Paula Braveman, MD, MPH

Professor,
Family Community Medicine
+1 415 476-6839

Paula Braveman, MD, MPH is Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Founding Director of the Center for Health Equity at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). For more than 25 years, Dr. Braveman has studied and published extensively on health equity and the social determinants of health, and has worked to bring attention to these issues in the U.S. and internationally. Her research has focused on measuring, documenting, understanding, and addressing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities, particularly in maternal and infant health. During the 1990s she collaborated with World Health Organization staff in Geneva to develop a global initiative on equity in health and health care. She has been the Research Director for a national commission on the social determinants of health in the U.S. supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with local, state, federal, and international health agencies to see rigorous research translated into practice with the goal of achieving greater equity in health. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2002 and has served on the Advisory Council of the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities of NIH.

Publications: 

African immigrants' favorable preterm birth rates challenge genetic etiology of the Black-White disparity in preterm birth.

Frontiers in public health

Braveman P, Heck K, Dominguez TP, Marchi K, Burke W, Holm N

Maternal Mortality: A National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Panel Report.

Obstetrics and gynecology

Davidson KW, Terry MB, Braveman P, Reis PJ, Timmermans S, Epling JW

Preventing Maternal Mortality.

Medical care

Braveman P

Defining Health Equity.

Journal of the National Medical Association

Braveman P

Systemic And Structural Racism: Definitions, Examples, Health Damages, And Approaches To Dismantling.

Health affairs (Project Hope)

Braveman PA, Arkin E, Proctor D, Kauh T, Holm N

Correction to: School nutrition laws in the US: do they influence obesity among youth in a racially/ethnically diverse state?

International journal of obesity (2005)

Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Matsuzaki M, Braveman P, Acosta ME, Alexovitz K, Sallis JF, Peterson KE, Sánchez BN

Abandon "Race." Focus on Racism.

Frontiers in public health

Braveman P, Parker Dominguez T

Explaining the Black-White Disparity in Preterm Birth: A Consensus Statement From a Multi-Disciplinary Scientific Work Group Convened by the March of Dimes.

Frontiers in reproductive health

Braveman P, Dominguez TP, Burke W, Dolan SM, Stevenson DK, Jackson FM, Collins JW, Driscoll DA, Haley T, Acker J, Shaw GM, McCabe ERB, Hay WW, Thornburg K, Acevedo-Garcia D, Cordero JF, Wise PH, Legaz G, Rashied-Henry K, Frost J, Verbiest S, Waddell L

School nutrition laws in the US: do they influence obesity among youth in a racially/ethnically diverse state?

International journal of obesity (2005)

Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Matsuzaki M, Braveman P, Acosta ME, Alexovitz K, Sallis JF, Peterson KE, Sánchez BN

A Prematurity Collaborative Birth Equity Consensus Statement for Mothers and Babies.

Maternal and child health journal

Jackson FM, Rashied-Henry K, Braveman P, Dominguez TP, Ramos D, Maseru N, Darity W, Waddell L, Warne D, Legaz G, Gupta R, James A

Medical Provider Promotion of Oral Health and Women's Receipt of Dental Care During Pregnancy.

Maternal and child health journal

Marchi KS, Rinki C, Shah M, Dove M, Terpak C, Curtis MP, Braveman P

Swimming Against the Tide: Challenges in Pursuing Health Equity Today.

Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges

Braveman PA

Coal and oil power plant retirements in California associated with reduced preterm birth among populations nearby.

American journal of epidemiology

Casey JA, Karasek D, Ogburn EL, Goin DE, Dang K, Braveman PA, Morello-Frosch R

Economic Hardship in Childhood: A Neglected Issue in ACE Studies?

Maternal and child health journal

Braveman P, Heck K, Egerter S, Rinki C, Marchi K, Curtis M

Worry about racial discrimination: A missing piece of the puzzle of Black-White disparities in preterm birth?

PloS one

Braveman P, Heck K, Egerter S, Dominguez TP, Rinki C, Marchi KS, Curtis M

Are the poverty histories of neighbourhoods associated with psychosocial well-being among a representative sample of California mothers? An observational study.

Journal of epidemiology and community health

Walsemann KM, Child S, Heck K, Margerison-Zilko C, Braveman P, Marchi K, Cubbin C

Latina Birth Outcomes in California: Not so Paradoxical.

