Roshanak Mehdipanah’s research on housing, urban policy, and health informs policy at the local, state, national, and international levels.
Housing can serve as the foundation of health and well-being, but access, affordability, and quality remain an issue for many.
The cost of housing in the United States has been increasing steadily for decades. In 2024, nearly half of renting and approximately 24% of home-owning households in the U.S. were considered cost burdened, meaning housing-related expenses represented more than 30% of their overall budget. Where someone lives – and how much they pay relative to their income – can have profound effects on their physical and mental health, especially among older adults, children, and those with low socioeconomic status (SES).
Roshanak Mehdipanah Ph.D., M.S., associate professor of health behavior and health equity at the University of Michigan (U-M) School of Public Health, researches the relationship between housing, urban policy, and health. As director of the U-M Housing Solutions for Health Equity (HSHE) and co-director of the U-M Prevention Research Collaborative (PRC), she actively engages with local, state, national, and international partners to inform housing policy and improve the health outcomes of vulnerable populations. In recognition of her many contributions and the impact of her work, Mehdipanah was named a 2026 recipient of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy & Innovation’s Policy Impact Award.
Where you live is how you live
Housing is a significant, but often overlooked, determinant of health. According to Mehdipanah’s research, high costs, poor housing conditions, and low neighborhood SES can lead to or exacerbate conditions like anxiety, depression, heart disease, stroke, respiratory issues, or injury. Home values may even be able to predict the risk of mortality during a public health emergency, such as a pandemic.
Prior to the Fair Housing Act of 1968, “redlining” was a practice across the U.S. in which racial minority homebuyers were directed to neighborhoods considered less desirable or “hazardous,” where they would be offered unfavorable purchasing terms that could result in the loss of their home after a single missed payment. Such discriminatory practices limited the ability of minority communities to build wealth and enjoy the benefits of homeownership -- a legacy that impacts neighborhoods and families to this day.
Using the Urban Health Assessment Response Tool, Mehdipanah and team measured key determinants of health in Detroit-area communities, one of the most racially segregated areas in the country. In 2023, she found historically red-lined neighborhoods had lower median income ($32,000) compared to more desirable “green-lined” neighborhoods ($92,000), as well as fewer homeowners (46% vs. 74%), children living above the poverty line (54% vs. 77%), and individuals with a high school education (77% vs. 91%). These factors, common to both historical and contemporary housing discrimination, have resulted in communities with large minority populations having lower access to healthcare and insurance coverage, poor mental and physical health, worse housing conditions, and increased exposure to environmental harms, like lead, ozone, and wastewater discharge.
As more Americans of all backgrounds choose to age in place, opting to remain in their home and community as they grow older, the location of a person’s home can have a significant impact on their health and well-being. Mehdipanah found that older adults living in areas with low median income had worse cognitive function compared to those in more affluent neighborhoods, potentially due to a lack of resources like community and senior centers, sidewalks, and other opportunities to engage in physical activity. Adults 50 and older in communities with issues related to safety, cleanliness, vacancy, vandalism and graffiti were also more likely to report high rates of physiological stress, which can cause worse overall health, physical function, and even death.
Additionally, Mehdipanah found older Americans who rent their homes are more likely to report smoking, being hospitalized, or having a heart condition compared to those who own their home. However, for both owners and renters who are older, housing-related financial strain is associated with overall poor health.
Financial strain can be especially stressful for people who rent, regardless of age, due to the potential risk of eviction. A formal eviction filing, even if it is ultimately rescinded or withdrawn, can have long-lasting negative impacts on health and well-being, including income loss and financial hardship, loss of sleep, high stress and anxiety, depression, and long-term housing instability. For those with children in the home, Mehdipanah found housing insecurity, including moving multiple times, shared or overcrowded living situations, or missed housing payments, can lead children to have worse cognitive development, behavior, and physical and mental health throughout their lifespan.
Mehdipanah’s research shows that housing affordability, access, and quality continue to worsen across the U.S., especially for the most vulnerable in our society. Her work illustrates that thinking of housing less as a commodity and more as an urgent public health issue can help address housing disparities and promote healthier, more vibrant cities that benefit those who live there.
Policy engagement and sustained impact
Mehdipanah uses her expertise as a public health researcher to inform housing policy at the local, state, national, and international levels to improve housing instability, quality, and related health outcomes. Her work focuses on the interrelated factors of housing, neighborhoods, and cities – all of which contribute to having the ability to live a safe, healthy, and fulfilling life.
As director of HSHE, and in collaboration with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, Mehdipanah’s team led the 2024 Michigan Statewide Housing Needs Assessment, which found that demand for housing in Michigan is high, but affordability and quality remain an issue – especially given the state’s mix of new developments and aging, poorly maintained structures. Her findings will help inform the 2026 Michigan Statewide Housing Plan, which will guide future state housing priorities, strategies, and investments.
In Detroit, Mehdipanah’s efforts have informed tax foreclosure policies and programs that ease housing-related financial strain and promote homeownership. In an assessment of the city-wide Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program, which eliminates or reduces property taxes for homeowners near or below the Federal Poverty Level, her team found low awareness, burdensome application procedures, and limited accountability were significant barriers to participation. This work helped lead to reforms that are intended to make it easier for home-owning Detroiters to participate in the initiative and remain secure in their housing.
Mehdipanah also co-led the evaluation of the Make It Home initiative, a private-public tax foreclosure prevention project between the City of Detroit, Wayne County Treasurer, United Community Housing Coalition (UCHC), and the Quicken Loans Community Foundation (Rocket Community Fund). Launched in 2017, the program helps renters stay stably housed by allowing them to purchase their homes if the owner loses it in tax foreclosure. The UCHC and Rocket Community Fund later introduced a pilot home repair initiative in 2019 for the Make It Home project, providing home repair financial assistance to participants.
In a 2022 policy brief summarizing evaluation findings, Mehdipanah & Dewar found 85% of Make It Home participants sustained homeownership throughout the four-year evaluation period, and highlighted the importance of providing housing repair assistance for maintaining safe and livable housing. Mehdipanah & Dewar later found that properties purchased through Make It Home and other initiatives like it experienced overall improved conditions over time, and they were far less likely to be abandoned or left vacant, suggesting similar home purchasing and repair programs may be a potential solution for improving homeownership and the health of homeowners.
Mehdipanah has shared her research on housing policy and its connection to public health with many different stakeholders, including the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, and the National Institutes of Health. Internationally, she has presented her work to the Catalonia Department of Health in Spain and the Pan American Health Organization. She has also contributed to a European Observatory on Health Systems and Policy publication on making cities healthier, more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient.
Additionally, Mehdipanah’s work has been cited in numerous policy documents outside of Michigan, including in the states of California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Texas, Vermont, and Washington, and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. At the international level, her research has been referenced by the European Union, United Nations, and the governments of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
As director of the HSHE and co-director of the PRC, Mehdipanah continues to contribute to building the evidence base for health system-supported efforts to address housing as a social determinant of health both nationally and in Michigan. She is also establishing a conceptual framework for researching the health impacts of gentrification, and will be examining the unique housing needs of those with autism and intellectual disabilities, the food insecure, and other vulnerable populations.
More information about Roshanak Mehdipanah's work can be found on her IHPI Profile and in Michigan Experts.
