Our Faculty

Dr. Muennig's work primarily focuses on the cost-effectivenss of competing medical and non-medical social policies in improving population health. He uses randomized trials and cost-effectiveness analyses together to develop causal models to study the most efficient mix of medical and non-medical policies for maximizing health in the U.S. and elsewhere. His work has focused on education interventions, housing, health systems, immigration, environmental policies and welfare policies. He has also worked as a consultant for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Canadian government, and the Chinese government on immigration policy, health system development, and urban health. He has been published over 70 research papers and has authored two textbooks on cost-effectiveness analysis. His work has appeared on NPR, CNN, MSNBC and multiple times in major print media sources, such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Slate.   View Faculty CV here (PDF).

MPH, Columbia University, 1998

MD, University of California at San Diego, 1994

BS, University of California at Santa Barbara, 1989

Mailman School Affiliations:

• Center for the Study of Social Inequalities and Health 
• National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP) 

University Affiliations:

• Columbia Population Research Center
• Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy

Additional Affiliations:

• American Public Health Association, 1996-Present
• Society for Medical Decision Making, 2001-Present
• Transportation Alternatives, 2006-Present

• Hanwang Initiative Health Panel, 2012
• Health Affairs most read article, 2010
• Glenda Garvey Teaching Academy, 2010
• ASPH/Pfizer Early Career in Public Health Teaching Award, 2008
• Academy of Distinguished Teachers, 2008

Selected Editorial Boards

• Global Public Health

Immigrant Health
I conduct a wide array of research focused on understanding the health needs of immigrant populations to New York and to the United States. Immigrants constitute about 40% of the New York population, so New York serves as one laboratory for understanding why immigrants are healthier than the average native-born American.

Opportunity NYC
Project URL: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ceo/html/programs/opportunity_nyc.shtml
I served as a consultant to MDRC, the organization charged with the evaluation of Opportunity NYC.

Why is New York City Healthier than others?
I am engaged in a study exploring the contributions of immigration, gentrification, and social polices to the health of NYC residents that might explain the large gains in life expectancy seen in the city over the past 2 decades.

Burmese Refugee Project Project URL: http://www.pceo.org/BRP.htm

We seek to afford stateless children the opportunity to obtain a high quality education and lead healthy and productive lives. We do so via schooling, sanitation, vaccination, and clean water initiatives. We also run a Montessori school. Please see http://www.burmeserefugeeproject.org/ for more information.

Countries: Burma

Consultant
I have worked for various organizations and governments, including the Chilean Ministry of Health and Health Canada.


Banyan Center Project URL: http://www.banyancenter.org/