The Research Center for Health and Society (REACH) is housed within the School of International and Public Affairs at FIU, and its core faculty are based in the Department of Global and Sociocultural Studies. REACH aims to advance interdisciplinary social science research and training on health in the Global South, and disseminates evidence-based and policy relevant knowledge and solutions to address health concerns in the region.
REACH’s vision is to broadly transform health and society scholarship, advancing policy-relevant social science research collaboration and engagement to ensure that Florida International University is at the forefront of interdisciplinary health research and innovative health initiatives in the Global South. This connects to FIU’s broader Strategic Plan for 2030, which emphasizes expanding collaborative and interdisciplinary health research across FIU.
The NIH, the National Science Foundation, and other federal funding agencies and private foundations are increasingly interested in interdisciplinary approaches to complex health issues that extend beyond the traditional disciplinary models. Indeed, REACH faculty have received over $10 million in research grants since 2010, having conducted projects in the Latin American and Caribbean region, as well as in South Florida. Research results have been published in top-tier social science and interdisciplinary health sciences journals such as Social Science and Medicine, Medical Anthropology Quarterly, Health and Place, Critical Public Health, Arts and Health, and Crossings: Journal of Migration and Culture.
In addition, REACH prioritizes creative and accessible means of disseminating its work, incorporating visual methods through the use of research-informed documentaries (see Collapse, La Oreja/The Ear, and La Abeja/The Bee for recent examples). In addition, the team has conducted collaborative community-based photographic exhibitions using the techniques of PhotoVoice, a methodology the team has incorporated into course instruction and public lectures. These approaches reach broader audiences, and often include students at all levels in these arts-based dissemination efforts.
Students are involved in all of REACH’s research projects, and often contribute as co-authors on scientific publications and dissemination products. Contact us for more information on how you can get involved.
For more information on the team, see the links to REACH core faculty bios and GSS faculty affiliates and co-investigators, as well as our social media pages on Facebook and Bluesky.
Mark Padilla, REACH Director (REACH contact email: marpadi@fiu.edu)
Sheilla Rodríguez-Madera, REACH Core Faculty
Nelson Varas-Díaz, REACH Core Faculty
Kevin Grove, REACH co-investigator
Genevieve Reid, REACH co-investigator