Berkman Research Group
Dr. Berkman leads research on the social and policy determinants of population health. Her work uncovers the roots of health inequalities, focusing on socioeconomic status, social networks, isolation, and workplace conditions, paving the way for healthier, more equitable societies.
9 Bow Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
About Dr. Berkman
Lisa F. Berkman is the Director of the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and the Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy, Epidemiology, and Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. As an internationally recognized social epidemiologist, Dr. Berkman’s research focuses on the social and policy determinants of population health. Her work aims to understand health inequalities related to socioeconomic status, social networks, and isolation, with a special emphasis on workplace conditions and labor policies.
She leads the Study of Workplace Redesign and Worker Well-Being, which explores how companies can create healthier environments for low and middle-wage workers. She is the principal investigator of the Health and Aging Study in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI), funded by the National Institute on Aging. This project examines the social, economic, and behavioral factors influencing aging, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment, and HIV.
Dr. Berkman has also served as president of both the Population Association of America and the American Population Centers. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and has authored or co-authored several books and over 300 publications. Notably, she co-edited the second edition of “Social Epidemiology” with Ichiro Kawachi and Maria Glymour in 2014, a key textbook in the field, and co-wrote “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer” with Beth Truesdale, published in 2023.
Contribution to Science
Advancement of Social Epidemiology
Dr. Lisa Berkman, alongside co-author Ichiro Kawachi, wrote the foundational textbook in social epidemiology, first published in 2000 with a completely new second edition in 2014. These influential books synthesize the work of pioneering scientists, framing the history, methods, and current state of social epidemiology. The second edition covers crucial topics like socioeconomic status, inequality, social networks, discrimination, workplace stress, and policy. Additionally, Dr. Berkman has authored numerous overview articles that highlight the achievements and challenges of integrating social epidemiology into public health and related social sciences.
Impact on Work Policy and Health
Dr. Lisa Berkman has made significant contributions to understanding how work policies and workplace organization affect the health and productivity of low-wage workers. Starting in the early 2000s, she focused on work-family conflict and its impact on health, particularly among women in the United States. Her research explores how social conditions, especially work, influence health outcomes for adults and children. Dr. Berkman’s studies reveal in both observational and experimental studies that national maternity leave policies reduce depressive symptoms at older ages, and that work and family strains without support increase long-term mortality and morbidity risks. In a randomized trial, she led work showing that workplace interventions increasing control at work reduce cardiometabolic risk in older workers.
Progress in Social Equity and Health
Dr. Lisa Berkman, a leading social epidemiologist, focuses on the fundamental components of racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic determinants of population health. She has published extensively on the social factors contributing to health disparities among different racial and ethnic groups. Her research delves into the socioeconomic determinants of health and aging, with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular disease. Dr. Berkman’s work combines descriptive studies on social influences with etiologic and life course research, shedding light on the complex interplay between social equity and health outcomes.
Developments of Cognitive, Physical and Mental Function and Social Conditions
Lisa Berkman’s work has highlighted how social connections and community ties can predict the reduce risks physical and cognitive decline. A key theme in her findings is social conditions affect a wide range of health outcomes. These conditions can accelerate the aging process.
Ongoing Research
Learning from Workers: Resilience in the Time of Pandemic
This research project examines how workplaces have adapted during the pandemic to improve worker well-being. We focus on:
- Pre-existing and pandemic-era workplace conditions that foster resilience and innovation.
- Innovations that help workers protect their health and care for their families.
- Implementation of workplace changes to ensure equitable access to healthy working conditions.
Working Longer: In Jeopardy
This project focuses on working condition and retirement policies that aim to help men and women remain in the work force longer and retire with financial security. The project has produced an edited volume , “Working Longer: In Jeopardy.” It features interconnected chapters on the challenges of extended working life The book offers valuable insights and foster discussions on how to navigate the complexities of longer working lives in today’s world.
Our Research
Shaping the Future of Population Research
As a dynamic, cross-disciplinary initiative at Harvard University, the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies unites population scientists from across the campus and beyond to tackle the most critical population issues of our time.
With 8 billion people on Earth today and nearly 10 billion expected by 2050, the challenges are immense and multifaceted. Our mission is to delve deep into these complexities and pave the way for a sustainable future. Our research spans four pivotal areas:
- Aging Societies: Exploring the impacts of an aging global population on health, economics, and social structures.
- Youth, Family, and Social Mobility: Investigating the dynamics that enable young people and families to thrive in a rapidly evolving world.
- Work, Policy, and Well-Being: Examining how labor, policy, and overall well-being intersect to shape sustainable and positive outcomes.
- Population Dynamics of Climate Change: Understanding the interplay between population changes and environmental shifts to inform climate resilience strategies.
Publications
Berkman, l.F., Kawachi, I., & Glymour, M. (Eds.) (2014). Social Epidmiology. Oxford University Press.
Berkman, L.F., Zheng, Y., Glymour, M.M., Avendano, M., Börsch-Supan, A., Sabbath, E.L. (2015). Mothering alone: cross-national comparisons of later-life disability and health among women who were single mothers. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 69 (9), 865-72. PMCID:PMC4759498.
Cunningham TJ, Berkman LF, Kawachi I, Jacobs DR Jr, Seeman TE, Kiefe CI, Gortmaker SL. (2013) Changes in waist circumference and body mass index in the US CARDIA cohort: fixed—effects associations with self— reported experiences of racial/ethnic discrimination. J Biosoc Sci, 45(2):267-278. doi: 10.1017/S0021932012000429. PMID: 22856616; PMCID: PMC4310212.
Payne CF, Gómez—Olivé FX, Kahn K, Berkman L. (2017) Physical Function in an Aging Population in Rural South Africa: Findings From HAALSI and Cross—National Comparisons With HRS Sister Studies. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci, doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbx030. PMCID: PMC6075193.
Complete Publication list: Download complete list.