Alison Cohen, PhD, MPH

Assistant Adjunct Professor
Epidemiology & Biostatistics

I am an epidemiologist who does community-driven, policy-relevant applied epidemiology and public health research to study social and environmental determinants of health inequities, and possible interventions that could reduce these inequities. In addition to my primary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, I am also affiliated faculty with the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies.

Much of my research is in partnership with community-based organizations, with the goal of systematically documenting health inequities using community-based participatory research approaches and harnessing the power of research-practice partnerships. I also study interventions beyond the health sector that could reduce inequities in health and well-being.

I have experience doing multidisciplinary research and evaluation on topics including public health, education, youth, civic engagement, and the environment. I conduct research locally, nationally, and internationally, in English, Spanish, and French.

I welcome potential students and trainees to contact me if you are interested in working with me.

Publications: 

Inequalities in emerging adult college students' sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal of American college health : J of ACH

Yazdani N, Hoyt LT, Pathak A, Breitstone L, Cohen AK

COVID-19-Related Experiences and Perspectives of Peruvian College Students: A Descriptive Study.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education

Bazo-Alvarez JC, Bazalar-Palacios J, Quiñones-Negrete MM, Ipanaqué M, Cjuno J, Hoyt LT, Bennett CR, Cohen AK

Trajectories of sociopolitical stress during the 2020 United States presidential election season: Associations with psychological well-being, civic action, and social identities.

Comprehensive psychoneuroendocrinology

Suzuki S, Hoyt LT, Yazdani N, Kornbluh M, Hope EC, Hagan MJ, Cohen AK, Ballard PJ

Impact of extended-course oral nirmatrelvir/ritonavir (Paxlovid) in established Long COVID: Case series and research considerations.

Research square

Cohen AK, Jaudon TW, Schurman EM, Kava L, Vogel JM, Haas-Godsil J, Lewis D, Crausman S, Leslie K, Bligh SC, Lizars G, Davids JD, S S, Peluso MJ, McCorkell L

It’s a matter of trust: How thirty years of history prepared a community-based organization to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic

Social Sciences

Coll KM, Flores J, Jiménez M, López N, Lee AL, Carrillo M, Camberos L, Diaz A, Delgado E, Muñoz H, López S, Nieto V, Ruiz M, Quiles T, Cohen AK

Internalizing the COVID-19 pandemic: Gendered differences in youth mental health.

Current opinion in psychology

Hoyt LT, Dotson MP, Suleiman AB, Burke NL, Johnson JB, Cohen AK

Female reproductive health impacts of Long COVID and associated illnesses including ME/CFS, POTS, and connective tissue disorders: a literature review.

Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences

Pollack B, von Saltza E, McCorkell L, Santos L, Hultman A, Cohen AK, Soares L

Improving Functioning of Children Birth to Five with Emotional and Behavioral Problems: The Role of Comprehensive Mental Health Services and Supports.

Pediatric reports

Cohen AK, Hazelton T, Bassey H, Gutierrez-Padilla M, Novosel C, Nichols CR, Jain S

Who has to act?�A qualitative exploration of emerging adults'�critical consciousness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

American journal of community psychology

Quiles TB, Hoyt LT, Dotson MP, Castro EM, May M, Cohen AK

‘We Keep Each Other Safe’: San Francisco Bay Area community-based organizations respond to enduring crises in the COVID-19 era

RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences

Cohen AK, Brahinsky R, Coll KM, Dotson MP

Participatory environmental health research: A tool to explore the socio-exposome in a major european industrial zone.

Environmental research

Jeanjean M, Dron J, Allen BL, Gramaglia C, Austruy A, Lees J, Ferrier Y, Periot M, Dotson MP, Chamaret P, Cohen AK

Election-related sociopolitical stress and coping among college students in the United States.

Journal of American college health : J of ACH

Ballard PJ, Hoyt LT, Yazdani N, Kornbluh M, Cohen AK, Davis AL, Hagan MJ

A systematic review of the last decade of civic education research in the USA

Peabody Journal of Education

Fitzgerald JC, Cohen AK, Maker Castro E, Pope A

Critical Consciousness and Wellbeing in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review.

