Martine Hackett

Associate Professor of Population Health Hofstra University

  • Hempstead NY

Dr. Hackett's research focuses on public health and health inequities, particularly in the American suburbs and minority communities.

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Spotlight

1 min

Cuts to Health Services Could Have Lasting Impact

Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Population Health talked to Newsday about the possible effects of $12.4 billion in federal cuts to health care services. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a statement that the money being trimmed is mostly COVID-19-related, including vaccinations and testing. “When you’re preventing disease or a death, your success is sort of invisible,” she said. “By not investing these funds now, we will start to see the effects one year, five years, 10 years later.”

Martine Hackett

1 min

Lessons Learned in Pandemic Preparedness

Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Population Health talked to Newsday about Long Island’s level of preparedness for another pandemic. In 2020, “there really was no sense of what needed to be done,” and how to coordinate efforts, she said. “I think Long Island now understands what is required in terms of cooperation across health systems, health departments and the community.”

Martine Hackett

1 min

Racial Disparities in Maternal Mortality Rates Need More Time to Improve

A Newsday story on racial disparities in maternal mortality rates in New York featured an interview with Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Population Health. While national statistics have improved overall in recent years, experts say it will take more time to close the gap. National statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show overall maternal mortality across the U.S. dropped for the second year in a row. However, while the rate for white women, decreased from 19 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022 to 14.5 in 2023, it rose from 49.5 to 50.3 for Black women. Dr. Hackett, cofounder of Birth Justice Warriors, called the disparity “shocking” and said, “When you’re looking to address a problem as big and complex as maternal mortality, it is going to take a long time.”

Martine Hackett
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Biography

Martine Hackett is an associate professor in the master of public health and community health programs at Hofstra University whose research interests include maternal-child health, infant mortality and community based participatory research.

Her previous work experience is as a deputy director at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health and as a television producer.

Dr. Hackett received her BFA in film and television from New York University, a master of public health from Hunter College and a doctorate in sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Industry Expertise

Education/Learning
Health and Wellness

Areas of Expertise

Public Health
Health Communication
Research Methods
Maternal-Child Health
Infant Injury
Breastfeeding Promotion
Health Disparities
Infant Mortality
Minority Health

Accomplishments

"I Remember Community"

2022-11-16

Residents of the Village of Hempstead shared their childhood memories of the region and their hopes for the future in "I Remember Community: Stories of Racism, Resilience and Hope," a film produced by Martine Hackett.

The 12-minute film features residents of the Hempstead Housing Authority, a low-income housing unit, populated largely with Black senior citizens. They talk about pressing issues around intergenerational housing, health, and politics. https://vimeo.com/717492689/fddffe4d4f

Woman of Distinction by District 18 of the New York State Assembly

2022-03-17

Dr. Hackett was cited for her research in maternal-child health and infant mortality, her role as the Vice Chair of the Nassau County Perinatal Services Network, her advocacy for social justice and health equity, and her help in the investigation of racial inequality in the real estate industry.

2016 Teacher of the Year Award

2016-01-01

Selected as the Teacher of the Year for the School of Health Professions and Human Services at Hofstra University.

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Education

CUNY Hunter College

M.P.H.

Communication Health Education

2008

CUNY Graduate Center

Ph.D.

Sociology

2007

New York University

B.F.A.

Film and Television

1992

Media Appearances

Nurse Family Partnership provides a boost to low-income moms

Newsday  print

2023-12-28

The Newsday article “Nurse Family Partnership provides a boost to low-income moms” features Dr. Hackett. The report is about the Nurse Family Partnership, which pairs a nurse with a first-time pregnant mom. The goal is to assist underserved women during their pregnancy and track their child’s development and health for their first two years.

Dr. Hackett, whose research focuses on maternal-child health, said she saw results of the Nurse Family Partnership program when she worked at the New York City Health Department.

“By focusing on first-time mothers and pairing them with a registered nurse for over two years, NFP employs social support, health education and coaching to change the lives of new mothers and their children,” she said.

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Program seeks to chart health improvements with fresh foods in underserved communities

Newsday  print

2023-12-02

Newsday interviewed Dr. Martine Hackett, associate professor and chair of Hofstra’s Department of Population Health, for the article “Program seeks to chart health improvements with fresh foods in underserved communities.”

The story is about a partnership between the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County, Hofstra University and Harmony Healthcare Long Island to monitor 350 selected patients with ailments who also face food insecurity.

Dr. Hackett told Newsday: “The concept of food as a medicine is gaining a lot of strength in the scientific and medical community. In public health, it’s acknowledging the significance food plays in health outcomes.”

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Syphilis cases quadruple on Long Island, U.S., in troubling sign for public health

Newsday  print

2023-11-18

Newsday and 1010 WINS Radio interviewed Dr. Martine Hackett for a report on how cases of syphilis have quadrupled on Long Island and nationwide between 2011-2021. The spike has caused severe illness for thousands of people across the country and an increased number of infant deaths.

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Research Focus

Areas of interest:

maternal-child health, infant mortality, health communication and health disparities

Research Grants

“The Social Ecology of Infant Sleep Environments”

National Institutes of Health

The grant supports a study examining racial disparities in infant mortality in New York City.

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Articles

Exploring caregiver behavior and knowledge about unsafe sleep surfaces in infant injury death cases

Health Education & Behavior

2015

Objectives. In the United States, infant deaths due to sleep-related injuries have quadrupled over the past two decades. One of the major risk factors is the placement of an infant to sleep on a surface other than a crib or bassinet. This study examines contextual circumstances and knowledge and behaviors that may contribute to the placement of infants on an unsafe sleep surface in infant injury death cases. Method. This study employed a retrospective review of 255 sleep-related injury death cases in New York City from 2004 to 2010 where ...

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Housing influences among sleep-related infant injury deaths in the USA

Health promotion international

2015

Abstract: This article examines the role of housing conditions in sleep-related infant injury death, a leading cause of infant mortality in the USA. The use of an unsafe sleep surface is a major risk factor for sleep-related infant injury. This exploratory study examined contextual circumstances, specifically those related to the physical environment, which may contribute to caregivers' decisions to place an infant on an unsafe sleep surface. It employed a retrospective review of 255 sleep-related infant injury death cases in a large urban area ...

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Perception and attitudes: breastfeeding in public in New York City

Journal of Human Lactation

2014

Background: In the United States, 76.9% of women initiate breastfeeding but only 36.0% breastfeed exclusively for 3 months. Lack of support for public breastfeeding may prevent women from breastfeeding in public, which could contribute to low rates of breastfeeding exclusivity and continuation, despite high rates of breastfeeding initiation. Objective: This study aimed to determine whether residents of New York City, New York, were supportive of and comfortable with public breastfeeding. Methods: A population-based public opinion ...

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