Harvard University · Social ScienceThe Community Health Nexus
Karen M. Emmons · Cambridge, Massachusetts
Research Focus
Karen M. Emmons' research lab focuses on improving cancer outcomes by strengthening community health centers and enhancing their capacity to provide evidence-based screenings and tobacco treatments. The lab explores how to build social connections within communities to facilitate better health access and outcomes, as well as utilizing technology to support these advancements. Through partnerships and community engagement, they aim to develop solutions that are sustainable and scalable.
cancer controlcommunity healthevidence-based screeningtobacco cessationsocial determinants of healthdigital accesscommunity engagementresearch methods
Research Aims
5AIM 01Strengthen the capacity of community health centers to deliver cancer screening and treatment.
AIM 02Promote social and digital connections among patients for better health outcomes.
AIM 03Conduct multi-level interventions to improve access to health resources.
AIM 04Build community social capital and civic participation to enhance cancer control.
AIM 05Create a centralized data ecosystem for efficient research data sharing.
Skills the Lab Values
community engagementpublic health researchdata managementintervention designhealthcare systems analysisquantitative research methodsstakeholder partnership buildingprogram evaluation
Output against the department
Publications328top 16% of dept.12th of 77
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations17ktop 14% of dept.11th of 77
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.