Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts Of Health And Wellbeing Initiative

Extreme heat kills more people in the U.S. each year than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. It's typically thought of as a climate issue, but a new report from the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative suggests that it's also a social one. The report examines how heat-related illness is often made worse by biological vulnerabilities, cultural norms and political and economic structures. Read More

A new Vanderbilt University study challenges traditional views on childhood, emphasizing the role of cultural, social and historical factors in shaping policies on children’s health and well-being. Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the World Health Organization, the “Rethinking Childhoods” study by the Vanderbilt Cultural Contexts of Health and Wellbeing Initiative proposes a more inclusive approach to health policy, incorporating global perspectives to redefine childhood beyond Western norms.  Read More

With colleagues from Meharry Medical College, Tuskegee University and the World Health Organization, T.S. Harvey and Ted Fischer will examine the manifold contributions of the cultural context of health to emerging and persistent health inequalities. Read More