As a social epidemiologist, I am interested in the social and structural factors that influence health equity for marginalized populations with an emphasis on women and children. This includes community partnerships, de-colonizing research, multi-level and multi-faceted interventions, and most recently implementation science approaches to scale evidence based programing.
Dr. Hearst's research focuses on optimizing health and life chances for women and children, with an aim to elevate and interrupt the social and structural factors that result in health inequity, particularly for low-income or Black, Indigenous and Persons of Color (BIPOC) communities. She has contributed to research on childhood obesity prevention with an interest in food access and methodological processes that are inclusive and culturally tailored, and has led an interprofessional community intervention for children with disabilities in Lusaka, Zambia. She was named a Global Health Scholar and joined the Global Health Faculty Scholars’ Community of Practice. The program supports the advancement of global health through meaningful partnerships around the world.