Danya Keene, PhD
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Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences)
Biography
Danya Keene is an Associate Professor of Social Behavioral Sciences at the Yale School of Public Health. Her research examines housing and housing policy as determinants of population health equity. Moving beyond a focus on housing and individual health, her work considers how an ongoing history of racially discriminatory housing and urban policies have constrained housing access for non-white Americans, and thus contribute to racial health equity. Her work has examined a range of topics including public housing demolition, home foreclosure, the stigmatization of marginalized communities, and the housing experiences of formerly incarcerated individuals. Much of her current work is focused on examining the population health implications of the affordable rental housing crisis. For example, she is using local and nationally representative data to explore whether and how access to federal rental assistance can improve type 2 diabetes management and outcomes. In other work, she is investigating the impact of eviction prevention policies during the COVID 19 pandemic. Dr. Keene is recognized as an expert in qualitative methods and frequently employs both qualitative and quantitative approaches in her work. She teaches a core MPH course called Social Justice and Health Equity and is the founding director of YSPH's US Health Justice Concentration.
Appointments
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor TenurePrimary
Other Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar
- University of Pennsylvania (2013)
- PhD
- University of Michigan (2009)
- MAT
- Johns Hopkins University (2001)
Research
Overview
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Alana Rosenberg, MPH
Penelope Schlesinger, MPH
John Pachankis, PhD
Whitney Denary, MPH
Jeannette Ickovics, PhD
Aba Black, MD, MHS
Qualitative Research
Housing
Racism
Health Equity
Social Justice
Publications
2024
Tenant right to counsel and health: Pathways and possibilities
Keene D, Vargas G, Harper A. Tenant right to counsel and health: Pathways and possibilities. SSM - Qualitative Research In Health 2024, 6: 100464. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2024.100464.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricExploring Attitudes Toward Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention Prior to Implementation Among Female Sex Workers in Malaysia: Results from a Qualitative Study
Foley S, Keene D, Shrestha R, Brown S, Gautam K, Sutherland R, Maviglia F, Saifi R, Wickersham J. Exploring Attitudes Toward Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention Prior to Implementation Among Female Sex Workers in Malaysia: Results from a Qualitative Study. Patient Preference And Adherence 2024, 18: 797-807. PMID: 38595805, PMCID: PMC11003429, DOI: 10.2147/ppa.s413423.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsFemale sex workersPre-exposure prophylaxisHIV preventionFSWs’ willingnessMethod of HIV preventionSex workersAcceptability of PrEPHIV prevention practicesPrevention of HIV transmissionGrounded theory approachSemi-structured interviewsCondom promotionPrEP usePrEP rolloutPrevention practicesTranslated interviewsEmpowerment componentsQualitative studyHarm reductionHIV transmissionOral PrEPPerceived challengesPrEPCondom useQualitative explorationAssociation Between Rental Assistance Programs and Undiagnosed Diabetes Among U.S
Gonzalez-Lopez C, Fenelon A, Lipska K, Denary W, Schlesinger P, Esserman D, Keene D. Association Between Rental Assistance Programs and Undiagnosed Diabetes Among U.S. Journal Of General Internal Medicine 2024, 39: 1625-1631. PMID: 38351417, PMCID: PMC11255160, DOI: 10.1007/s11606-024-08673-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsOdds of undiagnosed diabetesRental assistance programsRental assistanceUndiagnosed diabetesAssistance programsHousing programsNational Health and Nutrition Examination SurveyHealth and Nutrition Examination SurveyRates of undiagnosed diabetesAssociated with lower oddsNutrition Examination SurveyAssociated with decreased oddsAssisted housingLogistic regression modelsHousing qualityHealthcare accessPoverty ratioExamination SurveyDiabetes screeningQuasi-experimental approachLower oddsHealth dataAssisted groupAssisted participantsEducation levelEviction from rental housing and its links to health: A scoping review
Smith P, Keene D, Dilday S, Blankenship K, Groves A. Eviction from rental housing and its links to health: A scoping review. Health & Place 2024, 86: 103182. PMID: 38340495, DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2024.103182.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetric
2023
Eviction as a community health exposure
Schwartz G, Leifheit K, Arcaya M, Keene D. Eviction as a community health exposure. Social Science & Medicine 2023, 340: 116496. PMID: 38091853, PMCID: PMC11249083, DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.116496.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricA conceptual understanding of the impact of interconnected forms of racism on maternal hypertension through Black Women’s lived experiences
