A pioneer in energy, equity, housing and health research and practice
Explore Dr. Hernández’s work
Energy
Insecurity
Energy Equity Housing and Health Program at Columbia
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“Transformed from within, the homes that I restored conformed to my vision, reflected my priorities and embodied my passions such that house-by-house, block-by-block—at my hand and through my heart—bits of the Bronx had indeed blossomed and bloomed.”
—Dr. Diana Hernández | Read More
About Dr. Diana Hernández
Diana Hernández, PhD is a tenured Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. Dr. Hernández conducts research at the intersection of energy, equity, housing and health. A sociologist by training, her work focuses on the social and environmental determinants of health and examines the impacts of policy and place-based interventions on the health and well-being of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.
An innovator in the field, Dr. Hernández has operationalized and conducted foundational research on the concept of 'energy insecurity' which reflects the inability to adequately meet household energy needs. Her pathbreaking work on energy insecurity has explored the multiple dimensions of this phenomenon identifying sociodemographic disparities, adverse consequences and promising interventions toward energy justice.
A noted visionary, Professor Hernández' work is broadly dedicated to exploring the links between housing and health and reimagining how housing can support public health as a site of intervention and health promotion. Much of her community-oriented research has been done in collaboration with community groups and government agencies around the country. Moreover, several of her projects have been conducted in her native South Bronx neighborhood, where she also lives and invests in social impact real estate.
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