Our first interdisciplinary Research & Policy Teams have been formed and funded based on COVID-19.

1) Access to Basic Needs for Families with Young Children

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the ability of families with young children to meet basic needs for food and housing, especially for Black, indigenous and people of color, and immigrant families. Researchers are examining structural inequities, how families are faring in the immediate term, and which recently implemented policies have helped them afford basic needs by working with social service agencies assisting young families.

Meet the Team:

2) Digital Redlining During the Expansion of Telehealth 

The rapid adoption of telehealth technologies during the pandemic has exposed inequities in digital access and digital fluency. Researchers are examining the impact of digital redlining and structural racism on the deployment and use of telehealth in communities served by Boston Medical Center and affiliated Community Health Centers, with the aim of making policy recommendations.

Meet the Team:

3) Relationship Between Social Safety Net Policies and Economic Precarity 

The project focuses on unemployment insurance policies, renter relief and eviction freeze policies, food security policies (formerly Food Stamps), and minimum wage policies to determine the influence of these four policies on the economic precarity of Black, Hispanic, and Native American people relative to others during the pandemic. Findings will be shared in policy briefs directly with policymakers and their staffers, tying together research results, personal stories, and photography.

Meet the Team: