Janine M. Jurkowski
Post-Doctoral Fellow National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, University of Illinois at Chicago 2004
PhD University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, Community Health Sciences 2003
MPH Boston University School of Public Health Epidemiology and Health Promotion 1998
BA University of Rochester Health and Nutrition 1995
About
Janine M. Jurkowski is a professor of social, behavior, and community health whose career is dedicated to improving health inequities and the diversity of the public health workforce. Her research emphasizes authentic partnerships between academia and communities, including not-for-profit organizations, government agencies, and groups historically excluded from decisions that affect their health and well-being. An expert in Community-Based Participatory Research and mixed methods, Dr. Jurkowski integrates Empowerment Theory into intervention studies with low-income families to address social determinants of health.
She has over a decade of higher education leadership experience, as Department Chair of Health Policy, Management, & Behavior (2022-2026), Associate Dean for Public Health Practice (2015-2022), and Provost Fellow for Publicly Engaged Research and Teaching (2019). She co-led the university self-study for Carnegie Designation as a Community-Engaged institution. She led initiatives to institutionalize support for community-engaged scholarship, including the development of a Community-Engaged Scholar Toolkit for tenure and promotion. She also leads trainings on community-engaged scholarship, its importance in higher education, and its role in promotion and tenure. Currently, Dr. Jurkowski serves as the Chair of the Department, leading curriculum reviews and revisions, and overseeing faculty promotions.
She is a member of the Board of Directors for the CDPHP Health Insurance Company, is co-chair of the Excelsior Board, and a member of the Audit and Compliance, Health Plan, and Board Risk committees.
Dr. Jurkowski is an active member of the City of Albany community. She is co-Chair of the Activate Albany Committee of Mayor-elect, Dr. Dorcey Applyrs' transition team.
Research Interests
A nationally recognized expert in Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR), Dr. Jurkowski integrates Empowerment Theory into intervention research with low-income families to promote community-driven health solutions. She uses both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine social determinants of health among women and families with an emphasis on low-income and disadvantaged populations.