  • Haomiao Jia, PhD, MS

    • Professor of Biostatistics (in Nursing) at CUMC

    Research Approaches: Comparative Effectiveness, Economic Analysis, Health Services and Policy
    Research Interests: Elderly, Suicide, Disability, Mental Health, Social Determinants of Health, Cost-Utility Analysis, Quality-Adjusted Survival Time, Survival Analysis

  • Ana Kelly, PhD, BSN, RN, FAAN

    • Associate Professor of Nursing at CUMC

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Interdisciplinary
    Research Interests: HIV, Tuberculosis, Prison, Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC), Education

  • Corina Lelutiu-Weinberger, PhD, MPhil, BA

    • Associate Professor of Health Sciences Research (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Dissemination and Implementation, Interdisciplinary, Translational

    Research Interests: Racial, Ethnic, Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity; Stigma and Discrimination; Mental Health; Substance and Alcohol Use; HIV/AIDS Continuum of Prevention and Care; Global Health; Multi-Level Intervention Research; Mobile Health Technologies

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  • Ruth Masterson Creber, PhD, MSc, RN, FAAN, FAHA, FHFSA

    • Mary Crawford Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Dissemination and Implementation, Informatics
    Research Interests: Rural Populations, Multi-Lingual, Ethnic Minority, Refugees, Cardiovascular Disease

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  • Phoenix A Matthews, PhD, MS, BS, LCP

    • Professor of Behavioral Sciences (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Quantitative, Quantitative, Mixed Methods, Intervention Development

    Research Interests: Health Inequities, Cancer Prevention and Control, Tobacco Cessation, Sexual and Gender Minority Health, Racial and Ethnic Minorities,  Culturally Targeted Health Promotion Interventions

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  • Rebecca Schnall, PhD, MPH, BSN, FAAN, FACMI

    • Mary Dickey Lindsay Professor of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (in Nursing) and Professor of Population and Family Health

    Research Approaches: Dissemination and Implementation, Informatics, Interdisciplinary
    Research Interests: HIV Prevention, Point of Care Testing, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, mHealth, Mobile Technology, Medication Adherence

  • Arlene Smaldone, PhD, MA, BS, PNP-PC, CDCES

    • Professor of Nursing (in Dental Behavioral Sciences) (in Dental Medicine) at CUMC

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Interdisciplinary, Precision Health

    Research Interests: Chronic Illness, Medication Adherence, Adolescents, Health-Related Quality of Life, Barriers to Adherence, Youth-Parent Dyads, Community Health Workers

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  • Patricia W. Stone, PhD, MPH, MSN, BSN, FAAN, FAPIC

    • Centennial Professor of Health Policy in the Faculty of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Comparative Effectiveness, Health Services and Policy, Interdisciplinary
    Research Interests: Infection Control, Palliative Care, Geriatrics, Nursing Homes, Infection Management, End-of-Life, Community Settings

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  • Jacquelyn Y. Taylor, PhD, PNP-BC, RN, FAHA, FAAN

    • Helen F. Pettit Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Interdisciplinary, Precision Health, Translational

    Research Interests: Cardiovascular Disease, Hypertension, Genomics, Black Populations, Social Determinants of Health, Racism/Discrimination, Blood Pressure

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  • Maxim Topaz, PhD, MA, RN, FAAN

    • Elizabeth Standish Gill Associate Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Informatics, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Information Technology, Home Care, Patient Prioritization