Eugenia Catarina South, M.D., M.S.H.P

Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia
Senior Fellow , Leonard Davis Institute, University of Pennsylvania
Faculty Director, Penn Urban Health Lab, Penn Medicine
Vice Chair for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity , Department of Emergency Medicine
Department: Emergency Medicine
Contact information
University of Pennsylvania Hospital
Department of Emergency Medicine
3400 Spruce Street - Ground Ravdin
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Department of Emergency Medicine
3400 Spruce Street - Ground Ravdin
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-746-5609
Fax: 215-573-2701
Fax: 215-573-2701
Email:
Eugenia.South@uphs.upenn.edu
Eugenia.South@uphs.upenn.edu
Education:
BA
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA , 2003.
MD (Doctor of Medicine)
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO , 2008.
MSPH (Master of Science in Health Policy)
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine , 2012.
Permanent linkBA
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA , 2003.
MD (Doctor of Medicine)
Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO , 2008.
MSPH (Master of Science in Health Policy)
University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine , 2012.
Description of Research Expertise
Eugenia South, MD MS is an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. South’s research focuses on how neighborhood context impacts health and safety in urban environments. She is interested in understanding the ways in which the physical attributes of where people live, work, and play influence chronic stress, cardiovascular and mental health, and violent crime. She worked with the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society to pilot a randomized controlled trial of vacant lot greening, the first prospective experimental analysis of a community greening intervention. This trial found that people felt safer after greening, a trend toward decreased violent crime, and physiologic evidence of decreased stress. This work resulted in several published manuscripts and has been featured in national media outlets including NPR, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Washington Post, as well as multiple international media outlets. Currently, Dr. South is developing several projects, including an evaluation of the impact of abandoned building remediation on chronic stress, and an evaluation of NatureRx, a park prescription program aimed at increased youth exposure to urban green space.Selected Publications
Seeburger EF, Gonzales R, South EC, Friedman AB, Agarwal AK: Qualitative Perspectives of Emergency Nurses on Electronic Health Record Behavioral Flags to Promote Workplace Safety. JAMA Netw Open 6(4): e238957, Apr 2023.Unachukwu IC, Abrams MP, Dolan A, Oyekemi K, Meisel ZF, South EC, Aronowitz SV: "The new normal has become a nonstop crisis": a qualitative study of burnout among Philadelphia's harm reduction and substance use disorder treatment workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Harm Reduct J 20(1), Mar 2023.
MacDonald J, Jacobowitz A, Gravel J, Smith M, Stokes R, Tam V, South EC, Branas C: Lessons Learned From a Citywide Abandoned Housing Experiment. Journal of the American Planning Association Feb 2023.
Agarwal AK, Seeburger E, O'Neill G, Nwakanma CC, Marsh LE, Soltany KA, South EC, Friedman AB: Prevalence of Behavioral Flags in the Electronic Health Record Among Black and White Patients Visiting the Emergency Department. JAMA Netw Open 6(1): e2251734, Jan 2023 Notes: doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.51734.
South EC, MacDonald J, Tam V, Ridgeway G, Branas C: Effect of Abandoned Housing Interventions on Gun Violence, Perceptions of Safety, and Substance Use in Black Neighborhoods A Citywide Cluster Randomized Trial. JAMA Intern Med 183(1): 31-39, Jan 2023 Notes: doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2022.5460.
Agarwal AK, Sagan C, Gonzales R, Nijim S, Merchant RM, Asch DA, South EC: Assessing Experiences of Racism Among Black and White Patients in the Emergency Department. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2022 3(6:e12870), Dec 2022 Notes: doi: 10.1002/emp2.12870.
Jay J, Kondo MC, Lyons VH, Gause E, South EC: Neighborhood segregation, tree cover and firearm violence in 6 U.S. cities, 2015-2020. Prev Med 165(Pt A:107256), Dec 2022 Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107256. Epub 2022 Sep 14.
South EC, Venkataramani A, Dalembert G. : Building Black Wealth: The Role of Health Systems in Closing the Gap. New England Journal of Medicine 137(9): 844-849, Sep 2022 Notes: doi: 10.1056/NEJMms2209521.
Alur R, Hall E, Khatri U, Jacoby S, South EC, Kaufman E: Law Enforcement in the Emergency Department: A Structured Social Observation. JAMA Surgery 157(9): 852-854, Sep 2022 Notes: doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2022.2595.
Dalembert G, Venkataramani A, South EC: How health systems can truly value Black lives: help close the racial wealth gap. STAT News Sep 2022.