Adolescent research review

Maker Castro E, Wray-Lake L, Cohen AK

"Emotional Distancing": Change and Strain in U.S. Young Adult College Students' Relationships During COVID-19.

Emerging adulthood (Print)

Dotson MP, Castro EM, Magid NT, Hoyt LT, Suleiman AB, Cohen AK

Gender Norms, Control Over Girls' Sexuality, and Child Marriage: A Honduran Case Study.

The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

Pacheco-Montoya D, Murphy-Graham E, Valencia López EE, Cohen AK

Educational attainment past the traditional age of completion for two cohorts of US adults: Inequalities by gender and race/ethnicity

Race and social problems

Cohen AK, Ryan S, Smith LH, Ream RK, Glymour MM, Lopez A, Yen IH

Lifecourse Educational Trajectories and Hypertension in Midlife: An Application of Sequence Analysis.

The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences

Duarte CDP, Wannier SR, Cohen AK, Glymour MM, Ream RK, Yen IH, Vable AM

Exploring civic behaviors amongst college students in a year of national unrest.

Journal of community psychology

Kornbluh M, Davis AL, Hoyt LT, Simpson SB, Cohen AK, Ballard PJ

Understanding the benefits of different types and timing of education for mental health: A sequence analysis approach.

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences

Vable AM, Duarte CDP, Wannier SR, Chan-Golston AM, Cohen AK, Glymour MM, Ream RK, Yen IH

Opportunities to Reduce Young Adult College Students' COVID-19-Related Risk Behaviors: Insights From a National, Longitudinal Cohort.

The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

Cohen AK, Hoyt LT, Nichols CR, Yazdani N, Dotson MP

Investigating the impact of Generation Citizen’s action civics education program on student academic engagement

The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas

Cohen AK, Fitzgerald JC, Ridley-Kerr A, Maker Castro E, Ballard PJ

Youth civic action across the United States: Projects, priorities, and approaches

Youth & Society

Elena Gustafson, Alison K Cohen, Sarah Andes

High School Composition and Health Outcomes in Adulthood: A Cohort Study.

International journal of environmental research and public health

Cohen AK, Ozer EJ, Rehkopf DH, Abrams B

Examining school dropout among rural youth in Honduras: Evidence from a mixed-methods longitudinal study

International Journal of Educational Development

Erin Murphy-Graham, Diana Pacheco Montoya, Alison K Cohen, Enrique Valencia Lopez

"Constant Stress Has Become the New Normal": Stress and Anxiety Inequalities Among U.S. College Students in the Time of COVID-19.

The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

Hoyt LT, Cohen AK, Dull B, Maker Castro E, Yazdani N

Does the Type and Timing of Educational Attainment Influence Physical Health? A Novel Application of Sequence Analysis.

American journal of epidemiology

Vable AM, Duarte CD, Cohen AK, Glymour MM, Ream RK, Yen IH

School Dropout, Child Marriage, and Early Pregnancy among Adolescent Girls in Rural Honduras

Comparative Education Review

Erin Murphy-Graham, Alison K Cohen, Diana Pacheco-Montoya

A family-centered mixed-methods needs assessment for the system of care for young children with social-emotional and behavioral concerns

Children and youth services review

Sonia Jain, Rebecca Reno, Alison K Cohen, Henrissa Bassey, Mansi Master, Chloe R Nichols

Association of Adult Depression With Educational Attainment, Aspirations, and Expectations.

Preventing chronic disease

Cohen AK, Nussbaum J, Weintraub MLR, Nichols CR, Yen IH

A Descriptive Study of COVID-19-Related Experiences and Perspectives of a National Sample of College Students in Spring 2020.

The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

Cohen AK, Hoyt LT, Dull B

How to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic with More Creativity and Innovation.

Population health management

Cohen AK, Cromwell JR

Use of Research Evidence Generated by Youth: Conceptualization and Applications in Diverse U.S. K-12 Educational Settings.

