John Pamplin II, BS, MPH, PhD

Dr. Pamplin II, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, is a social epidemiologist who studies the consequences of structural racism and systemic inequity on mental health and substance use outcomes. His research focuses on drivers of racial patterning in major depression, emerging racial trends in adolescent and adult suicide, and the mental and physical health consequences of the hyper-policing of Black and Brown neighborhoods.

His CIRAD/RCMAR pilot investigates whether racial disparities in ADRD are driven by manifestations of structural racism that may have a direct effect in cognitive function. While gentrification is one manifestation of structural racism, it is an under-studied phenomenon in the public health literature, especially as it pertains to cognitive aging. Like other manifestations of structural racism, gentrifying forces are associated with an increased risk of multiple adverse health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and self-reported chronic health conditions due to increased living costs and disruptions to existing resources (e.g., established healthcare providers, familiar grocery stores.) This study will leverage a longitudinal database of census-tract-level social and structural inequality measures to provide a multifaceted assessment of gentrification-related constructs, such as housing instability and directed policing, over time.