Broadly, my research explores how mechanisms of power typically understudied in public health – including political narratives, community organizing and social cohesion – intersect with housing policy to shape population health. I use news content analyses to examine how dominant media narratives may enable policymakers and business interests to uphold a health-harming housing system, in which neoliberal governance policies further entrench racial inequities inherent to the U.S. housing system. I also use qualitative methods and survey research to understand how community organizers are challenging these narratives and fighting for policy change to advance population health and health equity.
Yusra Murad (she/her) is a Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration PhD student, whose research interests are at the intersection of housing policy, population health and media narratives. She is interested in the political processes that shape whether public health research connecting housing and health is translated to policy changes which address the material conditions of racially and economically marginalized communities. These processes include dominant media narratives, community organizing, and social cohesion and solidarity among renters. She is currently a Graduate Research Assistant for the Collaborative on Media and Messaging for Health and Social Policy, and an organizer with United Renters for Justice in Minneapolis.
Prior to beginning her doctoral program, Yusra worked in education and research for health systems, and prior to that, as a health policy reporter in Washington, DC. She earned her BA in Psychology and Global Health from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018.