Dr. Terri Lewinson, PhD, MSW, and the REACH Lab at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice values equitable access to quality housing and healthcare to promote resident and community wellness across the life course. Our vision is to eliminate health disparities resulting from housing and environmental justice inequities. Through a social justice lens, our mission is to bridge collaborative partnerships that expand awareness of housing and health inequities, measure the impact of poor housing conditions on resident health, and inform policy approaches and interventions that improve the housing-health relationship.

Ongoing Projects:

Healthy Hotels Pilot: Tobacco smoke in hotels, a study of resident risk and nicotine exposure

Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) is a Group A carcinogen linked to cancer, heart attacks, and other health hazards, including death. Smoke-free policies have successfully reduced this public health crisis, but some housing providers have not fully adopted smoke-free policies leaving renters vulnerable to toxic air dangers. Consistent with a health equity lens to reduce and eliminate health disparities, the goal of this pilot study is to test the feasibility of measuring residents’ beliefs about exposures to tobacco smoke in their homes and detecting actual levels of exposure among low-income adults who are renting rooms in hotels.

Principal Investigator: Terri Lewinson, PhD

Research Team: James Murphey, Moraa Onsando, Yisiara Aguirre, Kedryn Berrian, Sophia Allen, Abhirupa Dasgupta, Ben Usadi, Summer Lewinson

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NSACO (National Survey of Accountable Care Organizations)

Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) is a Group A carcinogen linked to cancer, heart attacks, and other health hazards, including death. Smoke-free policies have successfully reduced this public health crisis, but some housing providers have not fully adopted smoke-free policies leaving renters vulnerable to toxic air dangers. Consistent with a health equity lens to reduce and eliminate health disparities, the goal of this pilot study is to test the feasibility of measuring residents’ beliefs about exposures to tobacco smoke in their homes and detecting actual levels of exposure among low-income adults who are renting rooms in hotels. 

 

Principal Investigators: Ellen Meara, PhD, and Terri Lewinson, PhD

Research Team: Maia Crawford,  Ben Usadi, Susan Busch,  Mary Brunette, Michael Barnett, Helen Newton, Chris Miller-Rosales, Kim Min-Young, Brianna Hardy, James Murphey

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Medical Social Workers’ Scope of Practice During COVID-19

Social workers are integral members of comprehensive interdisciplinary teams in medical settings. However, their significant contributions and experiences during epidemics and pandemics are understudied. The purpose of this study is to understand medical social workers’ experiences during the coronavirus pandemic.

Principal Investigators: Terri Lewinson, PhD, and Tiffany Washington, PhD

Research Team: James Murphey, Sophia Allen, Abhirupa Dasgupta

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Select Publications

2023

Racial Inequality in Receipt of Medications for Opioid Use Disorder. Barnett ML, Meara E, Lewinson T, Hardy B, Chyn D, Onsando M, Huskamp H, Mehrotra A, Morden N. N Eng J Med. 2023;388(19):1779-1789. doi:10.1056/nejmsa2212412 

2022

Conversations about Community, Connection to Place, and Housing Preferences among Aging Adults in Lexington, Kentucky. Pope ND, Gibson A, Engelhardt E, Ratliff S, Lewinson T, Loeffler DN. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2022;1-19. doi:10.1080/01634372.2022.2097756. PMID: 35815714 

Understanding the Ephemeral Moment of COVID Avoidance Hotels: Lessons Learned from Acknowledging Housing as Central to Dignified Later Life.; Johnson IM, Light MA, Perry TE, Moore M, Lewinson T. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2022:1-26. doi:10.1080/01634372.2022.2087129. PMID: 35695062 

2020

“They don’t know who they have in here”: Sense of community in budget hotels. Lewinson T, Carrion IV. J Community Psychol. 2020;48(8):2552-2570. doi:10.1002/jcop.22448. PMID: 32939757

2019

Motivations for advance care and end-of-life planning among lesbian, gay, and bisexual older adults. Seelman KL, Lewinson T, Engleman L, Allen A. Qual Soc Work. 2019;18(6):1002-1016. doi:10.1177/1473325018792396. PMID: 33343234 

Accessing Faith-Based Organizations Using Public Transportation: A Qualitative and GIS Study.; Lewinson T, Maley O, Esnard AM. J Appl Gerontol. 2019;38(3):323-343. doi:10.1177/0733464816687220. PMID: 28380714 