Maternal and child health journal

Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Braveman PA, Egerter S, Marchi KS, Heck K, Curtis M

Post-partum Residential Mobility Among a Statewide Representative Sample of California Women, 2003-2007.

Maternal and child health journal

Margerison-Zilko C, Cubbin C, Jun J, Marchi K, Braveman P

Beyond the cross-sectional: neighborhood poverty histories and preterm birth.

American journal of public health

Margerison-Zilko C, Cubbin C, Jun J, Marchi K, Fingar K, Braveman P

The role of socioeconomic factors in Black-White disparities in preterm birth.

American journal of public health

Braveman PA, Heck K, Egerter S, Marchi KS, Dominguez TP, Cubbin C, Fingar K, Pearson JA, Curtis M

The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the causes of the causes.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Braveman P, Gottlieb L

What are health disparities and health equity? We need to be clear.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Braveman P

Limited socioeconomic opportunities and Latina teen childbearing: a qualitative study of family and structural factors affecting future expectations.

Journal of immigrant and minority health

Minnis AM, Marchi K, Ralph L, Biggs MA, Combellick S, Arons A, Brindis CD, Braveman P

Health in Europe--a view from across the Atlantic.

Lancet (London, England)

Braveman P

Do wealth disparities contribute to health disparities within racial/ethnic groups?

Journal of epidemiology and community health

Pollack CE, Cubbin C, Sania A, Hayward M, Vallone D, Flaherty B, Braveman PA

We are failing on health equity because we are failing on equity.

Australian and New Zealand journal of public health

Braveman P

Health impact assessment: necessary but not sufficient for healthy public policy.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Gottlieb LM, Fielding JE, Braveman PA

Accumulating knowledge on the social determinants of health and infectious disease.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Braveman P

Health disparities and health equity: the issue is justice.

American journal of public health

Braveman PA, Kumanyika S, Fielding J, Laveist T, Borrell LN, Manderscheid R, Troutman A

Assessing alternative measures of wealth in health research.

American journal of public health

Cubbin C, Pollack C, Flaherty B, Hayward M, Sania A, Vallone D, Braveman P

Broadening the focus: the need to address the social determinants of health.

American journal of preventive medicine

Braveman PA, Egerter SA, Mockenhaupt RE

Father's education: an independent marker of risk for preterm birth.

Maternal and child health journal

Blumenshine PM, Egerter SA, Libet ML, Braveman PA

Socioeconomic factors and health risk behaviors among adolescents.

American journal of health behavior

Cubbin C, Vesely SK, Braveman PA, Oman RF

The social determinants of health: coming of age.

Annual review of public health

Braveman P, Egerter S, Williams DR

When do we know enough to recommend action on the social determinants of health?

American journal of preventive medicine

Braveman PA, Egerter SA, Woolf SH, Marks JS

Social conditions, health equity, and human rights.

Health and human rights

Braveman P

Most pregnant women in California do not receive dental care: findings from a population-based study.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Marchi KS, Fisher-Owens SA, Weintraub JA, Yu Z, Braveman PA

Socioeconomic disparities in adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review.

American journal of preventive medicine

Blumenshine P, Egerter S, Barclay CJ, Cubbin C, Braveman PA

Neighborhood poverty, aspirations and expectations, and initiation of sex.

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

Cubbin C, Brindis CD, Jain S, Santelli J, Braveman P

Socioeconomic disparities in health in the United States: what the patterns tell us.

American journal of public health

Braveman PA, Cubbin C, Egerter S, Williams DR, Pamuk E

A health disparities perspective on obesity research.

Preventing chronic disease

Braveman P

Sociocultural determinants of teenage childbearing among Latinas in California.

Maternal and child health journal

Dehlendorf C, Marchi K, Vittinghoff E, Braveman P

Poverty, near-poverty, and hardship around the time of pregnancy.

Maternal and child health journal

Braveman P, Marchi K, Egerter S, Kim S, Metzler M, Stancil T, Libet M

Pregnancy intention and preterm birth: differential associations among a diverse population of women.

Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health

Afable-Munsuz A, Braveman P

"It's the skin you're in": African-American women talk about their experiences of racism. an exploratory study to develop measures of racism for birth outcome studies.

Maternal and child health journal

Nuru-Jeter A, Dominguez TP, Hammond WP, Leu J, Skaff M, Egerter S, Jones CP, Braveman P

Pandemic influenza planning in the United States from a health disparities perspective.

