Health Research Projects
The Lerner Center conducts, coordinates and promotes population and community health research focused on the social, spatial and structural determinants of physical, mental and behavioral health.
With over 20 faculty affiliates from public health, sociology, psychology, economics, medicine and public administration, the Lerner Center’s approach to research is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.
Don't miss Lerner Center's Population Health Brief Series that presents population health research findings to inform the public and policymakers.
Lerner Faculty Fellows Grant Program Call for Proposals
This program funds projects that advance science, policy or practice in the areas of public health communications or population health—or both—and have the potential to lead to the submission of external grant proposals.
Apply by Oct. 31, 2024.
Child and Family Health
Several Lerner Center affiliates conduct research on the health and economic well-being of children and families, with a particular emphasis on the policies and contextual conditions that drive disparities in poor health outcomes among children and the causes and consequences of material hardship throughout the life course.
Demographic Change in Rural America
The Lerner Center participates in the USDA-supported Rural Population Research Network.
Members conduct research on demographic, economic, social and environmental challenges faced by rural communities in the U.S. Findings have contributed to local, state and national policies that support rural sustainability and well-being.
Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging
The Interdisciplinary Network on Rural Population Health and Aging (INRPHA), co-led by Lerner Chair Shannon Monnat, facilitates innovative research on the multilevel and multidimensional exposures shaping and being shaped by health and aging trends among different rural populations and regions in the United States.
The network is funded by the National Institute on Aging (R24-AG065159).
Mental and Behavioral Health
Lerner Center staff, graduate students and several of our affiliates have substantial expertise in mental and behavioral health outcomes and their causes and consequences.
These studies focus on social, structural and policy determinants of opioid, other drug and alcohol use and the experiences of people who use substances.
National Wellbeing Survey
The Lerner Center annually conducts a survey of U.S. working-age adults to examine demographic, socioeconomic and geographic differences in various measures of health and well-being.
Substance Use
In partnership with government organizations, the Lerner Center’s evaluation research on Substance Use Disorders examines treatment and recovery supportive services within the criminal justice system.
U.S. Mortality Trends
Research in this area examines how and why overall and cause-specific mortality rates vary across demographic and social groups and geographic areas (e.g., U.S. states, counties, rural-urban continuum).
We are particularly interested in the policy and contextual (place-level) drivers of these trends. Key questions include:
- Why are mortality rates higher in some places and some population subgroups than others?
- Why has education become an increasingly important determinant of premature mortality?
- Which state policies explain diverging mortality trends in the U.S.?
Syracuse University Population Health Subcluster
The population health approach recognizes that multiple conditions and factors interact to influence the health of populations over the life course, identifies systematic variation in their distribution and patterns of occurrence, and applies the resulting knowledge to develop and implement policies and actions to improve population health and well-being. Population health challenges include population aging, the health effects of climate change, the rise and spread of new infectious diseases and behavioral health epidemics, weak infrastructures to deal with these challenges, and policy failures that have driven poor health outcomes and disparities.
This subcluster is part of Syracuse University's Aging, Health and Neuroscience cluster.
COVID-19 and Its Impacts
The Lerner Center and its affiliates regularly conduct research on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through a variety of social science lenses, including impacts to economic welfare, mental health, health disparities and more. The center also compiles resources on statewide and countrywide rates, resources and frequently asked questions.