Joyce Moon Howard

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Clinical Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Community Health Science and Practice

Interim Director of Community Health Science and Practice

Dr. Joyce Moon Howard’s work and career is rooted in the community healthcare movement, where she witnessed the transformative power and positive impact of neighborhood and community action on healthcare.

Through community-based participatory research (CBPR), she facilitates cooperation between researchers and community members to understand community needs and concerns, create lasting bonds that build trust, and empower communities to take action. While working in rural Tanzania on needs assessment, she engaged community members and employed qualitative strategies, such as photovoice (a research technique where community members photograph scenes to describe a particular problem and/or research theme) and focus groups, to create a space for open dialogue among community members and researchers to effectively address health needs. Further, she has served as Principal Investigator in several research studies: a Health Resources and Services Administration study on eliminating disparities among pregnant women in low-income areas in New York City; a National Institute of Child Health and Infant Development study focusing on HIV/AIDS prevention strategies in African American communities; and an National Institute on Aging study examining facilitators and barriers to CBPR at the Columbia University Medical Center.

As a professor, Dr. Moon Howard shares her research experiences with students in Community Assessment and Evaluation courses and in an undergraduate course, Health, Society, and the Global Context.

Education

BA, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

MPH, Columbia University, New York, NY

DrPH, Columbia University, New York, NY

Areas of research and study

Community Engagement

Community Health

Community-based Participatory Research

Qualitative Research

Publications

Lack of oral health care for adults in Harlem : A hidden crisis

A balancing act : The tension between case-finding and primary prevention strategies in New York State's voluntary HIV counseling and testing program in women's health care settings