American journal of community psychology

Ozer EJ, Abraczinskas M, Voight A, Kirshner B, Cohen AK, Zion S, Glende JR, Stickney D, Gauna R, Lopez SE, Freiburger K

Opportunities for youth participatory action research to inform school district decisions

Evidence & Policy: A Journal of Research, Debate and Practice

Alison K Cohen, Emily J Ozer, Michelle Abraczinskas, Adam Voight, Ben Kirshner, Molly Devinney

Collaborative Workshops for Community Meaning-Making and Data Analyses: How Focus Groups Strengthen Data by Enhancing Understanding and Promoting Use.

International journal of environmental research and public health

Allen BL, Lees J, Cohen AK, Jeanjean M

Can a school-based civic empowerment intervention support adolescent health?

Preventive Medicine Reports

Ballard PJ, Cohen AK, Duarte CDP

Community-based alternatives to detention: Implementation evidence on Evening Reporting Centers

Journal of Applied Juvenile Justice Services

Sonia Jain, Alison K Cohen, Neola Crosby, Jessica Gingold, Stacey Wooden

Civic engagement among youth exposed to community violence: Directions for research and practice

Journal of Youth Development

Sonia Jain, Alison K Cohen, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Catherine dP Duarte, Alexander Pope

Making civic engagement go viral: Applying social epidemiology principles to civic education

Journal of Public Affairs

Alexander Pope, Alison K Cohen, Catherine dP Duarte

Similarities in Maternal Weight and Birth Weight Across Pregnancies and Across Sisters.

Maternal and child health journal

Luecke E, Cohen AK, Brillante M, Rehkopf DH, Coyle J, Hendrick CE, Abrams B

Evaluating the implementation of a collaborative juvenile reentry system in Oakland, California

International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology

Sonia Jain, Alison K Cohen, Priya Jagannathan, Yvette Leung, Henrissa Bassey, Sara Bedford

School climate and physical adolescent relationship abuse: Differences by sex, socioeconomic status, and bullying.

Journal of adolescence

Jain S, Cohen AK, Paglisotti T, Subramanyam MA, Chopel A, Miller E

Action civics education and civic outcomes for urban youth: An evaluation of the impact of Generation Citizen

Citizenship Teaching & Learning

Alison K Cohen, Joshua Littenberg-Tobias, Abby Ridley-Kerr, Alexander Pope, Laurel C Stolte, Kenneth K Wong

Health issues in the industrial port zone of Marseille, France: the Fos EPSEAL community-based cross-sectional survey

Journal of Public Health

Alison K Cohen, Travis Richards, Barbara L Allen, Yolaine Ferrier, Johanna Lees, Louisa H Smith

Evaluating the Implementation of a Collaborative Juvenile Reentry System in Oakland, California.

International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology

Jain S, Cohen AK, Jagannathan P, Leung Y, Bassey H, Bedford S

Assessing Cross-Sector Stakeholder Perspectives on Oakland (CA)’s Juvenile Reentry System

Justice Research and Policy

Sonia Jain-Aghi, Alison K Cohen, Priya Jagannathan, Henrissa Bassey, Yvette Leung, Marthea Alley-Caliz, Sara Bedford

Measuring the Relational Aspects of Civic Engagement and Action

Journal of International Social Studies

Alison K Cohen, Jason C Fitzgerald

Excessive Gestational Weight Gain and Subsequent Maternal Obesity at Age 40: A Hypothetical Intervention.

American journal of public health

Abrams B, Coyle J, Cohen AK, Headen I, Hubbard A, Ritchie L, Rehkopf DH

Through a maze of studies: health questions and ‘undone science’ in a French industrial region

Environmental Sociology

Barbara L Allen, Yolaine Ferrier, Alison K Cohen

The accuracy of self-reported pregnancy-related weight: a systematic review.

Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity

Headen I, Cohen AK, Mujahid M, Abrams B

Redesigning a Participatory Health Study for a French Industrial Context.

New solutions : a journal of environmental and occupational health policy : NS

Allen BL, Cohen AK, Ferrier Y, Lees J, Richards T

Educational Attainment and Gestational Weight Gain among U.S. Mothers.

Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health

Cohen AK, Kazi C, Headen I, Rehkopf DH, Hendrick CE, Patil D, Abrams B

Adverse childhood experiences and later life adult obesity and smoking in the United States.

