Urban health expert focuses on improving housing opportunities across Michigan

By Kelsey Keeves, Communications Manager

Roshanak Mehdipanah has lived and worked in diverse cities around the world from Barcelona to Toronto to Leeds, England, and has found that while every place faces its own distinct challenges, housing policies and the health of a population are always deeply intertwined.

Roshanak Mehdipanah is an associate professor of health behavior and health equity in the School of Public Health.

Factors including overcrowding, aging infrastructure and lack of access to green spaces can affect the well-being of people living in cities. Mehdipanah, an associate professor of health behavior and health equity at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, began her career seeking to understand how current and historical housing policies have either widened or lessened health disparities in cities.

“I was drawn to the realization that housing is a social determinant of health and a significant driver of inequity,” Mehdipanah said. “The built environment – how cities are planned and organized – has a tremendous impact on the health of residents, especially in marginalized communities.”

This interest led her to work with the State of Michigan on the Michigan Housing Assessment Report. Published last year, the report summarizes various data sources to analyze the state of the housing stock in Michigan. 

After David Allen, chief market analyst for the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, authored a housing needs assessment in 2019, Mehdipanah approached him to work together on an updated report with a health outcomes lens. This collaboration also allowed Mehdipanah’s team to partner with other housing organizations, like the Fair Housing Center of Metro Detroit and Wayne Metro Community Action Agency, a non-profit organization serving residents throughout Wayne County. 

“Our team has been given many amazing opportunities to disseminate this work and we hope it continues to serve as evidence for driving housing change across the state,” said Mehdipanah.

Mehdipanah’s work, including this latest housing report, aims to serve as a foundation for future research and support for organizations and community groups pursuing fair housing, affordability and healthy living conditions for all. By collaborating across the university, with the State of Michigan, housing-focused nonprofits and civil rights organizations, she has been able to contribute to evidence-based policy recommendations.

Interdisciplinary collaboration and research that approaches problems from a variety of perspectives are also a large part of why urban health research appeals to her.

“This is a field that requires creative solutions to complex issues and bringing folks from various disciplines really allows you to come up with those solutions,” she said.

In addition to her position at the School of Public Health, Mehdipanah is also the director of the Housing Solutions for Health Equity and a faculty lead in the Public Health IDEAS (Interdisciplinary Discovery, Engagement + Actions for Society) initiative for Creating Healthy and Equitable Cities and the University of Michigan’s Prevention Research Collaborative. 

Some of the projects she has led through these initiatives include a plan to use vacant lots to create parks or green spaces in Flint, a buy-back program that assists Detroit tenants in purchasing their homes and a new dashboard that collates data to demonstrate the health outcomes gaps in cities across Michigan.

All of her roles center on her passion for research and mentorship around the issues of community development, urban health and the built environment. Her career path has been guided by her dedication to creating work that has a meaningful impact on the communities represented in her research, improving access to safe and affordable housing and fostering healthier communities.

“As researchers, we have the responsibility of using the resources we have to provide the evidence communities, policymakers and other key players need to make informed decisions to improve the health and well-being of residents,” Mehdipanah said. “This includes ensuring our research is not only rigorous and relevant but also accessible so that it can drive meaningful change resulting in healthier and more equitable communities.”