The focus of the Academy’s urban health work is to improve the health of people in cities through research, evaluation, program development and implementation, and policy. With four out of five Americans and the majority of the world’s population living in cities, it’s more important now than ever to develop neighborhoods and communities that enable people in cities to live healthy lives. To improve health in cities, we need to look closely at the broad determinants of health, including education, economic development, transportation, housing, and urban planning, among others. The Academy is leading the effort to identify and address the unique risks to health in cities—as well as working across sectors on the many opportunities to foster health. Policy and Programs
Policy and Programs
The Academy’s policy staff focuses on developing evidence-based policies and programs in our priority areas of healthy aging, prevention, and eliminating health disparities in New York City and cities worldwide. Recognizing the importance of strong governance, leveraging public-private partnerships and multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral collaboration, the Academy works as a trusted partner, contributor, and convener to improve health policy in the city and the state. Academy programs such as Age-friendly NYC, DASH-NY, and our prevention programs work to shape policy that changes conditions at the community level by implementing evidence-based solutions to improve health.
Research and Evaluation
Research and Evaluation
The Academy houses three research centers focused on evidence-based research and evaluation to improve urban health. Our research efforts span disciplines including health policy, health economics, health systems research, cognitive and behavioral sciences, anthropology, urban planning, and epidemiology. In 2014, as part of a renewed commitment to innovative research to improve health, the Academy welcomed David Siscovick, MD, MPH, as Senior Vice President for Research. Dr. Siscovick will establish a new interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to research across the Academy’s priority areas of healthy aging, prevention, and eliminating health disparities.