Dr. Jay Pearson

Biography

Jay Pearson's research, teaching, and advocacy address policy and structurally rooted social inequalities that influence the social determinants of health disadvantage. Originating from Hertford County, North Carolina, Pearson's early experiences in the rural agricultural South significantly shaped his professional interests. He began his public health career as a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras, working as a child survival health specialist, and later trained in evaluating midwives and local health workers. Upon returning to the U.S., he worked as a health educator for the East Coast Migrant Health Project, where he designed and implemented health and safety training for Spanish-speaking factory workers, and pesticide safety training for a multi-ethnic farmworker population. Pearson also contributed as assistant project director in an NIH-funded research study, focusing on the primary data collection within an ethnically diverse community in Detroit. Academically, he transitioned from a model of individual behavior change in his undergraduate studies to a focus on community assessment intervention during his master’s program at the University of North Carolina. Pursuing his doctoral degree at the University of Michigan, he delved into the social determinants of population health, emphasizing the health effects of resources associated with racial assignments, ethnic identity, national origins, immigration, and cultural orientations.

Research Interests