Faculty

Dr. Barbara L. Brush is the Carol J. and F. Edward Lake Professor of Population Health at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, a Board Member of the Detroit Urban Community-Academic Research Center, and a past faculty Director of the Public Partners and Community-Based Organization section of the Michigan Institute of Health and Clinical Research. Dr. Brush’s research with homeless families in Detroit uses a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach in designing, implementing, and evaluating best practice models to provide needed health and social services and inform health policy decisions that influence resource allocation to this underserved cohort. Current research is testing the use of narrative and life story mapping to facilitate disclosure of intra-personal violence (IPV), known to be highly prevalent in homeless women and to help women recognize and interpret IPV experiences and seek the help needed to improve health and social well-being. Dr. Brush is also Co-Principal Investigator of a 5-year NIH-funded study (RO1NR016123-01A1) that is developing and testing an instrument to measure success in long-standing community-academic research partnerships across the United States. In both areas, Dr. Brush is well published and recognized as a national expert. She is currently a mentor and teaching faculty for the NIH-funded “CBPR Academy,” a year-long training program for academic and community partners conducting research across U.S. communities. Dr. Brush is also on a National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine committee examining evidence linking health and permanent supportive housing (PSH) in persons experiencing homelessness across the country. She has authored over 65 peer reviewed publications and two books and regularly presents to both national and international audiences.

Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania; B.S. University of Massachusetts Dartmouth