My name is Franklin Iheanacho and I am currently a Harrington Value Institute Research Scholar at ChristianaCare Hospital in Newark, Delaware, where I am involved in several public health research projects, ranging from investigating food insecurity of patients in a primary care practice to researching the different social determinants of health issues common in pregnant women.

Previously, I was a post-baccalaureate PennPrep research scholar at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where I researched the protein interactions of two pseudokinase proteins called Trib1 and Trib2 in T cells.

During my undergraduate studies in University of Delaware, I was involved in many research projects. My most notable research experience was in Fox Chase Cancer Center, where I investigated the effects of primary cilia under the treatment of two chemotherapy drugs.

I will be matriculating into medical school summer of 2020 and will continue to be involved in research.


Photo of Franklin how DNA-based vaccines work to high school students in the Franklin Institute’s STEM Scholars program.

5 quick facts about public health

  1. Public health has many definitions but in general it the study of population-based research, interventions, and laws to promote the general health of groups of people.
  2. The social determinants of health (SDOH) are of the non-biological and medical aspects of health that impact someone’s health. This includes socioeconomic status, housing, social support, access to healthcare services and many more!
  3. Only approximately 10 to 20 percent of changeable contributors of health outcomes come from medical care. The other 80 to 90 percent of changeable contributors of health come from social determinants of health.
  4. Health disparities are preventable differences in disease burden between populations. These populations can be defined by factors like race, income, or geographic location.
  5. Racism and discrimination most likely contribute to an individual’s allostatic load burden. Allostatic load simply refers to a person’s accumulation of physiological chronic stress. Allostatic load is most likely one of the many factors that contribute to health disparities.

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Photos courtesy of Franklin Iheanacho.

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