Bridging academia, public health, and policy: A conversation with Dr. Lorna Thorpe

Public health is an ever-evolving field that combines data, policy, and community engagement. Few individuals embody this intersection as well as Dr. Lorna Thorpe does. Her career has taken her across continents and into some of the most pressing public health challenges of our time. 

Now serving as the Anita and Joseph Steckler Professor and Chair of the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, Dr. Thorpe has vast research experience in the field of epidemiology, with a focus on population-based surveillance, measuring social determinants of health, electronic health record network-based research, and translating research into policy and practice. As former Deputy Commissioner for the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in charge of Epidemiology, she led the design of many innovative scientific studies to understand the health of NYC residents.

This past year, Dr. Thorpe was appointed co-leader of the SHHARE Community Project: The Shared Hub for Health Action Research and Equity in Community-led Interventions. SHHARE is one of the ComPASS Health Equity Research Hubs, which provides localized technical assistance and scientific support for Community-Led, Health Equity Structural Intervention (CHESI) projects in the United States funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Common Fund and its ComPASS program. The Hub will also provide partnership support, research capacity-building, and training to ComPASS grant recipients.

In a recent conversation during her site visit to Grupo Nexos in Puerto Rico, Dr. Thorpe shared her insights on the importance of data-driven decision-making, the challenges of public health policy, and the role of community partnerships in driving sustainable health outcomes. Dr. Matthew Lee, coinvestigator, and Ramzia Issa, MPH program coordinator for the SHHARE Community Hub, joined her.

A career inspired by impact

Dr. Thorpe’s journey into public health was fueled by a deep commitment to using data to inform policy and improve lives. She began her career working internationally, collecting critical health data to inform government services and working with disadvantaged communities in Asian countries such as China and Indonesia. Her work, particularly in the realm of HIV prevention, underscored the importance of rigorous data collection. “It was only when we began collecting data very systematically and analyzing it that the solutions came about,” she explained. “That was the moment I changed from being a programs person to a data person.”

Her path led her to roles at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where, as an epidemiologist, she focused on implementing policies to curb outbreaks. Later, she joined the New York City Department of Health, where she led epidemiological efforts to safeguard the health of millions of people. “It was again an intersection of data and applied epidemiology for health protection.”  Now as an academic, she leads many studies. In one, she led an extensive study examining the impact of the federal ban on smoking in public housing—a policy affecting nearly half a million New Yorkers. The study measured air quality in homes of non-smokers, both before and for several years after the policy’s implementation, as well as tracking the impact of the policy on asthma-related emergency department visits among children, birth outcomes to pregnant moms, and respiratory illness among older adults. 

This experience was quite significant because it reaffirmed the value of sustained monitoring and long-term evaluation in informing public health. “Policies don’t create change overnight,” Dr. Thorpe noted. “It really takes time for the policies to have true impact.” This commitment to long-term evaluation underscores the importance of evidence-based policymaking, particularly in communities that face disproportionate health risks.

The power of community partnerships

As public health faces significant threats and challenges, Dr. Thorpe and her team emphasize the importance of building networks that foster trust and amplify community voices. “It’s really a boots-on-the-ground network that is important in this age.” Building on partnerships, they have been able to deploy communications strategies that give different populations a voice in the advocacy process. One successful initiative, she mentions, involved empowering youth in public housing to share their perspectives on vaccination through digital storytelling. This approach allowed individuals to become advocates within their communities, fostering a culture of informed decision-making.

During her recent visit to Puerto Rico as part of the SHHARE Community Project, Dr. Thorpe and her team noted the tenacity of local organizations like Grupo Nexos in navigating complex funding landscapes while ensuring that public health efforts remain inclusive and impactful. She also admired the collaborative spirit she encountered. Grupo Nexos is one of 26 community organizations  and coordination centers selected in 2023 by the NIH to examine underlying conditions and environments influencing health outcomes and enable structural interventions to achieve optimal health.

“We are struck by the big tent vision, the constant consideration of who needs to be involved and how to get them involved,” said coinvestigator Dr. Matthew Lee. The Hub leadership echoed the message that it’s about bringing everyone to the table—governments, community organizations, researchers—because meaningful change happens when all voices are heard.

Motivation and the path forward 

When asked about what motivates her work, Dr. Thorpe’s response was simple yet profound: “Saving lives.” In their final remarks, the Hub coinvestigators and program manager stressed how personal their work is. Beyond the numbers and policies, public health ensures that everyone—regardless of background or socioeconomic status—can live healthier lives.

For aspiring public health professionals, Dr. Thorpe underscored the reward that comes out of balancing individual impact and systemic change. “Public health interventions can straddle both ends of the spectrum—you can have a direct impact and personal contact with individuals, while also working systematically through the various levels of practice to change policy.”

These insights remind us that the most effective public health solutions emerge from the intersection of research, policy, and community engagement. By fostering collaboration and staying committed to data-driven solutions, we can build a healthier future for all.