Diana Hernandez
Diana Hernandez
Diana Hernández, PhD is an Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. A sociologist by training, her work focuses on the social and environmental determinants of health by examining the impacts of policy and place-based interventions on the health and well-being of socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. A leader in the field, Dr. Hernández has advanced the concept of energy insecurity to reflect challenges associated with meeting basic household energy needs. Much of her community-oriented research has been conducted with community groups and government agencies and several of her projects have been conducted in her native South Bronx neighborhood, where she also lives and invests in social impact real estate. Dr. Hernández’ cutting-edge research has been published in leading academic journals and has been supported by several federal grants and philanthropic organizations. Professor Hernandez teaches graduate level courses on qualitative research design and analysis, public health leadership and energy justice. She completed her doctoral training in Sociology at Cornell University (2010), her undergraduate degree at Hunter College- City University of New York (2002) and is a product of the New York City public school system.