Vanderbilt

The Problem: Racial disparities in student test scores have narrowed since the 1970s, but the average Black American still scores below 75 percent of the average white American on almost every standardized test, according to the Brookings Institution. As education has been shown to increase an individual’s income, job stability,… Read More

The Problem: In the United States and globally, income is inversely correlated with carbon footprint, yet low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately burdened by the health and economic impacts of those carbon emissions, including impacts of climate change. In Nashville, low-income families are disproportionately burdened by poor access… Read More

The Problem: The global prevalence of childhood obesity has risen significantly in the last two decades. Childhood obesity has serious and long-lasting impacts on child and subsequent health through co-morbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and hypertension. Family food insecurity, and child overweight and obesity, are significantly correlated… Read More

The Problem: A handful of large health surveys have included questions about sexual orientation for several years, such that a sizable literature shows that sexual minority people suffer health disadvantages relative to heterosexual people. Far less is known about gender minorities, however, because only a couple of surveys have asked… Read More

The Problem: It is well documented that LGBTQ+ individuals are at higher risk of chronic disease burden for a wide range of conditions such as mood disorders, HIV, and cardiovascular disease. These conditions typically require medication management. Inability to access medications may be one factor that contributes to health disparities… Read More

The Problem: Tens of thousands of people are killed annually due to gun violence in the United States. This includes community, police, and intimate partner violence. In recent years these statistics have risen, despite that overall crime rates have fallen; that is there is something unique about gun violence. Moreover,… Read More

The Problem: From 2019 to 2020, firearm-related deaths among children and adolescents increased by almost 30%, making firearms the leading cause of death among young people in the United States. One possible explanation for this increase is COVID-19 related changes in schooling mode, increasing the amount of time children and adolescents… Read More

The Problem: ‘Conversion therapy’ refers to a widely discredited set of medical practices that attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It is estimated that up to ten percent of sexual minorities will have been exposed to these practices at some point in their lifetime, and such… Read More