Rebecca Matthew
Associate Professor
Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor
Rebecca Matthew’s research examines models and practices that foster healthy communities. Calling upon theoretically and methodologically diverse approaches, her research focuses on solidarity economies, environmental justice, safe and affordable housing, healthcare and social services access. In an historical moment of intensifying social inequality and environmental crises, her current scholarship calls upon critical social theories and qualitative research to explore economies that center the health and well-being of people and planet alike. This work is informed by her prior research, to include case studies of how worker-owned cooperatives can (and do) prioritize quality services and dignified labor conditions among care providers. In collaboration with international colleagues, Matthew has researched the low-income housing market, findings from which emphasize housing stabilization, nonprofit housing provision, and efforts to support community (re)building and social capital development among rental households. Community engagement and collaborative partnerships, moreover, define her efforts to support youth development and healthcare access. For nearly four years, her interdisciplinary research team developed a community health worker program to provide peer education, resource navigation, and systems-level advocacy. This effort culminated in the development of a 16-module training manual for community health workers in Georgia (in both English and Spanish).
