CUNY SPH faculty spotlights emerging role of commercial determinants of health

Dec. 14, 2021
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Public health scholars are focusing new attention on the role of commercial actors such as multinational corporations, financial institutions, and trade associations in the public health crises confronting the world today, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency, and the rising burden of chronic diseases. 

This month, CUNY SPH Distinguished Professor Nicholas Freudenberg and colleagues have contributed new articles on this emerging concept.

In a review appearing in the December’s edition of the American Journal of Public Health, Freudenberg and nine colleagues from other nations define the influence of commercial determinants on global and U.S. health and propose a framework for developing policy and action priorities.

In a second article appearing in the International Journal of Health Services, Kelley Lee, a professor at Simon Fraser University in Canada, Freudenberg, and colleagues suggest strategies for measuring commercial determinants across business sectors and nations in order to track progress towards reducing their harmful impact.

This month, the World Health Organization launched a new year-long series of Webinars on Commercial Determinants. Freudenberg keynoted the first session on December 7.  

“By analyzing the pathways by which commercial actors influence health,” said Freudenberg. “and identifying the many policies and programs that have successfully mitigated harmful influences, public health professionals can contribute powerful new tools to improving population health and reducing the growing health inequities that now characterize our world.” 

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