Paula Braveman, MD, MPH
Professor Emeritus
Family Community Medicine
School of Medicine

Her research has focused on measuring, documenting, understanding, and addressing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities, particularly in maternal and infant health. During the 1990s she collaborated with World Health Organization staff in Geneva to develop a global initiative on equity in health and health care. She has been the Research Director for a national commission on the social determinants of health in the U.S. supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with local, state, federal, and international health agencies to see rigorous research translated into practice with the goal of achieving greater equity in health. She was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences in 2002 and has served on the Advisory Council of the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities of NIH.

• Severe maternal hardships are associated with food insecurity among low-income/lower-income women during pregnancy: results from the 2012-2014 California maternal infant health assessment.
  BMC pregnancy and childbirth 2022 Laraia BA, Gamba R, Saraiva C, Dove MS, Marchi K, Braveman P
• Systemic And Structural Racism: Definitions, Examples, Health Damages, And Approaches To Dismantling.
  Health affairs (Project Hope) 2022 Braveman PA, Arkin E, Proctor D, Kauh T, Holm N
• Correction to: School nutrition laws in the US: do they influence obesity among youth in a racially/ethnically diverse state?
  International journal of obesity (2005) 2021 Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Matsuzaki M, Braveman P, Acosta ME, Alexovitz K, Sallis JF, Peterson KE, Sánchez BN
• Abandon "Race." Focus on Racism.
  Frontiers in public health 2021 Braveman P, Parker Dominguez T
• Explaining the Black-White Disparity in Preterm Birth: A Consensus Statement From a Multi-Disciplinary Scientific Work Group Convened by the March of Dimes.
  Frontiers in reproductive health 2021 Braveman P, Dominguez TP, Burke W, Dolan SM, Stevenson DK, Jackson FM, Collins JW, Driscoll DA, Haley T, Acker J, Shaw GM, McCabe ERB, Hay WW, Thornburg K, Acevedo-Garcia D, Cordero JF, Wise PH, Legaz…
• School nutrition laws in the US: do they influence obesity among youth in a racially/ethnically diverse state?
  International journal of obesity (2005) 2021 Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Matsuzaki M, Braveman P, Acosta ME, Alexovitz K, Sallis JF, Peterson KE, Sánchez BN
• A Prematurity Collaborative Birth Equity Consensus Statement for Mothers and Babies.
  Maternal and child health journal 2020 Jackson FM, Rashied-Henry K, Braveman P, Dominguez TP, Ramos D, Maseru N, Darity W, Waddell L, Warne D, Legaz G, Gupta R, James A
• Medical Provider Promotion of Oral Health and Women's Receipt of Dental Care During Pregnancy.
  Maternal and child health journal 2019 Marchi KS, Rinki C, Shah M, Dove M, Terpak C, Curtis MP, Braveman P
• Swimming Against the Tide: Challenges in Pursuing Health Equity Today.
  Academic medicine : journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges 2019 Braveman PA
• Retirements of Coal and Oil Power Plants in California: Association With Reduced Preterm Birth Among Populations Nearby.
  American journal of epidemiology 2018 Casey JA, Karasek D, Ogburn EL, Goin DE, Dang K, Braveman PA, Morello-Frosch R
• Economic Hardship in Childhood: A Neglected Issue in ACE Studies?
  Maternal and child health journal 2018 Braveman P, Heck K, Egerter S, Rinki C, Marchi K, Curtis M
• Worry about racial discrimination: A missing piece of the puzzle of Black-White disparities in preterm birth?
  PloS one 2017 Braveman P, Heck K, Egerter S, Dominguez TP, Rinki C, Marchi KS, Curtis M
• Methods to Assess Adverse Childhood Experiences of Children and Families: Toward Approaches to Promote Child Well-being in Policy and Practice.
  Academic pediatrics 2017 Bethell CD, Carle A, Hudziak J, Gombojav N, Powers K, Wade R, Braveman P
• Are the poverty histories of neighbourhoods associated with psychosocial well-being among a representative sample of California mothers? An observational study.
  Journal of epidemiology and community health 2017 Walsemann KM, Child S, Heck K, Margerison-Zilko C, Braveman P, Marchi K, Cubbin C
• Latina Birth Outcomes in California: Not so Paradoxical.
