Who We Are

Roshanak Mehdipanah is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health. She completed her PhD at the University of Pompeu Fabra, Spain and her MS from the School of Public Health and Health Systems at the University of Waterloo, Canada. Her research focuses on how urban policies, particularly related to the built environment, impact health and health inequities of individuals, neighborhoods and cities. Dr. Mehdipanah has brought particular attention to how housing policies and real estate markets shape health inequities among individuals and across neighborhoods. Through community-based participatory research that is supported through grants from the NIH, the WHO, and foundations, she has developed an understanding of how housing is a determinant in health, and has established how housing instability exacerbates health risks.

Dr. Mara Cecilia Ostfeld serves as the Associate Faculty Director of Poverty Solutions, the research director at the Center for Racial Justice, and an Assistant Research Scientist in the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. In addition, Mara is a faculty lead at the Detroit Metro Area Communities Study - an ongoing representative survey of Detroit households that asks residents about their expectations, perceptions, priorities and aspirations. She is an expert in survey research and the analysis of public opinion, with a particular focus on the relationship between race, gender, media and political attitudes. Her work has been published in journals that include Social Forces, Political Behavior, Political Psychology and Political Communication, and been funded by places including the National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation. Mara is the primary investigator of the Puerto Rico Public Opinion Lab with the University of Puerto Rico in which they are implementing the first representative study of political attitudes in Puerto Rico. During national elections, Mara also works as an analyst at NBC and Telemundo.

Melika Belhaj is a Research Associate and Program Manager for Housing Solutions for Health Equity (HSHE) at the School of Public Health. She received her Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) from Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning and a Bachelor of Arts in Community Development and Indigenous Nations Studies from Portland State University. She has a rich professional background in community-based work that weaves together the values of public health and equitable places.

Kate Brantley received an MSW in Interpersonal Practice from the U-M School of Social Work. Previously, Kate worked as a graduate student clinician in community mental health and managed the housing stability and homelessness agenda at Poverty Solutions. Their work focuses on eviction injustice, the consequences of forced displacement for mental health and community well-being, and structural change that affirms housing as a human right.

Farozan Ansari is a Research Assistant with the Prevention Research Collaborative (PRC). She is currently pursuing a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) at Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. She holds degrees in Architecture and Planning with a specialization in Housing from institutions in India. Farozan brings professional experience in community-based residential planning and design, participatory research, and spatial analysis, with a focus on equitable access to housing, health, and urban services. Her work is grounded in a commitment to co-creating inclusive and resilient environments that reflect the needs and aspirations of underserved communities. She addresses complex urban challenges through a systems-thinking lens, bridging urban planning, public health, and social justice to advance sustainable and equitable community development.

Caitlin Lynch, Research Assistant

Nicholas Harriott, Research Assistant

Samantha Rich, Research Assistant

Eliyas Asfaw, MD Candidate, Research Assistant

Sarah Small, MD/MPH Candidate, Research Assistant

Hannah Rubens, MPH, Research Assistant

Devishi Suresh Kambiranda, MS, Research Assistant

Jamison Koeman, MPH, Program Manager

Kiana Bess, PhD, MPH

Victoria Fisher, MPH, Research Assistant

Kyra Powers, MPH, Research Assistant

Esha Bingi, BS Candidate, Research Assistant

Maxwell Ryner, MPH, Research Assistant