David Abramson
David Abramson, PhD MPH, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the College of Global Public Health and an associated faculty member of NYU School of Medicine’s Department of Population Health. He is the founding director of NYU’s Program on Population Impact, Recovery, and Resiliency (PiR2). Most recently the Deputy Director at Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute, Dr. Abramson leads a research program at NYU that examines disasters’ impacts on human health and well-being and leverages the work for innovative “research to action” initiatives.
Dr. Abramson leads several major research studies examining the long-term impacts of disaster stressors on population recovery, including the longitudinal Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study begun in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the Sandy Child and Family Health Study currently being conducted in partnership with Rutgers University. Dr. Abramson is also the co-investigator of the NIEHS-funded Women’s and Their Children’s Health (WaTCH) Study, exploring the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on children’s long-term health, in collaboration with Louisiana State University. Among the research-to-action initiatives, Dr. Abramson co-founded the SHOREline youth empowerment project with Colorado State University’s Dr. Lori Peek, and that is presently operating as a curricular or extra-curricular program in five Gulf Coast high schools and in a New York City public high school.
Dr. Abramson received his PhD in Sociomedical Sciences from Columbia University, with a specialization in Political Science, and an MPH from Columbia University as well. Over the past twenty-five years he has conducted research on HIV/AIDS, public health systems research, and civic engagement policy and practice. Prior to entering the field of public health, Dr. Abramson spent a decade as a national magazine journalist, having worked at or written for such publications as Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside magazines, among others. Abramson also spent a decade as a NYS-certified paramedic and as an emergency medical services planner and administrator.
Alexis Merdjanoff
Alexis is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at Rutgers University, with research interests in disasters, health, housing, and inequality. Her dissertation uses longitudinal data from the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study to explore the health patterns of adults impacted by Hurricane Katrina. She aims to provide further insight into the disaster recovery process and to develop a comprehensive framework that explains post-disaster health outcomes, as they relate to inequality, place, family, and social capital. Currently, Alexis is assisting with the survey design and data collection for the Sandy Child and Family Health (S-CAFH) Study at the Global Institute of Public Health at New York University where she is an Assistant Research Scientist. She is a member of the Superstorm Research Lab and is a past participant in the Weather and Society Integrated Studies (WAS*IS) program. Alexis received her B.S. in Sociology from New York University and completed her M.A. in Sociology at Rutgers University.
Rachael Piltch-Loeb
Rachael is a junior research scientist at NYU’s College of Global Public Health’s Program on Population Impact, Recovery, and Resilience and an incoming doctoral student. Rachael has been a part of the program from its inception at NYU, working on projects related to health, well-being, and long-term recovery from disasters, especially Hurricane Sandy. Her prior work has supported systems improvement initiatives specifically in the area of public health preparedness as a research assistant and consultant at Georgetown University working on a sub-project of the Harvard School of Public Health’s Preparedness Emergency Response Research Center. Rachael received her masters degree from the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University and her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University. Rachael’s current research interests are in interdisciplinary public health systems improvement.
Affiliated Faculty
- Lori Peek, PhD
- Yoon Soo Park. PhD
- Laurie Johnson, PhD
- Lauren Clay, PhD
- Robert Kanter, MD
Disaster Research Works Staff
- Amber Goff, MBA
- Jyaphia Christos-Rodgers, MS