Dustin T. Duncan

Dustin T. Duncan, ScD is Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Health Equity Research at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. An internationally renowned Social and Spatial Epidemiologist, his research investigates how neighborhood characteristics influence population health and health equity, with a focus on sexual minority men and transgender people of color across the African diaspora in the United States and East Africa.

Dr. Duncan's educational background includes:

• ScD from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• ScM from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
• BA from Morehouse College

His research integrates spatial analysis and social epidemiology to address health disparities through multiple lenses:

• Neighborhood effects on HIV prevention and care among Black MSM
• Spatial mobility patterns in high-risk communities
• Urban environmental factors (green space, safety) impacting sleep health
• Structural inequities in digital academia and global health

Dr. Duncan's publication record (over 250 articles cited ~10,000 times) reveals consistent methodological innovation in spatial epidemiology, with recent work addressing COVID-19 disparities, neighborhood safety impacts on sexual minorities, and cross-national HIV research. His studies frequently employ geospatial modeling and GPS tracking to map health inequities.

Scientific recognition includes:

• Mentor of the Year Award from Columbia University Irving Medical Center (2020)
• National Academy of Medicine (NAM) honors
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health awards
• Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science accolades

As an educator, Dr. Duncan has received multiple mentoring awards and serves on editorial boards for Health & Place, Journal of Urban Health, and Transgender Health. His research is funded by NIH, CDC, HIV Prevention Trials Network, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Tow Foundation, supporting interventions to reduce health disparities through structural changes. He directs the Columbia Spatial Epidemiology Lab which has become a leading geospatial resource for studying sexual and gender minorities, with ongoing expansion into East Africa through partnerships with the Kenya Institute of Social Work.