Sara F. Jacoby, MPH, MSN, PhD
Dr. Jacoby combines nursing and public health perspectives in her approach to injury science and urban health research. As a nurse in a Philadelphia ICU, Dr. Jacoby was witness to the profound trauma and violence that impacted the lives of hospitalized patients and their families. This inspired her to study the experience of injured people and the social and structural determinants of racial and ethnic disparities in trauma outcomes.
Cities are dynamic places that can promote health and at the same time be the foundation for profound health inequalities. My research focuses on how injury risks and outcomes intersect with the social and economic conditions of urban environments.
Education
- PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 2015
- MSN, University of Pennsylvania, 2008
- BSN, University of Pennsylvania, 2005
- MPH, Columbia University, 2002
- BA, Rutgers University, 1998
Teaching
Since 2011, Dr. Jacoby has taught as a clinical faculty member in undergraduate (Integrated Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Physical Assessment) and graduate (Advanced Physical Assessment and Clinical Decision Making) courses at Penn Nursing. She has also lectured across the curriculum in the application of mixed methods, critical theory and epidemiologic concepts in nursing research and practice, as well as the intersections between urban geographies and public health. She currently teaches Sociocultural Influences on Health and is seminar faculty in Psychological and Social Diversity in Health and Wellness.
Research
As a Center Investigator at the Penn Injury Science Center, Dr. Jacoby’s research is focused on identifying why injuries occur where they do in urban spaces, the experiences of injured people as they recover in their homes and communities, and how we might innovate our health systems and urban environments to create safety and improve injury outcomes.
Clinical Practice
Dr. Jacoby is a board-certified ACNP and a trauma and surgical care nurse. The field work that informs her research is conducted with patients during the course of their hospitalization and recovery experience. This permits a continued engagement with the clinical arena and opportunity to interface with healthcare recipients and providers within healthcare institutions.
Dr. Jacoby is an active participant in nursing, public health, and the interdisciplinary injury science community. She co-chairs the Advocacy and Policy Committee of the Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research (SAVIR) and serves as a peer reviewer for over ten scientific journals, including International Journal of Nursing Studies, Qualitative Health Research, and Injury Prevention.
Selected Career Highlights
- 2017, Senior Fellow, Leonard David Institute for Health Economics
- 2017, Senior Fellow, Center for Public Health Initiatives
- 2015, Fellow, CDC Foundation Fellow, Penn Injury Science Center
- 2015, Henry O. Thompson Prize in Ethics
Selected Publications
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Kondo, M., Morrison, C.N., Jacoby, S.F., Elliot, L., Poche, A.J., Theall, K.P., & Branas, C.C. (in press). Blight abatement of vacant land and crime in New Orleans.Public Health Reports.
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Kondo, M., Jacoby, S.F., & South, E. (in press). Does spending time outdoors reduce stress? A review of real-time stress response to outdoor environments. Health and Place.
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Jacoby, S.F., Rich, J., Webster, J., & Richmond, T.S. (in press). “Sharing things with people that I don’t even know”: Help-seeking for psychological symptoms in injured Black men in Philadelphia. Ethnicity & Health.
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Jacoby, S.F., Kollar, L.M., Ridgeway, G., & Sumner, S.S. (2018). Health system and law enforcement synergies for injury surveillance, control, and prevention: A scoping review. Injury Prevention, 24(4): 305-311.
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Morrison, C.N., Ukert, B.D., Palumbo, A.J., Dong, B., Jacoby, S.F., & Wiebe, D. J. (2018). Assaults on days of campaign rallies during the 2016 US presidential election.Epidemiology. DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000821
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Jacoby, S.F., Richmond, T.S., Holena, D.N., & Kaufman, E.J. (2018). A safe haven for the injured? Urban trauma care at the intersection of healthcare, law enforcement, and race. Social Science and Medicine. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.037.
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Jacoby, S.F., Dong, B., Beard, J.H., Wiebe, D.J., & Morrison, C.N. (2018). The enduring impact of historical and structural racism on urban violence in Philadelphia.Social Science and Medicine. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.05.038.
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Kaufman, E., Jacoby, S.F., Sharoky, C.E., Carr, B.G., Delgado, M.K., Reilly, P.M., & Holena D. (2017). Patient characteristics and temporal trends in police transport of blunt trauma patients: A multicenter retrospective cohort study. Prehosptital Emergency Care. doi: 10.1080/10903127.2017.1332127. [Epub ahead of print]
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Jacoby, S F. (2017). The insight and challenge of reflexive practice in an ethnographic study of black traumatically injured patients in Philadelphia. Nursing Inquiry, 24(3).
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Morrison, C.N., Jacoby, S.F., Dong, B., Delgado, M.K., & Wiebe, D. (2017). Ridesharing and motor vehicle crashes in four U.S. cities: An interrupted time series analysis. American Journal of Epidemiology. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwx233. [Epub ahead of print]
Related News
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ENRS Names Jacoby a ‘Rising Star’
Penn Nursing ’s Sara Jacoby, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Health, and a Senior Fellow in both the Leonard Davis Institute for Health Economics and the Center for Public Health Initiatives, has been honored with a Rising Star Award from the Eastern Nursing Research Society (ENRS), during its 31st Annual Scientific Sessions in Providence, Rhode Island, April 3-5, 2019. This award recognizes a Junior Investigator that has shown promise in establishing a program of health and/or nursing research.
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Collaboration Between Health Systems and Law Enforcement May be Key for Injury Surveillance, Control and Prevention
Injury remains one of the top 10 causes of death and disability worldwide. Partnerships between health systems and law enforcement can enable linkages in injury data to better identify where and to whom injuries are occurring. This cross-sector surveillance can also lead to more effective and expansive injury control and prevention efforts to improve population health.
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Understanding Barriers to Mental Health Care for Urban Black Men Who Experience Traumatic Injury
Psychological distress is common in the aftermath of a traumatic injury. Symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress can make it harder to re-establish one’s social and family life, work performance, and wellbeing after injury.