Researcher
Dr. Jennings is nationally recognized for the innovative research at the nexus of urban green spaces, public health, and social justice. Her research is published in journals such as Nature Communications, the Journal of Urban Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine and the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. She has published influential articles on green space and health that advances the scholarship and cited in key documents for academic research, practitioners, and federal strategic plans. She served as senior author for articles recognized among relevant research for practice in health, social equity, conservation and resiliency by the National Recreation and Parks Association. Her trailblazing work led to her selection as a JPB Environmental Health Fellow at the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University. Her expertise led to her selection as a coauthor for the Built Environment chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment (NCA5) by the U.S. Global Change Research Program under the Biden-Harris Administration. She also completed her previous appointment as a technical advisor of sustainability to the National Environmental Health Association. According to Google Scholar, her research has been cited over 4,000 times.
Select Publications:
Jennings, V., Reid, C. E., & Fuller, C. H. (2021). Green infrastructure can limit but not solve air pollution injustice. Nature Communications, 12(1), 4681.
Jennings, V., & Bamkole, O. (2019). The relationship between social cohesion and urban green space: An avenue for health promotion. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(3), 452.
Osborne Jelks, N., Jennings, V., & Rigolon, A. (2021). Green gentrification and health: A scoping review. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(3), 907.
Jennings, V., Browning, M., Rigolon, R. Urban Green Spaces – Public Health and Sustainability In the United States. (2019). Springer Brief in Geography.
Jennings, V., Floyd, M. F., Shanahan, D., Coutts, C., & Sinykin, A. (2017). Emerging issues in urban ecology: Implications for research, social justice, human health, and well-being. Population and Environment, 39, 69-86.
Jennings, V., Larson, L., & Yun, J. (2016). Advancing sustainability through urban green space: Cultural ecosystem services, equity, and social determinants of health. International Journal of environmental research and public health, 13(2), 196.
Larson, L. R., Jennings, V., & Cloutier, S. A. (2016). Public parks and wellbeing in urban areas of the United States. PLoS one, 11(4), e0153211.
Rigolon, A., Browning, M., & Jennings, V. (2018). Inequities in the quality of urban park systems: An environmental justice investigation of cities in the United States. Landscape and Urban Planning, 178, 156-169.
Jennings, V., & Johnson Gaither, C. (2015). Approaching environmental health disparities and green spaces: an ecosystem services perspective. International journal of environmental research and public health, 12(2), 1952-1968.