  Maternal and child health journal 2016 Sanchez-Vaznaugh EV, Braveman PA, Egerter S, Marchi KS, Heck K, Curtis M
• Post-partum Residential Mobility Among a Statewide Representative Sample of California Women, 2003-2007.
  Maternal and child health journal 2016 Margerison-Zilko C, Cubbin C, Jun J, Marchi K, Braveman P
• Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Depressive Symptoms Among Pregnant Women Vary by Income and Neighborhood Poverty.
  AIMS public health 2015 Cubbin C, Heck K, Powell T, Marchi K, Braveman P
• Beyond the cross-sectional: neighborhood poverty histories and preterm birth.
  American journal of public health 2015 Margerison-Zilko C, Cubbin C, Jun J, Marchi K, Fingar K, Braveman P
• The role of socioeconomic factors in Black-White disparities in preterm birth.
  American journal of public health 2014 Braveman PA, Heck K, Egerter S, Marchi KS, Dominguez TP, Cubbin C, Fingar K, Pearson JA, Curtis M
• What is health equity: and how does a life-course approach take us further toward it?
  Maternal and child health journal 2014 Braveman P
• The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the causes of the causes.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2014 Braveman P, Gottlieb L
• What are health disparities and health equity? We need to be clear.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2014 Braveman P
• Limited socioeconomic opportunities and Latina teen childbearing: a qualitative study of family and structural factors affecting future expectations.
  Journal of immigrant and minority health 2013 Minnis AM, Marchi K, Ralph L, Biggs MA, Combellick S, Arons A, Brindis CD, Braveman P
• Health in Europe--a view from across the Atlantic.
  Lancet (London, England) 2013 Braveman P
• Do wealth disparities contribute to health disparities within racial/ethnic groups?
  Journal of epidemiology and community health 2013 Pollack CE, Cubbin C, Sania A, Hayward M, Vallone D, Flaherty B, Braveman PA
• We are failing on health equity because we are failing on equity.
  Australian and New Zealand journal of public health 2012 Braveman P
• Health impact assessment: necessary but not sufficient for healthy public policy.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2012 Gottlieb LM, Fielding JE, Braveman PA
• Health inequalities by class and race in the US: what can we learn from the patterns?
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2012 Braveman P
• Where health disparities begin: the role of social and economic determinants--and why current policies may make matters worse.
  Health affairs (Project Hope) 2011 Woolf SH, Braveman P
• Accumulating knowledge on the social determinants of health and infectious disease.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2011 Braveman P
• Health disparities and health equity: the issue is justice.
  American journal of public health 2011 Braveman PA, Kumanyika S, Fielding J, Laveist T, Borrell LN, Manderscheid R, Troutman A
• Assessing alternative measures of wealth in health research.
  American journal of public health 2011 Cubbin C, Pollack C, Flaherty B, Hayward M, Sania A, Vallone D, Braveman P
• Broadening the focus: the need to address the social determinants of health.
  American journal of preventive medicine 2011 Braveman PA, Egerter SA, Mockenhaupt RE
• Father's education: an independent marker of risk for preterm birth.
  Maternal and child health journal 2011 Blumenshine PM, Egerter SA, Libet ML, Braveman PA
• Socioeconomic factors and health risk behaviors among adolescents.
  American journal of health behavior 2011 Cubbin C, Vesely SK, Braveman PA, Oman RF
• The social determinants of health: coming of age.
  Annual review of public health 2011 Braveman P, Egerter S, Williams DR
• When do we know enough to recommend action on the social determinants of health?
  American journal of preventive medicine 2011 Braveman PA, Egerter SA, Woolf SH, Marks JS
• Social conditions, health equity, and human rights.
  Health and human rights 2010 Braveman P
• Most pregnant women in California do not receive dental care: findings from a population-based study.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2010 Marchi KS, Fisher-Owens SA, Weintraub JA, Yu Z, Braveman PA
• Socioeconomic disparities in adverse birth outcomes: a systematic review.
  American journal of preventive medicine 2010 Blumenshine P, Egerter S, Barclay CJ, Cubbin C, Braveman PA
• Neighborhood poverty, aspirations and expectations, and initiation of sex.
