The University at Albany School of Public Health conducts cutting-edge research that leads to improvements in population health locally, nationally, and internationally. The breadth of our research is wide, ranging from basic research in cancer genetics to applied obesity prevention using the principles of community-based participatory research. As new public health concerns arise - such as new infectious diseases and epidemics - our researchers analyze the problem from multiple angles (biomedical, environmental, epidemiological, social, political) to help guide the development of policy and programmatic solutions that will optimize the health of the population.
Areas of Research Expertise
- COVID-19 and emerging diseases
- Health disparities and health equity
- Cancer epidemiology and cancer genomics
- Evidence-based healthcare
- Food systems and childhood obesity
- Health effects of climate change and the environment
- HIV policy and prevention
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- Maternal and child health
- Social epidemiology and social determinants of health
- Violence and addiction
Recent Research
Research is conducted within our four academic departments, the labs of our New York State Department of Health partners (including the Wadsworth Center Labs), and several of our research centers and institutes. Our commitment to engaging students in our research projects is one of the key ways in which we provide defining experiences in public health. Please view some of our recent research reports:
325+
research publications from SPH faculty in 2021
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215+
journals featured SPH work in 2021
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Featured Projects
Capital Region FRESH
The Capital Region FRESH project is a community-engaged research project that aims to quantify environmental, nutritional, and health impacts of the food recovery and redistribution system in the Capital Region, and ascertain impacts under proposed policy scenarios. The FRESH interdisciplinary team has expertise approaching food system questions via lenses of environmental health, epidemiology, environmental engineering, social and behavioral health, and policy.
Coalition for Applied Modeling for Prevention (CAMP)
CAMP develops epidemic and economic models to predict the answers to important public health questions in the areas of HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis and adolescent health.
Lee Lab
Developmental defects in trophoblast lineage are attributed to early pregnancy failure and various complications, endangering both the fetus and mother but the molecular mechanisms underlying human trophoblast differentiation are not well understood. Dr. Lee's lab focuses on identifying key regulators (transcription factors, RNA binding proteins, and long non-coding RNA) implicated in human placenta development and elucidating their roles and action mechanisms. This study will advance our understanding of placenta development and provide a molecular basis to develop therapeutic interventions for placenta-associated pregnancy complications.
Mantis Lab at the Wadsworth Center
Combating Emerging Infectious Diseases and Toxins through Antibody and Vaccine Development
The Mantis Lab at the Wadsworth Center is working on antibody treatments and vaccines against several emerging infectious diseases and biothreat agents, such as SARS-CoV-2, ricin toxin, cholera, Salmonella, and Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease). The projects involve cell and animal models of pathogenesis, analysis of human immune responses, and the identification and characterization of neutralizing antibodies. The long-term goal of these studies is to develop more effective vaccines for public health.
PFAS Multi-Site Health Study
Researchers at the University at Albany and the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) received funding from ATSDR to study PFAS and its possible relationship to health among those exposed to PFAS-contaminated drinking water in Newburgh, New York and Hoosick Falls, New York.
Upstate KIDS Study
The Upstate KIDS Study tracked the growth, motor, and social development of children to examine associations with parental medical conditions and characteristics, including infertility treatments, environmental, and other exposures. From 2008 to 2010, over 5,034 mothers and their 6,171 children born from the 57 counties of New York State (exclusive of New York City) joined this important study.
Welsh Lab
The Welsh Lab conducts research directed at understanding the health effects of vitamins D and K. Researchers use basic cell and molecular biology techniques with human cells as well as animal models to mechanistically investigate the actions of vitamin D and K. The current focus is on breast cancer.