Nicole Iroz-ElardoPhD

Nicole Iroz-Elardo, PhD (she/her) joined Willamette in Fall 2022 as an Assistant Professor in the Public Health, Ethics, Advocacy, and Leadership (PHEAL) program. Cross-trained in urban planning and public health, her research focuses on how to plan healthier and more equitable communities by leveraging the social and environmental determinants of health.

Prior to joining the Willamette faculty, Dr. Iroz-Elardo was an Assistant Research Professor of Urban Planning at University of Arizona from 2018-2022. Her doctoral degree in Urban Studies from Portland State University was earned in 2014 where she investigated the extent to which Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provided an additional participation avenue for communities often ignored in transportation planning processes. She has previously worked for Urban Design 4 Health, Inc., Oregon Health Authority, and Battelle Memorial Institute. At each, she specialized in translating cutting-edge research into practitioner tools to increase the suite of information upon which decisions - public and private - are made by incorporating health information.

Dr. Iroz-Elardo remains committed to supporting health equity through creation of healthy tools as an applied researcher. Her current interests include:

• Health impacts of climate change and climate change adaptation: supporting local public health agencies plan for climate change adaptation; investigating the implications of personal heat exposure in a changing climate such as understanding how unhoused populations manage during extreme events; and how to support healthy habits such as public physical activity, particularly in high heat outdoor environments.
• Health impacts of built environment and urban planning: documenting the health trade-offs with built environments and transportation systems including changes to physical activity, environmental exposures, traffic safety; affordable housing.