  The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine 2010 Cubbin C, Brindis CD, Jain S, Santelli J, Braveman P
• Socioeconomic disparities in health in the United States: what the patterns tell us.
  American journal of public health 2010 Braveman PA, Cubbin C, Egerter S, Williams DR, Pamuk E
• Health disparities beginning in childhood: a life-course perspective.
  Pediatrics 2009 Braveman P, Barclay C
• A health disparities perspective on obesity research.
  Preventing chronic disease 2009 Braveman P
• Sociocultural determinants of teenage childbearing among Latinas in California.
  Maternal and child health journal 2009 Dehlendorf C, Marchi K, Vittinghoff E, Braveman P
• Poverty, near-poverty, and hardship around the time of pregnancy.
  Maternal and child health journal 2008 Braveman P, Marchi K, Egerter S, Kim S, Metzler M, Stancil T, Libet M
• Pregnancy intention and preterm birth: differential associations among a diverse population of women.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2008 Afable-Munsuz A, Braveman P
• "It's the skin you're in": African-American women talk about their experiences of racism. an exploratory study to develop measures of racism for birth outcome studies.
  Maternal and child health journal 2008 Nuru-Jeter A, Dominguez TP, Hammond WP, Leu J, Skaff M, Egerter S, Jones CP, Braveman P
• Pandemic influenza planning in the United States from a health disparities perspective.
  Emerging infectious diseases 2008 Blumenshine P, Reingold A, Egerter S, Mockenhaupt R, Braveman P, Marks J
• Potential implications of missing income data in population-based surveys: an example from a postpartum survey in California.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2007 Kim S, Egerter S, Cubbin C, Takahashi ER, Braveman P
• When do we know enough to recommend action? The need to be bold but not reckless.
  Journal of epidemiology and community health 2007 Braveman P
• Do we have real poverty in the United States of America?
  Preventing chronic disease 2007 Braveman P
• Should health studies measure wealth? A systematic review.
  American journal of preventive medicine 2007 Pollack CE, Chideya S, Cubbin C, Williams B, Dekker M, Braveman P
• Is neighborhood deprivation independently associated with maternal and infant health? Evidence from Florida and Washington.
  Maternal and child health journal 2007 Cubbin C, Marchi K, Lin M, Bell T, Marshall H, Miller C, Braveman P
• We also need bold experiments: a response to Starfield's "Commentary: Pathways of influence on equity in health".
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2007 Braveman PA
• Priorities for research to take forward the health equity policy agenda.
  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2006 Ostlin P, Braveman P, Dachs N, WHO Task Force on Research Priorities for Equity in Health, WHO Equity Team
• Health disparities and health equity: concepts and measurement.
  Annual review of public health 2006 Braveman P
• Socioeconomic status and breastfeeding initiation among California mothers.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2006 Heck KE, Braveman P, Cubbin C, Chávez GF, Kiely JL
• Early postnatal care among healthy newborns in 19 States: pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system, 2000.
  Maternal and child health journal 2005 Lansky A, Barfield WD, Marchi KS, Egerter SA, Galbraith AA, Braveman PA
• Socioeconomic status in health research: one size does not fit all.
  JAMA 2005 Braveman PA, Cubbin C, Egerter S, Chideya S, Marchi KS, Metzler M, Posner S
• The question is not: "is race or class more important?".
  Journal of epidemiology and community health 2005 Braveman P
• Strengthening health information systems to address health equity challenges.
  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2005 Nolen LB, Braveman P, Dachs JN, Delgado I, Gakidou E, Moser K, Rolfe L, Vega J, Zarowsky C
• Neighborhood context and sexual behaviors among adolescents: findings from the national longitudinal study of adolescent health.
  Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health 2005 Cubbin C, Santelli J, Brindis CD, Braveman P
• An approach to studying social disparities in health and health care.
  American journal of public health 2004 Braveman PA, Egerter SA, Cubbin C, Marchi KS
• Surveillance for disparities in maternal health-related behaviors--selected states, Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), 2000-2001.
  Morbidity and mortality weekly report. Surveillance summaries (Washington, D.C. : 2002) 2004 Phares TM, Morrow B, Lansky A, Barfield WD, Prince CB, Marchi KS, Braveman PA, Williams LM, Kinniburgh B
• Poverty, equity, human rights and health.
