Yusuf Ransome

Dr. Yusuf Ransome serves as an Associate Professor of Public Health in the Social and Behavioral Sciences department at Yale School of Public Health. He is the Founder and Director of the Society, Connectedness and Health (SOCAH) Lab, where he leads innovative research at the intersection of social connectedness, contemplative practices, and digital technology to address complex public health challenges. His work focuses on creating sustainable pathways to health, wealth, and prosperity for historically underserved communities both in the United States and globally.

Dr. Ransome's research integrates social connectedness, contemplative practices, and digital technology to address complex public health challenges. His current priority research areas include: building social connectedness to buffer mental health and improve community resilience; strengthening faith-based infrastructure to improve community health and economic well-being; developing interventions that integrate contemplative practices, belief systems, and artificial intelligence to strengthen well-being; and leveraging the science of strengths through portable technologies to optimize well-being. His methodologies combine advanced quantitative survey analysis, in-depth qualitative research through interviews and focus groups, geospatial data science applications, and artificial intelligence tools for public health solutions.

His research has been featured in top-tier public health journals including the American Journal of Public Health and Social Science & Medicine. Dr. Ransome's commitment to accessibility ensures his findings reach beyond academia through community engagement events, digital storytelling initiatives, and practical well-being products that empower communities to thrive. His work demonstrates clear trends across social determinants of health, HIV prevention, mental health, and the role of religion and spirituality in public health, with increasing emphasis on commercial determinants of health and advanced methodological approaches.

• Public Voices Fellowship with Yale and The OpEd Project (2024)
• Office of Health Equity Research (OHER) Award (2023)

Dr. Ransome brings extensive academic training to his work, including an Alonzo Smythe Yerby Postdoctoral Fellowship from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, a DrPH in Public Health from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, an MPH in Health Behavior & Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and a BS in Business Management and Science from Brooklyn College. His work addresses critical social determinants of health through innovative research-to-practice frameworks, providing actionable insights for policymakers, community organizations, faith-based institutions, government entities, and healthcare systems. The SOCAH Lab, which he directs, employs a multidisciplinary team that applies advanced research methodologies to real-world public health challenges.