Brief Bio

Dr. Klusaritz has expertise in community-engaged research methodologies, health inequities, health policy, and social determinants of health. Dr. Klusaritz is the Director of Community Health Services for the Penn Medicine Center for Health Equity Advancement and the Director of Community Engagement for the Center for Public Health Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania. She also serves as the Associate Director of the Center for Community and Population Health in the Department of Family Medicine, where she leads a body of work to assesses and respond to community health needs. R. Klusaritz’s roles in the Masters of Public Health (MPH) program at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania include core faculty, Advisor, Chair of the Curriculum Committee, and teaching two required courses: Public Health Policy & Administration and Capstone Seminar. Her research interests focus on access to health care for historically marginalized populations, the design of health systems to eliminate disparities in health access and outcomes, and the inclusion of community voice and priorities in research agendas. Currently, she is a Co-Investigator on and leads the Community Engagement Cores for three NIH awards and three HRSA Primary Care and Public Health Workforce awards. Dr. Klusaritz has done extensive work on population health initiatives to address opioid use disorder and leads health system transformation efforts to screen for and address health related social needs.