Departmental Affiliations
Keshia Pollack Porter, PhD ’06, MPH, uses research to advance policies that promote health equity, especially where people live, work, play, and travel.
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Research Interests
Health equity, social determinants of health; health impact assessment (HIA); health in all policies (HiAP), built environment; injury prevention; physical activity; transportation; occupational injury; public health practice
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Experiences & Accomplishments
My research advances policies that create safe and healthy environments where people live, work, play, and travel, with an emphasis on cross-sector collaborations and health equity. I am an injury epidemiologist and policy researcher who uses mixed methods to examine active play and active transportation, safe built environments, and the nexus of transportation and health. My current work includes a growing portfolio examining policies and practices that promote inclusive and anti-racist public spaces to bolster opportunities for outdoor play and recreation, and physical activity.
I am also a leading health equity scholar whose research and practice addresses the determinants of health. I spend a considerable amount of time directly engaging with policymakers to achieve my goal of informing the development and implementation of policies that can advance health equity at the local, state, and federal levels. My research and practice are bolstered by the roles I have as a Bloomberg Centennial Professor, director of the School’s Institute for Health and Social Policy, and part of the leadership team for the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions.
Honors & Awards
Bloomberg Centennial Professor, 2021
Johns Hopkins University Distinguished Alumna Award, 2018
50 Women to Watch Maryland, 2014
Advising, Mentoring, Teaching Recognition Award (AMTRA), 2011, 2014, 2019
President Alpha Chapter, Delta Omega Honor Society, 2013-2015
APHA Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Mid-Career Outstanding Service Award, 2012
Greater Baltimore Committee, The LEADership Program, Class of 2011
2011 recipient of The Daily Record's Very Important Professionals Successful by 40
Leon S. Robertson Career Development Chair in Injury Prevention, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2006-2009
Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Alpha Chapter, Johns Hopkins University, 2006
Select Publications
Select publications for the last several years.
Marcus R, Nakra N, Pollack Porter KM. Characterizing Organizational Health Equity Capacity Assessments for Public Health Organizations: A Scoping Review. Public Health Reports. Online first. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549231151889.
Pollack KM. Teaching Health Impact Assessment in an Online Format. Chronicles of Health Impact Assessment 2022; 7(1), p 25-30, DOI: 10.18060/26471.
Pollack Porter KM, Omura JD, Ballard R, Peterson EL, Carlson SA. Systematic Review on Quantifying Pedestrian Injury When Evaluating Changes to the Built Environment Corresponding. Preventive Medicine Reports, Volume 26, April 2022, 101703.
Pollack Porter KM, Bridges Hamilton C, Umstattd Meyer MR. Implementing Play Streets in Low-Income Rural Communities in the U.S. Health Promotion Practice. First Published 11 Sep 2020. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839920957228
Sohn E, Stein LJ, Wolpoff A, Lindberg R, Baum A, McInnis-Simoncelli, Pollack KM. Avenues of Influence: The Relationship between Health Impact Assessment and Determinants of Health and Health Equity. Journal of Urban Health 2018; Jun 11. doi: 10.1007/s11524-018-0263-5.