Jason Corburn | Research UC Berkeley

Research Expertise and Interest

urban health, gun violence, informal settlements, global public health, urban climate change, environmental impact assessment, mediation, environmental justice, urban and regional planning

Research Description

Jason Corburn's research focuses on urban health both in the US and globally. He studies why one's neighborhood or postal code can be a greater predictor of health and life expectancy than one's genetic code. His research includes investigating how urban parks, housing and public space improvements can reduce health inequities, improve resilience to climate change and address racial/ethnic disparities in well-being. He specializes in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and citizen science, or where non-professionals engage in the research and policy-making process. He also evaluates urban gun violence reduction strategies in California and nationally. His expertise includes drafting and evaluating health impact assessments, urban water and sanitation strategies, slum upgrading plans and community-based environmental health interventions. He has worked with the World Bank, World Health Organization and in over 30 different countries.

In the News

Stylized graphic showing a bullet casing next to concentric circles of a city with a target (inner) and garden growing green vegetables (outer).

Class Sheds Light on Gun Violence as a Public Health Issue

Professor Jason Corburn teaches first Berkeley Public Health class on urban gun violence prevention

Three men speaking on a neighborhood street.

Berkeley study: California gun violence program saves lives, taxpayers millions

Advance Peace team members from Stockton, Sacramento and Richmond came to UC Berkeley’s campus recently to meet with professor Jason Corburn, sixth from the right, and discuss their work. (Photo courtesy of Advance Peace)

Race, the power of an Illusion: The house we live in

Generations of racism shaped the structures of the United States, working into the very DNA of our institutions and culture. Simply reforming the structures won’t do, a panel of experts said Friday, Oct. 9 at a UC Berkeley event. Instead, the experts urged, we must work to build a more just world.

Research on Racism and Public Health

Berkeley Public Health is committed to research that reveals how racism drives systemic inequities within the health sciences.

Two women stand on a platform with water buckets on their heads. Beyond the platform lies a dense collection of small buildings.

Urban slums are uniquely vulnerable to COVID-19. Here’s how to help

Government-enforced social isolation may help relatively affluent populations limit the spread of COVID-19, but these measures can be devastating for the nearly 1 billion people around the globe currently dwelling in urban slums, where physical space is scarce, and many rely on daily wage labor for survival.

Straight talk: A conversation about racism, health inequities and COVID-19

The broad death disparities black communities face during the spread of COVID-19 reflects health and societal inequities that existed for communities of color in the United States, long before the disease became a pandemic.

Students tackle climate change in neighboring Richmond

Residents of Richmond, Calif., on the northeastern edge of San Francisco Bay, expect climate change to present their city with major challenges –- from rising sea levels to higher temperatures, flood risks and increased energy and water consumption –- in coming years. For help meeting these challenges, the city is turning to planning students at UC Berkeley.

Featured in the Media

Please note: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or positions of UC Berkeley.

April 16, 2021

Innovative Gun Violence Program Saved Many Lives and Millions of Dollars, Researchers Find

The Guardian

Abené Clayton

An innovative gun violence reduction program, Advance Peace, has helped to drastically reduce firearms deaths over several years in Stockton, and has saved taxpayers millions of dollars, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, has found. "It's critical that the federal government invest significantly in these types of programs," says UC Berkeley professor Jason Coburn. "Throughout history, we've seen major federal investments pay off: from Reconstruction through the New Deal and war on poverty programs. With the federal government paying attention now, we need to build that infrastructure. We need to recruit violence interrupters, train them and support them to make this work." For more on this, see our press release at Berkeley News.

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