Dr. Ana V. Diez Roux stands as a preeminent leader in population health research and academic public health administration. She currently serves as Distinguished University Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Drexel Urban Health Collaborative at Drexel University, following her distinguished tenure as Dana and David Dornsife Dean of the Dornsife School of Public Health from 2014 to 2023. Originally trained as a pediatrician at the University of Buenos Aires in her native Argentina, she pursued advanced public health education at Johns Hopkins University, earning both her MPH and PhD in Health Policy and Management. Prior to her leadership role at Drexel, Dr. Diez Roux held significant academic appointments at Columbia University and the University of Michigan, where she chaired the Department of Epidemiology and directed the Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health.
Dr. Diez Roux has earned international acclaim for her pioneering research on the social determinants of population health, particularly her groundbreaking investigations into how urban neighborhoods influence health outcomes across diverse populations. Her methodologically sophisticated studies examining physical environments, social environments, and policy effects have fundamentally reshaped understanding of urban health dynamics and established essential frameworks for multilevel analysis in epidemiological research. She has led numerous large-scale, NIH and foundation-funded research initiatives including the influential Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) Neighborhoods study and the Wellcome Trust-funded SALURBAL (Salud Urbana en América Latina) project examining urban health across Latin America. Her innovative application of complex systems methodologies to urban health problems has provided critical evidence for policymakers addressing health disparities and environmental determinants of health.
Beyond her research contributions, Dr. Diez Roux has profoundly influenced public health policy through her service on influential committees including chairing the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and participating in the International Council for Science's Committee on Health and Wellbeing. She has convened international networks such as the Network for Urban Health in Latin America and the Caribbean, fostering collaborative research and training initiatives across the region while mentoring generations of public health scholars from diverse backgrounds. Recognized with prestigious honors including the Wade Hampton Frost Award, the Rothman Career Award, and election to the National Academy of Medicine, she continues to advance critical work through the SALURBAL-Climate Study and as Principal Investigator of the NIH-funded Drexel Climate Change and Urban Health Research Center. Her current research focuses on developing comprehensive approaches to understanding and addressing the intersecting challenges of urban environments, climate change, and health equity.
