Ben King, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Ben King, Ph.D., M.P.H., is the founding director of the Institute for Housing, Homelessness, and Health (IH3) at the University of Houston and a clinical associate professor at Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, with appointments in both the Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences and the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences. As founding director, King leads IH3’s interdisciplinary efforts to bring together education, analytics and community partnerships to support Houston’s efforts to address homelessness and housing instability. Through the institute, his work focuses on strengthening systems, advancing practical solutions and preparing the next generation of professionals to address the connections among housing, health and social well-being.

At the College of Medicine, King provides analytical support for multiple projects and partnerships with healthcare systems and community programs and also directs the Evidence-Based Medicine curriculum and Inclusion Health elective.

King’s work focuses on the design and support of programs to help people experiencing homelessness. His prior experience includes managing and analyzing large clinical and community datasets, conducting community-based studies of nonmedical drivers of health and designing and conducting clinical trials in acute and emergency care settings.

Previously, King worked as a research scientist in the Neurology Department at Dell Medical School and taught in the undergraduate public health program at The University of Texas at Austin. While there, he helped launch research programs across multiple medical specialties, including neurology, emergency medicine, psychiatry and family medicine.

King earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Bard College, a master’s degree in public health and a doctorate in epidemiology from the UTHealth School of Public Health.