PSC In The News
Geronimus discusses causes, potential solutions to racial disparities in infant mortality
Highlights
Arline Geronimus wins Excellence in Research Award from School of Public Health
Yu Xie to give DBASSE's David Lecture April 30, 2013 on "Is American Science in Decline?"
U-M grad programs do well in latest USN&WR "Best" rankings
Sheldon Danziger named president of Russell Sage Foundation
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Rachel Best
Postdoctoral Fellow, RWJ Scholars in Health Policy Research Program, School of Public Health.
Research Affiliate, Population Studies Center.
Ph.D., University of California - Berkeley
Dr. Best examines how policies and laws respond to social problems and, in particular, how advocacy and culture create legal/policy inequalities in the ways we address social issues such as disease, homelessness, and employment discrimination. Her current research explores why lobbying for research into new medical treatments has overshadowed movements seeking research on environmental causes of disease and advocacy for expanded access to medical care.
Recent Publications
Journal Articles
Best, Rachel. 2012. "Disease Politics and Medical Research Funding: Three Ways Advocacy Shapes Policy." American Sociological Review, 77(5): 780-803. DOI. Abstract.
Best, Rachel, Lauren B. Edelman, Linda Hamilton Krieger, and Scott R. Eliason. 2011. "Multiple Disadvantages: An Empirical Test of Intersectionality Theory in EEO Litigation." Law and Society Review, 45(4): 991-1025. Abstract.
Best, Rachel. 2010. "Situation or Social Problem: The Influence of Events on Media Coverage of Homelessness." Social Problems, 57(1): 74-91. Abstract.
Chapters
Kirp, David L., and Rachel Best. 2007. "Life Way After Preschool." In The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics. Harvard University Press.