Annals of epidemiology

Rehkopf DH, Headen I, Hubbard A, Deardorff J, Kesavan Y, Cohen AK, Patil D, Ritchie LD, Abrams B

Surveying for Environmental Health Justice: Community Organizing Applications of Community-Based Participatory Research

Environmental Justice

Alison Klebanoff Cohen, Andrea Lopez, Nile Malloy, Rachel Morello-Frosch

Biological and Sociocultural Factors During the School Years Predicting Women's Lifetime Educational Attainment.

The Journal of school health

Hendrick CE, Cohen AK, Deardorff J, Cance JD

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Inadequate Gestational Weight Gain Differ by Pre-pregnancy Weight.

Maternal and child health journal

Headen I, Mujahid MS, Cohen AK, Rehkopf DH, Abrams B

Action Civics in the Fourth Grade: Tackling School- and Community-based Issues

Social Studies and the Young Learner

Peter Cipparone, Alison K. Cohen

Inequalities in school climate in California

Journal of Educational Administration

Sonia Jain, Alison K Cohen, Kevin Huang, Thomas L Hanson, Gregory Austin

Family partners improve early childhood mental health services.

Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.)

Burton M, Cohen AK, Jain-Aghi S

Understanding and meeting the needs of formerly gang-affiliated youth through tattoo removal services

Journal of Gang Research

Sonia Jain, Adriana Mercedes Alvarado, Alison K Cohen, Quamrun Eldridge

Pregnancy and post-delivery maternal weight changes and overweight in preschool children

Preventive medicine

Camille A Robinson, Alison K Cohen, David H Rehkopf, Julianna Deardorff, Lorrene Ritchie, Ruvani T Jayaweera, Jeremy R Coyle, Barbara Abrams

Measuring civic engagement processes and youth civic empowerment in the classroom: The CIVVICS observation tool

The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas

Laurel Cadwallader Stolte, Molly Isenbarger, Alison Klebanoff Cohen

Civic Studies: Fundamental Questions, Interdisciplinary Methods

The Good Society

Alison K Cohen, J Ruth Dawley-Carr, Liza Pappas, Alison Staudinger

Excessive gestational weight gain over multiple pregnancies and the prevalence of obesity at age 40.

International journal of obesity (2005)

Cohen AK, Chaffee BW, Rehkopf DH, Coyle JR, Abrams B

Educational attainment and obesity: a systematic review.

Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity

Cohen AK, Rai M, Rehkopf DH, Abrams B

Fostering resilience among urban youth exposed to violence: a promising area for interdisciplinary research and practice.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education

Jain S, Cohen AK

Education: a missed opportunity for public health intervention.

American journal of public health

Cohen AK, Syme SL

Revitalizing communities together: the shared values, goals, and work of education, urban planning, and public health.

Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine

Cohen AK, Schuchter JW

Social patterning of obesity in Spain: A systematic review of the relationship between education and obesity

Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética

Alison K Cohen, Paul J Christine, Abdulrahman M El-Sayed

Education and obesity at age 40 among American adults.

Social science & medicine (1982)

Cohen AK, Rehkopf DH, Deardorff J, Abrams B

EU and US Regulatory Approaches to Information on Chemicals in Products: Implications for Consumers

European Journal of Risk Regulation

Linda Molander, Alison K. Cohen

Outposts of Americana: Bringing Iowa Grassroots Democracy to European English-language Classrooms

The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas

Nate Preus, Alison Klebanoff Cohen

Closing the Civic Engagement Gap

Social Education

Alexander Pope, Laurel Stolte, Alison K Cohen

Our environment, our health: a community-based participatory environmental health survey in Richmond, California.

Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education

Cohen A, Lopez A, Malloy N, Morello-Frosch R

Community voice, vision, and resilience in post-Hurricane Katrina recovery

Environmental Justice

Rachel Morello-Frosch, Phil Brown, Mercedes Lyson, Alison Cohen, Kimberly Krupa

The implementation of REACH: initial perspectives from government, industry, and civil society.

International journal of occupational and environmental health

Cohen AK

Lessons from an Introductory Public Health Course

Academic Exchange Quarterly

Alison Cohen, Andrea Lopez, Samantha Marder, Nina Safane, Melissa Clark