Emerging infectious diseases

Blumenshine P, Reingold A, Egerter S, Mockenhaupt R, Braveman P, Marks J

Potential implications of missing income data in population-based surveys: an example from a postpartum survey in California.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Kim S, Egerter S, Cubbin C, Takahashi ER, Braveman P

When do we know enough to recommend action? The need to be bold but not reckless.

Journal of epidemiology and community health

Braveman P

Do we have real poverty in the United States of America?

Preventing chronic disease

Braveman P

Should health studies measure wealth? A systematic review.

American journal of preventive medicine

Pollack CE, Chideya S, Cubbin C, Williams B, Dekker M, Braveman P

Is neighborhood deprivation independently associated with maternal and infant health? Evidence from Florida and Washington.

Maternal and child health journal

Cubbin C, Marchi K, Lin M, Bell T, Marshall H, Miller C, Braveman P

Priorities for research to take forward the health equity policy agenda.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Ostlin P, Braveman P, Dachs N

Health disparities and health equity: concepts and measurement.

Annual review of public health

Braveman P

Socioeconomic status and breastfeeding initiation among California mothers.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Heck KE, Braveman P, Cubbin C, Chávez GF, Kiely JL

Early postnatal care among healthy newborns in 19 States: pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system, 2000.

Maternal and child health journal

Lansky A, Barfield WD, Marchi KS, Egerter SA, Galbraith AA, Braveman PA

Socioeconomic status in health research: one size does not fit all.

JAMA

Braveman PA, Cubbin C, Egerter S, Chideya S, Marchi KS, Metzler M, Posner S

The question is not: "is race or class more important?".

Journal of epidemiology and community health

Braveman P

Strengthening health information systems to address health equity challenges.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Nolen LB, Braveman P, Dachs JN, Delgado I, Gakidou E, Moser K, Rolfe L, Vega J, Zarowsky C

Neighborhood context and sexual behaviors among adolescents: findings from the national longitudinal study of adolescent health.

Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health

Cubbin C, Santelli J, Brindis CD, Braveman P

An approach to studying social disparities in health and health care.

American journal of public health

Braveman PA, Egerter SA, Cubbin C, Marchi KS

Surveillance for disparities in maternal health-related behaviors--selected states, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2000-2001.

Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002)

Phares TM, Morrow B, Lansky A, Barfield WD, Prince CB, Marchi KS, Braveman PA, Williams LM, Kinniburgh B

Poverty, equity, human rights and health.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Braveman P, Gruskin S

Does postpartum length of stay affect breastfeeding duration? A population-based study.

Birth (Berkeley, Calif.)

Heck KE, Schoendorf KC, Chávez GF, Braveman P

Global Equity Gauge Alliance: reflections on early experiences.

Journal of health, population, and nutrition

McCoy D, Bambas L, Acurio D, Baya B, Bhuiya A, Chowdhury AM, Grisurapong S, Liu Y, Ngom P, Ngulube TJ, Ntuli A, Sanders D, Vega J, Shukla A, Braveman PA

Infant sleep position: associated maternal and infant factors.

Ambulatory pediatrics : the official journal of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association

Chung EK, Hung YY, Marchi K, Chavez GF, Braveman P

Monitoring equity in health and healthcare: a conceptual framework.

Journal of health, population, and nutrition

Braveman PA

Clinician support and psychosocial risk factors associated with breastfeeding discontinuation.

Pediatrics

Taveras EM, Capra AM, Braveman PA, Jensvold NG, Escobar GJ, Lieu TA

Defining equity in health.

Journal of epidemiology and community health

Braveman P, Gruskin S

Newborn early discharge revisited: are California newborns receiving recommended postnatal services?

Pediatrics

Galbraith AA, Egerter SA, Marchi KS, Chavez G, Braveman PA

Optimal SES indicators cannot be prescribed across all outcomes.

American journal of public health

Braveman P, Cubbin C

Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in unintended pregnancy among postpartum women in California.

Maternal and child health journal

Cubbin C, Braveman PA, Marchi KS, Chavez GF, Santelli JS, Gilbert BJ

Timing of insurance coverage and use of prenatal care among low-income women.

American journal of public health

Egerter S, Braveman P, Marchi K

A randomized comparison of home visits and hospital-based group follow-up visits after early postpartum discharge.

Pediatrics

Escobar GJ, Braveman PA, Ackerson L, Odouli R, Coleman-Phox K, Capra AM, Wong C, Lieu TA

Measuring socioeconomic status/position in studies of racial/ethnic disparities: maternal and infant health.

Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974)

Braveman P, Cubbin C, Marchi K, Egerter S, Chavez G

Methodological concerns and recommendations on policy consequences of the World Health Report 2000.

Lancet (London, England)

Almeida C, Braveman P, Gold MR, Szwarcwald CL, Ribeiro JM, Miglionico A, Millar JS, Porto S, Costa NR, Rubio VO, Segall M, Starfield B, Travassos C, Travessos C, Uga A, Valente J, Viacava F

Epidemiology and (neo-)colonialism.

Journal of epidemiology and community health

Braveman PA

Risk factors for late or no prenatal care following Medicaid expansions in California.

Maternal and child health journal

Nothnagle M, Marchi K, Egerter S, Braveman P

The validity of information on "race" and "Hispanic ethnicity" in California birth certificate data.

Health services research

Baumeister L, Marchi K, Pearl M, Williams R, Braveman P

Barriers to timely prenatal care among women with insurance: the importance of prepregnancy factors.

Obstetrics and gynecology

Braveman P, Marchi K, Egerter S, Pearl M, Neuhaus J

A randomized comparison of home and clinic follow-up visits after early postpartum hospital discharge.

Pediatrics

Lieu TA, Braveman PA, Escobar GJ, Fischer AF, Jensvold NG, Capra AM

Combining forces against inequity and poverty rather than splitting hairs

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Braveman P

Health inequalities and social inequalities in health.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Braveman P, Krieger N, Lynch J

Round table discussion. Health inequalities and the health of the poor.

Bulletin of the World Health Organization

Acheson D, Alleyne GA, Casas JA, Castillo-Salgado C, Barzach M, Braveman P, Dahlgren G, Gupta GR, Liu Y, Orosz E

Clinical outcomes and maternal perceptions of an updated model of perinatal care.

Pediatrics

Lieu TA, Wikler C, Capra AM, Martin KE, Escobar GJ, Braveman PA

Follow-up of newborns and their mothers after early hospital discharge.

Clinics in perinatology

Egerter SA, Braveman PA, Marchi KS

Validity of insurance information on California birth certificates.

American journal of public health

Braveman P, Pearl M, Egerter S, Marchi K, Williams R

Health service use among low-risk newborns after early discharge with and without nurse home visiting.

The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice

Braveman P, Miller C, Egerter S, Bennett T, English P, Katz P, Showstack J

Short hospital stays for mothers and newborns.

The Journal of family practice

Braveman PA

Health screening, development, and equity.

Journal of public health policy

Braveman P, Tarimo E

Racial/ethnic differences in the likelihood of cesarean delivery, California.

American journal of public health

Braveman P, Egerter S, Edmonston F, Verdon M

Let's take on the real dragon: profiteering in health care.

Journal of public health policy

Braveman P, Bennett T

Maternal marital status as a risk factor for infant mortality.

Family planning perspectives

Bennett T, Braveman P, Egerter S, Kiely JL

Insurance-related differences in the risk of ruptured appendix.

The New England journal of medicine

Braveman P, Schaaf VM, Egerter S, Bennett T, Schecter W

Access to prenatal care following major Medicaid eligibility expansions.

JAMA

Braveman P, Bennett T, Lewis C, Egerter S, Showstack J

Adverse outcomes and lack of health insurance among newborns in an eight-county area of California, 1982 to 1986.

The New England journal of medicine

Braveman P, Oliva G, Miller MG, Reiter R, Egerter S

Lower-extremity amputation in people with diabetes. Epidemiology and prevention.

Diabetes care

Bild DE, Selby JV, Sinnock P, Browner WS, Braveman P, Showstack JA

Women without health insurance. Links between access, poverty, ethnicity, and health.

The Western journal of medicine

Braveman P, Oliva G, Miller MG, Schaaf VM, Reiter R

Evaluating outcomes of pregnancy in diabetic women. Epidemiologic considerations and recommended indicators.

Diabetes care

Braveman P, Showstack J, Browner W, Selby J, Teutsch S, Sepe S

Screening in preventive care for adolescents.

The Western journal of medicine

Braveman P, Toomey KE

Nicaragua: a health system developing under conditions of war.

International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation

Braveman P, Siegel D

Health personnel training in the Nicaraguan health system.

International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation

Braveman PA, Roemer MI