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Amanda Birnbaum
Professor, Public Health, College for Community Health
- Office:
- University Hall
- Email:
- birnbauma@montclair.edu
- Phone:
- 973-655-4154
- vCard:
- Download vCard
Profile
Dr. Amanda Birnbaum, Professor in the Department n of Public Health at Montclair State University, received her PhD from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, and her MPH from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
Working from a social ecological perspective, Dr. Birnbaum combines quantitative and qualitative methods to understand and improve social environmental factors as they relate to health behaviors and outcomes. The first half of her research career focused on ways that social and structural factors influence eating and physical activity, particularly among adolescents and families in urban communities. With an interest in overall adolescent health and well being, she also studied depression, risky behaviors, school as a contextual factor for adolescent behaviors, family-oriented health promotion, and more recently, campus climate related to sexual violence and misconduct.
One of her primary interests is collaborating as a research partner with education and advocacy organizations outside academia. This work began over 20 years ago through her evaluation work with the Healthy Children, Healthy Futures initiative, and now extends to multiple health topics and partner organizations. She is passionate about health equity and justice for marginalized groups, and is honored to be the research partner with the Department of Trans Resiliency at Garden State Equality. Another exciting collaboration is a 10 year retrospective case study of a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to bridge the "baby-nature gap" by helping families with young children do outdoor activities.
Dr. Birnbaum is passionate about supporting public health students and creating welcoming, neuroinclusive learning spaces. She engages in research on MPH program teaching methods, innovation, and evaluation. Teaching epidemiology to students with a range of backgrounds and career goals is a particular interest. In addition to teaching, she is an active mentor of public health professionals across the career span, and in 2015 received the National Academic Advising Association’s Outstanding Faculty Advising Award.
Specialization
In all aspects of my work, I am driven by a passion for health equity and social justice.
My research interests relate to understanding and intervening on the social contexts within which health behaviors occur. I am fascinated by trying to understand how schools, communities, and other social environments interact with personal characteristics to affect behavior.
Examples of the types of research questions I have asked and published on include: assessing school functioning and examining its effect on students' self-reported violent behavior; measuring middle school girls' perceptions of school climate regarding physical activity; and understanding how food shopping environments and perceptions shape food purchases among low-wage workers. I am also interested in how living with elevated depressive symptoms figures into people's perceptions, experiences, and behaviors.
I am currently collaborating on research aimed at understanding and improving the climate related to sexual assault and harassment on college campuses. This social environmental factor has become a topic of great interest and importance for everyone who lives or works on a college campus, their families, and communities. We strive to be inclusive, comprehensive, and sensitive to the challenges involved in exploring this highly-charged topic.
Resume/CV
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