Skip to main content

David Abramson

David Abramson

David Abramson

Scroll

Clinical Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Professional overview

Dr. David Abramson is a Clinical Professor at NYU’s School of Global Public Health and the director of the research program on Population Impact, Recovery and Resilience (PiR2). His research employs a social ecological framework to examine the health consequences of disasters, individual and community resilience, and long-term recovery from acute collective stressors. His work has focused on population health consequences, interactions of complex systems, and risk communication strategies associated with hurricanes Katrina and Sandy, the Joplin tornado, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, H1N1, and Zika, among other natural, technological, and man-made disasters.  Before joining NYU’s faculty, Dr. Abramson was the Deputy Director at Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness at the Earth Institute.

In 2005 Dr. Abramson launched the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health study, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of over 1,000 randomly sampled Katrina survivors in Louisiana and Mississippi, which is presently a core research project in the NIH-funded Katrina@10 Program (P01HD082032, NICHD).  After Superstorm Sandy he partnered with colleagues at Rutgers University, Columbia University, and the University of Colorado to conduct the Sandy Child and Family Health study, an observational cohort study modeled on the Katrina study. More recently, he was funded by the National Science Foundation and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study the risk salience of an evolving threat, the Zika virus, among the US population in general and among women of child-bearing age.  In addition, Dr. Abramson serves on two National Academies of Medicine panels, the Standing Committee on Medical and Public Health Research During Large-Scale Emergency Events, and the Committee on Evidence-Based Practices for Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response.

Prior to entering the field of public health, Dr. Abramson spent a decade as a national magazine journalist, having worked at or written for such publications as Rolling Stone, Esquire, and Outside magazines, and was a nationally-certified paramedic.  He has a PhD in sociomedical sciences, with a sub-specialization in political science, and an MPH, both from Columbia University.

Education

BA, English (High Honors), Queens College, New York, NY
MPH, Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY
PhD, Sociomedical Sciences/Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY

Honors and awards

Columbia University Alumni Association Scholarship (2003)
Eugene Litwak Prize for best doctoral dissertation proposal, Mailman School of Public Health (2002)
Columbia University School of Public Health Alumni Association Scholarship Award (1982)
Nyack Hospital Paramedic Program Valedictorian (1989)

Areas of research and study

Community Health
Disaster Health
Disaster Impact and Recovery
Environmental Impact
Population Health
Public Health Systems
Social Behaviors
Social Determinants of Health

Publications

Publications

Rapid Behavioral Health Assessment Post-disaster : Developing and Validating a Brief, Structured Module

Failed retrieving data.

The effects of cumulative natural disaster exposure on adolescent psychological distress

Failed retrieving data.

The formation of belief : An examination of factors that influence climate change belief among Hurricane Katrina survivors

Failed retrieving data.

Towards integrated modeling of the long-term impacts of oil spills

Failed retrieving data.

Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters

Failed retrieving data.

From information to intervention : connecting risk communication to individual health behavior and community-level health interventions during the 2016 Zika outbreak

Failed retrieving data.

Information-Accessing behavior during zika virus outbreak, United States, 2016

Failed retrieving data.

Cross-Sectional Psychological and Demographic Associations of Zika Knowledge and Conspiracy Beliefs Before and After Local Zika Transmission

Failed retrieving data.

Housing Transitions and Recovery of Older Adults following Hurricane Sandy

Failed retrieving data.

Hurricanes and healthcare : A case report on the influences of Hurricane Maria and managed Medicare in treating a Puerto Rican resident

Failed retrieving data.

Support for vector control strategies in the United States during the Zika outbreak in 2016 : The role of risk perception, knowledge, and confidence in government

Failed retrieving data.

Application of a Theoretical Model Toward Understanding Continued Food Insecurity Post Hurricane Katrina

Failed retrieving data.

Children and Disasters

Failed retrieving data.

Factors associated with continued food insecurity among households recovering from hurricane Katrina

Failed retrieving data.

How the US Population Engaged with and Prioritized Sources of Information about the Emerging Zika Virus in 2016

Failed retrieving data.

Variations in Healthcare Provider Use of Public Health and Other Information Sources by Provider Type and Practice Setting during New York City's Response to the Emerging Threat of Zika Virus Disease, 2016

Failed retrieving data.

Risk salience of a novel virus : US population risk perception, knowledge, and receptivity to public health interventions regarding the Zika virus prior to local transmission

Failed retrieving data.

Social capital, neighborhood disorder, and disaster recovery

Failed retrieving data.

The Women and Their Children's Health (WaTCH) study : Methods and design of a prospective cohort study in Louisiana to examine the health effects from the BP oil spill

Failed retrieving data.

Crisis Decision-Making during Hurricane Sandy : An Analysis of Established and Emergent Disaster Response Behaviors in the New York Metro Area

Failed retrieving data.

Foreword

Failed retrieving data.

The Medical Home and Care Coordination in Disaster Recovery : Hypothesis for Interventions and Research

Failed retrieving data.

Preparedness and emergency response research centers : Early returns on investment in evidence-based public health systems research

Failed retrieving data.

School interventions after the Joplin tornado

Failed retrieving data.

The Resilience Activation Framework : a Conceptual Model of How Access to Social Resources Promotes Adaptation and Rapid Recovery in Post-disaster Settings

Failed retrieving data.

Contact

david.abramson@nyu.edu 708 Broadway New York, NY, 10003