  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2003 Braveman P, Gruskin S
• Does postpartum length of stay affect breastfeeding duration? A population-based study.
  Birth (Berkeley, Calif.) 2003 Heck KE, Schoendorf KC, Chávez GF, Braveman P
• Global Equity Gauge Alliance: reflections on early experiences.
  Journal of health, population, and nutrition 2003 McCoy D, Bambas L, Acurio D, Baya B, Bhuiya A, Chowdhury AM, Grisurapong S, Liu Y, Ngom P, Ngulube TJ, Ntuli A, Sanders D, Vega J, Shukla A, Braveman PA
• Infant sleep position: associated maternal and infant factors.
  Ambulatory pediatrics : the official journal of the Ambulatory Pediatric Association 2003 Chung EK, Hung YY, Marchi K, Chavez GF, Braveman P
• Monitoring equity in health and healthcare: a conceptual framework.
  Journal of health, population, and nutrition 2003 Braveman PA
• Clinician support and psychosocial risk factors associated with breastfeeding discontinuation.
  Pediatrics 2003 Taveras EM, Capra AM, Braveman PA, Jensvold NG, Escobar GJ, Lieu TA
• Improvements in prenatal insurance coverage and utilization of care in California: an unsung public health victory.
  Maternal and child health journal 2003 Rittenhouse DR, Braveman P, Marchi K
• Defining equity in health.
  Journal of epidemiology and community health 2003 Braveman P, Gruskin S
• Newborn early discharge revisited: are California newborns receiving recommended postnatal services?
  Pediatrics 2003 Galbraith AA, Egerter SA, Marchi KS, Chavez G, Braveman PA
• Optimal SES indicators cannot be prescribed across all outcomes.
  American journal of public health 2003 Braveman P, Cubbin C
• Socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in unintended pregnancy among postpartum women in California.
  Maternal and child health journal 2002 Cubbin C, Braveman PA, Marchi KS, Chavez GF, Santelli JS, Gilbert BJ
• MSJAMA. Measuring health equity within countries: the challenge of limited information.
  JAMA 2002 Braveman P
• Social inequalities in health within countries: not only an issue for affluent nations.
  Social science & medicine (1982) 2002 Braveman P, Tarimo E
• Timing of insurance coverage and use of prenatal care among low-income women.
  American journal of public health 2002 Egerter S, Braveman P, Marchi K
• The relationship of neighborhood socioeconomic characteristics to birthweight among 5 ethnic groups in California.
  American journal of public health 2001 Pearl M, Braveman P, Abrams B
• World Health Report 2000: how it removes equity from the agenda for public health monitoring and policy.
  BMJ (Clinical research ed.) 2001 Braveman P, Starfield B, Geiger HJ
• A randomized comparison of home visits and hospital-based group follow-up visits after early postpartum discharge.
  Pediatrics 2001 Escobar GJ, Braveman PA, Ackerson L, Odouli R, Coleman-Phox K, Capra AM, Wong C, Lieu TA
• Measuring socioeconomic status/position in studies of racial/ethnic disparities: maternal and infant health.
  Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 2001 Braveman P, Cubbin C, Marchi K, Egerter S, Chavez G
• Methodological concerns and recommendations on policy consequences of the World Health Report 2000.
  Lancet (London, England) 2001 Almeida C, Braveman P, Gold MR, Szwarcwald CL, Ribeiro JM, Miglionico A, Millar JS, Porto S, Costa NR, Rubio VO, Segall M, Starfield B, Travassos C, Travessos C, Uga A, Valente J, Viacava F
• Epidemiology and (neo-)colonialism.
  Journal of epidemiology and community health 2001 Braveman PA
• Risk factors for late or no prenatal care following Medicaid expansions in California.
  Maternal and child health journal 2000 Nothnagle M, Marchi K, Egerter S, Braveman P
• The validity of information on "race" and "Hispanic ethnicity" in California birth certificate data.
  Health services research 2000 Baumeister L, Marchi K, Pearl M, Williams R, Braveman P
• Barriers to timely prenatal care among women with insurance: the importance of prepregnancy factors.
  Obstetrics and gynecology 2000 Braveman P, Marchi K, Egerter S, Pearl M, Neuhaus J
• A randomized comparison of home and clinic follow-up visits after early postpartum hospital discharge.
