University of Virginia-Main Campus · EngineeringStructural Ableism and Health Equity Lab
Rupa Sheth Valdez · Charlottesville, Virginia
Research Focus
Dr. Rupa Sheth Valdez's lab focuses on understanding and measuring structural ableism, which contributes to health disparities faced by the disability community. The research involves creating validated tools to measure individual and community experiences of structural ableism, helping to identify its impact on health outcomes. This work is grounded in collaboration with the disability community and encompasses a variety of interdisciplinary approaches to advocate for health equity.
structural ableismdisability health disparitieshealth outcomescommunity engagementmeasure validation
Research Aims
3AIM 01Characterize the factors that make up structural ableism.
AIM 02Develop a validated measure for individuals' experiences of structural ableism.
AIM 03Quantify structural ableism at the community level using existing datasets.
Skills the Lab Values
qualitative researchdata synthesiscommunity-based participatory researchstatistical analysispublic policy analysis
Output against the department
Publications184bottom 48% of dept.143rd of 278
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations2.0kbottom 14% of dept.240th of 278
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.