Too often, research is done on communities rather than with them. Good researchers don’t just ask questions—they listen. At the Dye Lab, respect and inclusion of the communities they study aren’t just standards they hold; it’s the foundation of the lab’s work.
Led by medical anthropologist and social epidemiologist Dr. Timothy Dye, the Dye Lab focuses on addressing social and cultural determinants of health in underrepresented and marginalized communities across the world. What Dr. Dye dubs the “medical ecology lab” consists of hundreds of dedicated researchers and contributors from around the world, all working together to make real change in community health.
The Dye Lab is situated in the obstetrics and gynecology department of the University of Rochester Medical Center, reflecting its general research focus on social and biological factors affecting fetal development during pregnancy. However, Dr. Dye emphasized that the lab is “more defined by how we do our work rather than the actual work we do.”
The clearly defined values of the Dye Lab spearhead their projects and interactions. At its core, said Dr. Dye, lies a “profound respect for everybody touched by the science.” Inspired by philosopher Paulo Freire’s principle of “not about us without us,” Dye emphasizes the importance of working with — not just studying — the communities they serve. This is especially crucial in international research, where local involvement is commonly overlooked.
“Oftentimes people just parachute in and do the thing, and then they jump out and everyone’s left there with nothing,” Dye said.
Dye’s team takes a different approach, engaging communities to collaboratively address problems — often in partnership with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or universities. Dye hopes to see this prioritization of respect in all human-focused research groups, expressing that excluding the studied communities in leading projects is “disrespectful and exploitative, and it feels wrong.”
The core values of the Dye lab are a direct reflection of its principal investigator. Dye’s commitment to understanding communities, shaping policy, and addressing determinants of health is evident in his educational pursuits, with master’s degrees in International Relations, Public Administration, and Epidemiology, as well as a Ph.D. in Anthropology. Dye also completed a JD, a graduate degree in law, at Syracuse University 2024, which he hopes to integrate into his research and use to develop stronger action-based policies to tackle issues in healthcare. His journey in academia has drawn him to projects across the world, spanning from the northern Indian villages of Kashmir to the Appalachian hills of West Virginia. In each new community, Dye has prioritized gaining trust of and connecting with locals. This interdisciplinary, cross-cultural web of connections has been instrumental in expanding the Dye Lab’s reach and impact. “Even though I’m no longer in Paris or at the University of Buffalo,” Dye noted, “the people I connected with there are still part of that network.”
What Dye describes as a “very alive network” is not only the driving force behind community interactions but also a key principle in his approach to mentoring students. More than simply accumulating research hours, Dye hopes that his lab’s students and faculty alike carry their international experiences forward to create a lasting impact in their future endeavours.
“When you’re involved in anything,” Dye explained, “you’re committing to that community. In the future, we want you to leverage this knowledge and these experiences to benefit that community.” This mindset is what Dye and his colleagues value most in students — the willingness to step up and serve the community, whether as a community member or ally. “Sometimes nobody shows up, so that is what we have to do,” Dye said.
Beyond its commitment to mentorship and community engagement, the Dye Lab is distinguished by its transdisciplinary nature. One of its current projects brings together an interdisciplinary team of 15 students specializing in fields such as computer science, bioethics, and epidemiology. As students of one discipline are challenged to approach problems through a different lens, Dye says he can see “all the lights [turn] on.”
Over the last 36 years, Dye and his lab have expanded their impact immensely — and their ambitions for the future are just as bold, specifically in mentorship. Dye especially wishes to recruit students from underrepresented populations to give back to the communities they are a part of.
Looking ahead to the next five to 10 years, Dye says he hopes to see the lab’s research “really get to the crux” of several main projects, including increased Black maternal mortality rates compared to their white counterparts. In this field, it’s not research that is lacking, but action. “We know all the factors, we know the interventions, and we know the science…[yet] people still document this [statistic],” Dye said. “I want my trainees and lab to be on [the action] side of it.”
In his lab, Dye underscores a focus on advocacy and stimulating real change. For Dye, this has entailed serving as the editor-in-chief of the Maternal and Child Health Journal since 2012, where he is redefining what a scientific journal really is. “It’s about bringing new people in — we have papers that we publish from community organizations where people may not have even gone to college,” he described. This is part of the change that has to happen, Dye believes, noting that “we prioritize and value this as we would any kind of really good science.”
With this vision in mind, Dye and his lab continue to push the boundaries of what their research can achieve — not just in theory, but in action. Dye notes that “the science is kind of the easy part, in a way,” because the multidimensional nature of health renders the social and cultural determinants as the most difficult to encapsulate when designing policies and programs.
Dye urges students to get involved in helping communities they connect with — either as members or allies. “When you get involved with something meaningful to you,” Dye said, “you learn more and you can also help more.” Dye firmly believes that change is possible, and the lab community he has built is living proof of that mission. Dye’s work is a testament to the idea that research alone isn’t enough — real change comes from action, respect, and collaboration. And change is necessary because, as he puts it, “the system isn’t going to correct itself.”