  Pediatrics 2000 Lieu TA, Braveman PA, Escobar GJ, Fischer AF, Jensvold NG, Capra AM
• Combining forces against inequity and poverty rather than splitting hairs
  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2000 Braveman P
• Health inequalities and social inequalities in health.
  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2000 Braveman P, Krieger N, Lynch J
• Round table discussion. Health inequalities and the health of the poor.
  Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2000 Acheson D, Alleyne GA, Casas JA, Castillo-Salgado C, Barzach M, Braveman P, Dahlgren G, Gupta GR, Liu Y, Orosz E
• The prevalence of low income among childbearing women in California: implications for the private and public sectors.
  American journal of public health 1999 Braveman P, Egerter S, Marchi K
• Clinical outcomes and maternal perceptions of an updated model of perinatal care.
  Pediatrics 1998 Lieu TA, Wikler C, Capra AM, Martin KE, Escobar GJ, Braveman PA
• Follow-up of newborns and their mothers after early hospital discharge.
  Clinics in perinatology 1998 Egerter SA, Braveman PA, Marchi KS
• Validity of insurance information on California birth certificates.
  American journal of public health 1998 Braveman P, Pearl M, Egerter S, Marchi K, Williams R
• Early discharge and evidence-based practice. Good science and good judgment.
  JAMA 1997 Braveman P, Kessel W, Egerter S, Richmond J
• Health service use among low-risk newborns after early discharge with and without nurse home visiting.
  The Journal of the American Board of Family Practice 1996 Braveman P, Miller C, Egerter S, Bennett T, English P, Katz P, Showstack J
• Short hospital stays for mothers and newborns.
  The Journal of family practice 1996 Braveman PA
• Health screening, development, and equity.
  Journal of public health policy 1996 Braveman P, Tarimo E
• Problems associated with early discharge of newborn infants. Early discharge of newborns and mothers: a critical review of the literature.
  Pediatrics 1995 Braveman P, Egerter S, Pearl M, Marchi K, Miller C
• Racial/ethnic differences in the likelihood of cesarean delivery, California.
  American journal of public health 1995 Braveman P, Egerter S, Edmonston F, Verdon M
• Let's take on the real dragon: profiteering in health care.
  Journal of public health policy 1995 Braveman P, Bennett T
• Maternal marital status as a risk factor for infant mortality.
  Family planning perspectives 1994 Bennett T, Braveman P, Egerter S, Kiely JL
• Insurance-related differences in the risk of ruptured appendix.
  The New England journal of medicine 1994 Braveman P, Schaaf VM, Egerter S, Bennett T, Schecter W
• Access to prenatal care following major Medicaid eligibility expansions.
  JAMA 1993 Braveman P, Bennett T, Lewis C, Egerter S, Showstack J
• Differences in hospital resource allocation among sick newborns according to insurance coverage.
  JAMA 1991 Braveman PA, Egerter S, Bennett T, Showstack J
• Adverse outcomes and lack of health insurance among newborns in an eight-county area of California, 1982 to 1986.
  The New England journal of medicine 1989 Braveman P, Oliva G, Miller MG, Reiter R, Egerter S
• Lower-extremity amputation in people with diabetes. Epidemiology and prevention.
  Diabetes care 1989 Bild DE, Selby JV, Sinnock P, Browner WS, Braveman P, Showstack JA
• Women without health insurance. Links between access, poverty, ethnicity, and health.
  The Western journal of medicine 1988 Braveman P, Oliva G, Miller MG, Schaaf VM, Reiter R
• Evaluating outcomes of pregnancy in diabetic women. Epidemiologic considerations and recommended indicators.
  Diabetes care 1988 Braveman P, Showstack J, Browner W, Selby J, Teutsch S, Sepe S
• Screening in preventive care for adolescents.
  The Western journal of medicine 1987 Braveman P, Toomey KE
• Training physicians for community-oriented primary care in Latin America: model programs in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.
  American journal of public health 1987 Braveman PA, Mora F
• Nicaragua: a health system developing under conditions of war.
  International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation 1987 Braveman P, Siegel D
• Health personnel training in the Nicaraguan health system.
  International journal of health services : planning, administration, evaluation 1985 Braveman PA, Roemer MI