Francis B, Bosah C, Plaisime M, Ford T, Keene D, Ray N, Sealy-Jefferson S. A conceptual understanding of the impact of interconnected forms of racism on maternal hypertension through Black Women’s lived experiences. SSM - Qualitative Research In Health 2023, 4: 100329. DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmqr.2023.100329.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsStructural racismBlack womenLived experienceForms of racismWomen's lived experienceBlack women’s lived experienceWhite supremacyHolistic policiesRacismLarger ideologiesQualitative findingsFocus groupsMultidimensional natureHealth barriersHealth harmsIdeologyPolicyMaternal hypertensionTheory approachRacial disparitiesParticular focusConceptual understandingExperienceNew HavenCapitalismThe Affordable Rental Housing Crisis and Population Health Equity: a Multidimensional and Multilevel Framework
Keene D, Blankenship K. The Affordable Rental Housing Crisis and Population Health Equity: a Multidimensional and Multilevel Framework. Journal Of Urban Health 2023, 100: 1212-1223. PMID: 37991605, PMCID: PMC10728029, DOI: 10.1007/s11524-023-00799-8.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHousing insecurityPopulation health equityHousing crisisStructural racismHealth equityUnequal burdenCurrent housing crisisMultilevel frameworkHousing arrangementsRacismInsecurityIndividual householdsHousing conditionsEquityCrisisHousingPolicyPopulation healthMultiple formsCommunityConsiderable bodyInsecure individualsFull impactHomelessnessHouseholdsRethinking the effects of gentrification on the health of Black communities in the United States: Towards a racialized health framework
Whittaker S, Swope C, Keene D. Rethinking the effects of gentrification on the health of Black communities in the United States: Towards a racialized health framework. Journal Of Urban Affairs 2023, ahead-of-print: 1-23. DOI: 10.1080/07352166.2023.2268761.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricConceptsBlack communityBlack AmericansHealth vulnerabilityEffects of gentrificationUnited StatesHousing policyRacial capitalismUneven impactOngoing legacyGentrificationBlack residentsUnique experiencesConceptual frameworkHealth frameworkHealth researchHealth impactsCommunityAmericansCapitalismVulnerabilityPolicyResearchLegacyFrameworkReinvestmentTrusted residents and housing assistance to decrease violence exposure in New Haven (TRUE HAVEN): a strengths-based and community-driven stepped-wedge intervention to reduce gun violence
Tong G, Spell V, Horton N, Thornhill T, Keene D, Montgomery C, Spiegelman D, Wang E, Roy B. Trusted residents and housing assistance to decrease violence exposure in New Haven (TRUE HAVEN): a strengths-based and community-driven stepped-wedge intervention to reduce gun violence. BMC Public Health 2023, 23: 1545. PMID: 37580653, PMCID: PMC10426138, DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15997-x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsGun violenceHousing assistanceStructural racismHousing stabilityViolence exposureMulti-level interventionsCommunity gun violenceMulti-stakeholder coalitionsRental assistance programsCommunity-based organizationsHousing supportPolicy changesFinancial educationStable housingBeing of individualsViolenceTarget neighborhoodsCommunity membersNew HavenNeighborhood ratesAssistance programsOrganization leadersRacismHavenNeighborhood“Being homeless can burn you out”: a qualitative study of individuals’ experience of administrative burden when accessing homeless services
Robinson L, Schlesinger P, Rosenberg A, Blankenship K, Keene D. “Being homeless can burn you out”: a qualitative study of individuals’ experience of administrative burden when accessing homeless services. Journal Of Social Distress And The Homeless 2023, ahead-of-print: 1-10. DOI: 10.1080/10530789.2023.2237242.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsHomeless servicesAdministrative burdenAffordable housing optionsUnderutilization of servicesRental assistanceHousing resourcesHousing optionsHomelessnessEviction crisisQualitative studyNew formsIndividual experiencesUnited StatesServicesExperienceNew HavenHousingInequitiesCrisisHavenUnmet needAssistanceInvestmentIndividualsSignificant efforts
Clinical Trials
Current Trials
Affordable Housing and Diabetes
HIC ID2000027188RolePrincipal InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date03/31/2025Recruiting ParticipantsGenderBothAge18+ yearsUsing Smart Phones to Understand the Link Between Social and Geographical Context and HIV Risk Behavior Among MSM (GPS and Health)
HIC ID2000021580RoleSub InvestigatorPrimary Completion Date08/31/2022Recruiting ParticipantsGenderMaleAge18 years - 34 years
Academic Achievements & Community Involvement
activity Housing Authority of New Haven
Peer Review Groups and Grant Study SectionsBoard MemberDetails12/01/2020 - Presenthonor Yale School of Public Health Distinguished Mentor Award
Yale University AwardDetails05/01/2017United States
News
News
- April 04, 2024Source: CT Insider
It's harder to afford living in Connecticut, that could also harm people's health, Yale expert says
- January 31, 2024Source: Yale Daily News
Blending research and advocacy, Yale’s Housing and Health Equity Lab tackles homelessness through a scientific lens
- January 10, 2024Source: USA Today
Soaring rent prices aren’t just hurting wallets. They’re shortening lifespans.
- September 07, 2023
Orientation session introduces YSPH students to diverse community public health initiatives