Observatory for Urban Health: An Intersection of Health and Urban Systems at the Local Level

Posted in Events

April 22, 2021

Dr. Waleska Caiaffa, Belo Horizonte Observatory, Brazil

Dr. Waleska Caiaffa portrait image

Dr. Caiaffa will discuss her work with the Belo Horizonte Observatory for Urban Health (OSUBH), an organization at the forefront of urban health research in Brazil. OSUBH works to understand social and environmental conditions of urban life at the community and individual level to implement context-specific interventions and evidence-based public policies. OSUBH is a global leader in urban data collection and actively works to reduce intra-urban inequities.

Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa is a Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Federal University of Minas Gerais. She leads the Epidemiology Research Group at OSUBH. She holds an MPH from Johns Hopkins University, a Ph.D. from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and a Post-Doctorate from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Caiaffa has served as president of the International Society for Urban Health (New York Academy of Medicine). Her work focuses on social determinants of health, evaluation of urban health interventions, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and drug use in the urban context.

This conversation is the final in the Georgetown Urban Health Collaborative 2021 Spring Speaker Series.

Previous speakers include:

  • Sean Quinn “Planning for Urban Health and Resilience in an Era of Climate Change and Pandemic”.
  • Layla McCay “Designing Cities for Mental Health: The Next Frontier in Multidisciplinary Public Health”.
  • Olivia D’Aoust “Hotspots of Poverty and Contagion: Supporting Cities to Respond and Recover from COVID-19”.

Launched in 2017, the Georgetown Urban Health Collaborative aims to champion urban health research &development in cities around the world and the Washington, DC area. The Collaborative is housed in the department of International Health (NHS).

Click below for a brief soundbite from the event. If you’re interested in the full event recording please contact us at urbanhealth@georgetown.edu.