Center for Urban Health Equity Collaboration
Our Mission
The Center for Urban Health Equity Collaboration’s (CUHEC) mission is to advance rigorous, transdisciplinary scholarship on how spatial and environmental conditions drive health inequities and to build inclusive communities of practice to train the next generation of practitioners, grounded in equity, inclusion, dialogue, and belonging.
About Us
Health inequities are pronounced in the immigrant communities and communities of color of Elizabeth, Jersey City, and other cities near Kean University’s campuses. Extreme heat, air pollution, and chronic noise (HAN) compound these inequities, contributing to asthma, cardiovascular disease, mental health conditions, and interpersonal violence. These patterns reflect decades of discriminatory policies, which left neighborhoods with less tree cover, more impervious surfaces, and closer proximity to highways and toxic industry. Overcrowding intensifies heat exposure and household stress, and climate-related distress is growing. The Center for Urban Health Equity Collaboration brings together architecture, environmental science, public health, social sciences, climate justice, and community-based counseling together, grounded in equity and social justice, and informed by communities to combat these inequities.
CUHEC has 3 interrelated aims to tackle health inequities:
- Aim 1 – Build transdisciplinary faculty and student research capacity
- Aim 2 – Formalize reciprocal community research partnerships
- Aim 3 – Establish a Community Faculty Collaboration Hub
Leadership
Co-Directors
Sarah Ruel-Bergeron, RA; Michael Graves College
Sarah Ruel-Bergeron, RA, is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Architecture at Kean University’s Michael Graves College, where she teaches seminars and studios at the intersection of health, equity, climate change, and architecture. A licensed architect, her practice is grounded in global health, examining how the built environment shapes pathways to communicable and noncommunicable disease and poor mental health outcomes, especially in low-income and at-risk communities. She tackles urban health inequities through transdisciplinary, collaborative research teams. Her active projects include a healthy housing and climate adaptation initiative with community-based organizations and residents of the Bairro da Paz favela in Salvador, Brazil, and the Coalport Neighborhood Revitalization Planning Project, a HUD-funded community visioning effort in Trenton, NJ, co-led by the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research and the School of Public Architecture. She received Kean’s 2025 Dr. Stephen Kubow Presidential Excellence Award for Service and an Honorable Mention for the 2025 Faculty Research Award for Urban Research. In expert group meetings with the World Health Organization, the Pan American Health Organization, and UN-Habitat, she has represented architecture’s role in the social and structural determinants of health to public health practitioners, policymakers, and multilateral organizations. She holds an M.Arch from Pratt Institute and a Certificate in Global Health Practice from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Jessica Adams; Associate Dean of the College of Health Professions and Human Services
Jessica Adams, PhD is an experienced academic leader, she has spent over a decade driving institutional excellence at Kean through multi-campus administrative leadership, strategic operations, and curriculum development, including previous service as the Administrative Dean for Kean Ocean. She holds a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Miami, an MS from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a BS from Virginia Tech. Jessica has taught health and physical education in grades pre K-12 in Virginia, Florida, and Athens, Greece. She currently serves on the Board of the National Council on Strength and Fitness (NCSF). Jessica is a regular fitness for diving contributor to the premier global Dive Safety Magazine "Alert Diver" . Her instructional background and scholarly expertise span wellness, biomechanics, kinesiology, and exercise physiology. Throughout her tenure, she has served as a department head and Executive Director within the School of Physical Education, Recreation, and Health, focusing on a teaching philosophy that promotes a lifelong practical understanding of human movement. In addition to her administrative contributions, Dr. Adams' research focuses on wellness and muscle development throughout the lifespan. As Associate Dean, she blends her expertise in the health sciences with a strong commitment to student success, program development, and faculty mentorship across the college's healthcare and human services divisions.
Research Team
Dr. Galia Shokry; Dorothy and George Hennings College of Science, Mathematics and Technology (HCSMT)
Galia Shokry, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Sciences at Kean University. An interdisciplinary social scientist, she is interested in identifying and highlighting systemic barriers and solutions to realizing socially and environmentally just cities in the context of the climate emergency. Her research focuses on neighborhood (re)development and equitable climate adaptation planning in historically marginalized neighborhoods, and is widely recognized for highlighting the drivers of vulnerability to gentrification and displacement in urban neighborhoods planned for climate-resilient investments, especially new green infrastructure. Galia was previously a researcher with the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability, and several European projects, including GreenLULUs and DIVERCITIES. She also directed international educational programs aimed at fostering critical thinking, belonging, and civic engagement in schools in divided communities. Galia seeks to bring these experiences to her teaching and continue developing her research agenda to uncover alternative and just approaches to protecting socially vulnerable residents from climate and other compounding risks.
Dr. Erin O'Neill; College of Health Professions and Human Services
Dr. Erin K. O'Neill, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health and Human Performance at Kean University. A dedicated academic administrator and educator, she joined Kean following a distinguished 15-year tenure at New Jersey City University, where she served as an Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Population Health and Exercise Science Department. Dr. O’Neill’s scholarly and professional work focuses on improving community health outcomes, mitigating systemic health disparities, and fostering health justice and equity. As a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), she frequently serves as a consultant to government agencies and community health organizations to build effective public health strategy and policy. Notably, she was recognized as a 2021 Fellow with the National Leadership Academy for Public Health (NLAPH) through the CDC. Her research and teaching interests center on exploring the social determinants of health and designing educational environments that support healthy transitions for young adults. She holds a BS in Exercise and Sport Sciences from the University of Delaware, as well as an MS and a PhD in Health Promotion and Educational Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech.
Dr. Mansi Brat; College of Health Professions and Human Services
Dr. Mansi Brat, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Counselor Education at Kean University, where she teaches and mentors students across both the MA and PhD programs. She brings years of diverse clinical experience to her academic role, having practiced in college counseling centers, community mental health agencies, psychiatric hospitals, and private practice. Her research and teaching integrate mindfulness-based and social-justice-oriented frameworks into counselor training and community interventions. Grounded in critical pedagogy and Critical Race Theory (CRT), Dr. Brat examines implicit bias in mental health care equity, political discourse around race, and wellness modalities designed to mitigate clinician burnout. In addition to teaching, she chairs and serves on doctoral dissertation committees. Clinically, her therapeutic approach is grounded in psychodynamic theory, depth psychology, and attachment theory. She utilizes Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) and mind-body practices to support the mental health of children, adults, and families. Professionally, Dr. Brat also serves on the editorial boards of the Counseling & Values Journal and Counseling Scholarship & Practice in Educational Communities.
Graduate Research Assistant
Brittany Wooden - Doctoral student
Advisors
Dr. Laura Baecher, Senior Associate Provost for Faculty Success
Dr. Consuelo Bonillas, Chair of the Department of Public Health
Dr. Barbara George Johnson, Executive Director of the John S. Watson Institute for Urban Policy and Research