Rahbel Rahman-Tahir

she/her
Associate Professor
phone: 212-636-6657
Email:[email protected]
Office: Lincoln Center 721F

 

  • BA, University of Toronto
    MSW, Columbia University
    PhD, Columbia University


  • • Integration of health and welfare services
    • Inter-professional and Interagency Collaboration
    • Professional development of community based providers (peer educators, outreach workers, community health workers, syringe exchange workers)
    • Community based participatory research
    • International Social Work

  • Rahman studies organizational and provider-level factors that influence the Community Health Worker (CHW) workforce on multiple levels across Pakistan, Brazil, and United States (New York). Over time, she has expanded her focus to include providers who share similar lived experiences as the clients they serve, namely Peer Educators and Peer Workers in addition to CHWs; thus, informing the umbrella term that she uses in her research: community-based providers.  She has developed a keen interest in the examination of structural, contextual, and provider-level factors that impact the provision of integrated services (mental health, maternal health, sexual health, interpersonal violence, substance abuse, and disease prevention) by the community-based provider workforce. More recently, Rahman has become interested in studying predictors to maternal mental health among the Pakistani community and how the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked added racism and stigma in the lives of both community-based providers and the clients they serve. Across each of her research areas, she intentionally uses CBPR approaches because these approaches resonate with her commitment to advancing health equity and health care delivery systems – specifically by shifting ownership of the research process to those impacted.

  • Prophet, J., Hassett, A., & Rahman-Tahir, R. (2025). Engaging Art, Science and Empathy (EASE): Lessons from Interdisciplinary, Care-Centered Research on the Wicked Problem Chronic Pain. In Scott. J. (Ed.), Transdiscourse 3: Women in Art, Science and Body Politics (pp. 179-191). Walter de Gruyter GmbH.

    *Azhar, S., Rahman, R., DeVylder, J., Wernick, L. J., Cohen, M., & Maschi, T. (2024). What would John do? COVID-19 stigmatization, social distance and race. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work. DOI: 10.1080/15313204.2024.2378761

    *Rahman, R., Ross, A, Chesna, S., Brown, L. & Patel, R. (2024) ‘‘If you don't feel empowered, then how are you going to empower someone else?” Perspectives of executive directors and supervisors on Community Health Worker workforce development. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance. DOI: 10.1080/23303131.2024.2319212

    Prophet, J., Rahman, R., Hassett, A. (2023) An online Photovoice study designed by researchers from art and social work to better understand the experience of chronic pain by women of color. AM Journal of Art and Media Studies, 32, 68-89. DOI: 0.25038/am.v0i28.582

    *Rahman, R., Ross, A. Spector, A.Y., Huang, D., Chesna, S. & Patel, R. (2023). Predictors to integrated care by community-based providers in New York State. Children and Youth Services Review, 153 (107124), DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107124

    *Matthews, L., Rahman. R., Scheifelbein, F., Galis, D., Carson, C. & Patel, R. (2023). Identifying Key Roles and Responsibilities of Peer Workers in Behavioral Health Settings: A Scoping Review. Patient Education and Counseling, 114. DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2023.107858

    *Ross, A., Rahman, R., Huang, D., & Kirkbride, G. (2023). Investigating Correlates of Home Visitor Burnout, Compassion Fatigue, and Compassion Satisfaction in New York State: Implications for Home Visiting Workforce Development and Sustainability. Maternal and Child Health Journal. DOI: 10.1007/s10995-023-03727-z

    *Rahman, R., Azhar, S., Wernick, L., Huang, D., Masachi, T, Rosenblatt, C., & Patel, R. (2023). COVID-19 stigma and depression across race, ethnicity, and residence. Journal of Social Work in Health Care. DOI: 10.1080/00981389.2023.2193263

  • Years Role Project Title & Funding Source
    2025-2026 Principal Investigator

    Rewriting the Script: Using Participatory Scriptwriting to Advance Mental Well-being and Transform Help-Seeking among Pakistani Mothers in Brooklyn, NY. Funding: Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Service (USD 3,900)

     

    School of Social Service (USD 1,400) Advance Mental Well-being and Transform Help-Seeking Among Pakistani Mothers in Brooklyn, New York,”
    2022- 2025 Principal Investigator Understanding Facilitators and Barriers maternal mental health services among Pakistani women. Funding: Fordham-Columbia University Research Fellow Award 2022 (USD 7,000)
    2023-2025 Co-Investigator Prioritizing Integrated Care, Prevention, and Equity: Leading Interprofessional New York City-based Efforts (PIPELINE) for Youth Health Project. Funding: Health Resources and Services Administration, Grant # 1 M01HP41967‐01‐00. PI: Ross, A. (USD $1,898,248)
    2020 – 2023 Co-Principal Investigator Deeping Public Engagement with Chronic Pain Research: A Photovoice project. Funding: Michigan Institute for Clinical & Health Research, University of Michigan (USD 109,700)
    2019 – 2023 Principal Investigator Studying Predictors to Interagency in Karachi, Pakistan. Funding Fordham University Office of Research: Faculty Research Grant (USD 5,000)
    2020 – 2021 Co-Principal Investigator Examining Intersectional Stigma of Covid-19. Funding: Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Service (USD 1,400)
    2018 – 2021 Principal Investigator Community-based providers: An Exploratory Study Funding: Fordham University, Graduate School of Social Service (USD 4,400)
    2019 – 2020 Co-Investigator Improving a comprehensive dataset to develop infrastructure to study client-provider and interprofessional collaboration. Funding: University of Michigan School of Social Work (USD 12,760)
    2017 – 2018 Principal Investigator Using Photovoice to develop a self-care program through the lens of frontline HIV providers and their supervisors Funding: Binghamton University, College of Community and Public Affairs for Doctoral Mentorship (USD 1,500)
    2016 – 2017 Principal Investigator Perceptions of patient-centered care amongst practitioners and patients in a free healthcare setting in Karachi, Pakistan. Funding: Binghamton University Research Foundation for Pilot Research Support (USD 5,000)

  • Health Care Policy and Advocacy

    Advanced Integrated Policy Practice

    Contemporary Social Policy 

    Advanced Practice with Organization and Communities