2017

Coping Strategies Used by LGB Older Adults in Facing and Anticipating Health Challenges: A Narrative Analysis. Seelman KL, Lewinson T, Engleman L, Maley OR, Allen A. J Gay Lesbian Soc Serv. 2017;29(3):300-318. doi:10.1080/10538720.2017.1310644

2015

Resource Accessibility and Walkability Among Older Adults in Extended-Stay Hotels. Lewinson T, Esnard AM. Journal of Housing For the Elderly. 2015;29(4):396-418. doi:10.1080/02763893.2015.1055030 

“There’s no-fresh air there”: narratives of smoke exposure among residents of extended-stay hotels. Lewinson T, Bryant LO. Health Soc Work. 2015;40(2):77-83. doi:10.1093/hsw/hlv016 

Facilitating communication about sexual health between aging women and their health care providers. Hughes AK, Lewinson TD. Qual Health Res. 2015;25(4):540-550. doi:10.1177/1049732314551062 

Co-constructing home with photovoice: Older residents in an assisted living facility build a shared photonarrative. Lewinson T. Qual Soc Work. 2015;14(5):702-720. doi: 10.1177/1473325014561139 

Navigating psychosocial distress and vulnerability of an older, African-American male veteran with end stage cancer: A case study. Nedjat-Haeim F, Carrion I, Lewinson T. The qualitative report. 2015;20(7):1095-1110. 

Restorative justice with older adults: Mediating trauma and conflict in later life. Beck E, Lewinson T, Kropf NP. Traumatology. 2015;21(3):219-226. doi:10.1037/trm0000035 

“I Overcame That With God’s Hand on Me”: Religion and Spirituality Among Older Adults to Cope With Stressful Life Situations. Lewinson T, Hurt K, Hughes AK. J Relig. 2015;34(3):285-303. doi:10.1080/15426432.2015.1009610

2014

Photo “voicing” mental and physical health challenges at an extended stay hotel: A university-community partnership. Lewinson T. Metrop Univ. 2014; 25(2):89-106. 

Supportive housing: an evidence-based intervention for reducing relapse among low income adults in addiction recovery. Collard CS, Lewinson T, Watkins K. J Evid Based Soc Work. 2014;11(5):468-79. doi: 10.1080/15433714.2013.765813. PubMed PMID: 25491001 

Living in extended-stay hotels: Older residents’ perceptions of satisfying and stressful environmental conditions. Lewinson T, Morgan K. J Hous Elderly. 2014; 28(3):243-267.

2013

Traumatic transitions: Women’s narratives of abuse, loss, and fear. Lewinson T, Thomas L, White S. Affil. 2013;29(2):192-205. doi: 10.1177/088610991351644

2012

Citizen social work with older people by Malcolm Payne: A book review. Lewinson T. J Women Aging. 2012; 24(3):264-266. doi: 10.1080/08952841.2012.691770  

Social service barriers experienced by low-income extended-stay hotel residents. Lewinson T, Collard C. Fam Soc. 2012; 93(2):74-79. doi:10.1606/1044-3894.4193. 

Exploring “home” through residents’ lenses: assisted living facility residents identify homelike characteristics using photovoice. Lewinson T, Robinson-Dooley V, Grant KW. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2012;55(8):745-56. doi:10.1080/01634372.2012.684758. PubMed PMID: 23078609.

2011

Voucher users and revitalized public housing residents 6 years after displacement. Brooks F, Lewinson T, Aszman J, Wolk Res Soc Work Pract. 2011;22(1):10-19. doi: 10.1177/1049731511412198   

Extended stay hotels. Lewinson T. In: Carswell A, editor. Encyclopedia of Housing 2 ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage; 2011. p.199-201.  

Capturing environmental affordances: Low-income families identify positive characteristics of a hotel housing solution. Lewinson T. J Community Appl Soc Psychol. 2011;55(1):55-70. doi: 10.1002/casp.1060 

2010

Residents’ coping strategies in an extended-stay hotel home. Lewinson T. JEQR. 2010;4(4):180-196.  

Liminal living in an extended-stay hotel: Feeling “stuck” inside a housing solution. Lewinson T. J Sociol Soc Welf. 2010;37(2):9-34. doi: 10.15453/0191-5096.3512

2006

Increasing aging content in social work curriculum: perceptions of key constituents. Kolomer SR, Lewinson T, Kropf NP, Wilks SE. J Gerontol Soc Work. 2006;48(1-2):97-110. doi: 10.1300/J083v48n01_07. PubMed PMID: 17200073