
Shaping Real World Policies to Tackle Persistent Health Inequities using Randomized Early Access to COVID-19 Vaccinations through Michigan Medicine
Project Summary
Spearheaded by U-M Economics Professor Amanda Kowalski, the research team featuring U-M Sociology’s Sarah Burgard secured nearly $2M in financial support from U-M’s College of Literature, Science, and the Arts for research examining health inequity exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study will examine early access to COVID-19 vaccination data from Michigan Medicine to evaluate various health inequities faced by marginalized communities. This research project seeks to inform future health policy guidance.
Kowalaski’s multidisciplinary team includes Sarah Burgard (Sociology), Yanna Krupnikov (Communication & Media), and Abram Wagner (Public Health). With the support of LSA, this project joins a growing list of Meet the Moment-funded research endeavors aimed at creating progressive change.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated already severe inequities in health and economic hardship by race, ethnicity, social vulnerability, and health. Although new life-saving technologies can reduce inequities, certain factors determine their real-world effectiveness, making policy guidance difficult. This project will examine early access to COVID-19 vaccination data from Michigan Medicine to evaluate those inequities, how they came to be, and their impact on individuals’ health and financial hardships with the aim to inform future policy guidance.
Project Team: Amanda Kowalski, Sarah Burgard, Yanna Krupnikov, Abram Wagner
Total Award: $1,999,782
Funding
U-M's College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Investigators
Amanda Kowalski, Sarah Andrea Burgard, Yanna Krupnikov
Project Period
07/01/2024