FOCUS
Erica Browne’s research interest includes a focus on organizational practice, and the extent to which nonprofit hospital community benefit investments can support equitable economic development, and improved population health outcomes within urban communities.
MORE ABOUT ERICA
Erica Browne is a second-year doctoral student in the Berkeley School of Public Health. Originally from Los Angeles, with strong roots in Covington, Tennessee, she received her MPH. degree in Community Health Sciences from UCLA, and a BA in Development Studies from the International Area Studies program at U.C. Berkeley. Erica’s interest in public health emerged from her curiosity about the cultural, economic and social factors that circumscribe personal choice. She has previously worked with Charles Drew University of Medicine & Science, Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit, and PolicyLink on various community health and health equity programs, and is a graduate student researcher with Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society (HIFIS) at UC Berkeley.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — FEBRUARY 2019
Moving Further Upstream to Promote Racial Equity: A Mixed Method Analysis of Private Nonprofit Hospital Community Benefit
This dissertation examines how private nonprofit hospital community benefit aligns with health, and the extent to which racial health inequities are addressed. While previous empirical work has examined hospital community benefit in relation to state laws, tax savings, and hospital ownership, less is understood about the relationship between private nonprofit hospital community benefit spending and community health-related needs. Together, the three papers in this dissertation provide support for a racial equity approach to private nonprofit hospital community benefit that builds upon existing theoretical and empirical work, and helps to move research and practice further upstream to advance racial equity and improve population health.
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