Lauren Clay, PhD, MPH

Disaster resilience and health equity go hand in hand. Raised in south Louisiana, Hurricane Katrina had a significant impact on my worldview. I watched Hurricane Katrina unfold and shine a light on structural inequities in the United States. Racial and ethnic minorities and the socioeconomically disadvantaged experienced a disproportionate impact of the storm’s destruction and adverse health consequences. Seeing the impact of Hurricane Katrina at home set me on a path to study public health and disasters with the goal of understanding and reducing health disparities in disaster impacted communities in the US particularly in Gulf communities. My current research focuses on understanding disparities in post-disaster health and well-being. Much of my work focuses on the Gulf Coast, however it is essential to examine diverse hazard types, scale events, and geographic contexts to better understand how to achieve recovery, health, and well-being following disasters. My goal is to translate my research into tangible, sustainable benefits for minority and socio-economically disadvantaged communities experiencing disaster.