Dr. Irina Grafova
Research Affiliate
Dr. Irina B. Grafova is an Associate Professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning & Public Policy. Trained as a health economist, Dr. Grafova’s research aims to bring new evidence to socio-economic inequalities in health and health disparities. She has conducted research on family financial strain, family healthcare spending inequities, the financial burden of the disease, and health inequities stemming from the neighborhood and work environment.
She has worked on several collaborative interdisciplinary research projects. Collaborating with the World City Project she examined intra-urban health inequities in middle-income countries. Collaborating with faculty in the Rutgers University School of Nursing she examined the physical and emotional exhaustion rates and burnout rates among acute care nurses in New Jersey during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, she is examining post-COVID equity in accessing emotional support programs for nurses.