to be healthy than others. It may have little to do with the traits they inherited from their parents. For instance, if children live in a neighborhood with a lot of crime, it may be difficult for them to get outside and play with their friends. They also might stay indoors if their neighborhood doesn’t have a playground or sidewalks. As a result, these children may not get enough exercise, which can lead to health problems such as being seriously overweight. In her research, Dr. Diez Roux has shown that people are at greater risk for obesity if they live in neighborhoods where most of the shops are small convenience stores than if they live in neighborhoods with supermarkets. Supermarkets tend to sell more healthy fresh fruits and vegeta- bles than convenience stores. “If you don’t have access to healthy food, it makes it difficult to have a healthy diet,” she says. The goal of her research is “to make the prob- lems visible,” she says. Then other people need to get involved to solve the problems. Govern- ment officials, for example, are responsible for making sure a neighborhood has enough play- grounds, sidewalks, and street lights. Dr. Diez Roux became the dean of the Drexel University School of Public Health in 2014. In her job, she leads other public health experts as well Ana Diez Roux Finding health solutions by asking questions When Dr. Ana Diez Roux started out as a pediatrician in her native country, Argentina, she worked in a clinic in a poor neighborhood in Buenos Aires. She found that she could usually help sick children get better. But then many would return with the same stomachache, diarrhea, or other illness that they had just gotten over. Dr. Diez Roux was puzzled. Why didn’t the children stay healthy? She started looking at their homes and neighborhoods and soon realized that their living conditions allowed germs to spread easily. She wanted to know more about the connection between people’s health and where they live, work, and play. So she decided to further her studies by enrolling in a university in the United States. She says she planned to return to Argen- tina after a year, but her work in the United States has kept her very busy. She now has lived in this country for more than 20 years. In those years, she has learned that there are many reasons why some people are more likely 16