FEATURE ARTICLES FPO_Kalfou, Volume 3, Issue 1 (Spring 2016). © 2016 by the Regents of the University of California. ISSN 2151-4712 (print). ISSN 2372-0751 (online). http://dx.doi.org/10.15367/kf.v2i1.53. All rights reserved. The Rise of Anchor Institutions and the Threat to Community Health Protecting Community Wealth, Building Community Power Lawrence T. Brown, Ashley Bachelder, Marisela Gomez, Alicia Sherrell, and Imani Bryan The Rise of Anchor Institutions in a Postindustrial Nation U rban universities are increasingly engaging in economic development and community redevelopment activity in the neighborhoods and cities sur- rounding their campuses. his activity has been captured in the phrase “anchor institutions,” denoting institutions that are connected to an area or city and have built an identity tied to the neighborhood and city. Anchor institutions usually consist of universities and ancillary institutions that engage with their adjacent communities, support local businesses, provide educational and health services, engage in local hiring and contracting, and increasingly participate in community economic development (Rutheiser 2011). hey are oten colloquially known as “eds and meds.” Lawrence T. Brown, PhD, MPA, is the grandson of sharecroppers who lived in the Mississippi Delta and is a native of West Memphis, Arkansas. His research addresses the impact of historical trauma on public health and the effects of masculinity on Black men’s health and health behaviors. He is an assistant professor at Morgan State University in the School of Community Health and Policy. Ashley Bachelder , MPH, MPS, CPH, is the community program manager in the Of ice of Community- Based Public Health at the University of Arkansas Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. Her research and interests focus on racial and ethnic health disparities, housing and health, community health workers, and community organizing. Marisela Gomez, MS, MPH, PhD, MD, is a public health professional and physician. Her research involves racial, social, and environmental determinants of health inequities with an emphasis on community rebuilding, gentriication, neoliberalization, and police brutality. Alicia Sherrell is a public health analyst, researcher, and graduate student. As a history enthusiast, she is interested in understanding how historical and present social injustices impact current and future health trends, particularly among people of African descent. She is pursuing her DrPH at Morgan State University. Imani Bryan, MPH, is a social-change agitator cross-trained in public health and anthropological research. As an active researcher, Bryan has focused her work on emerging mental health issues, Black male health, urban obesity, and international health systems. She currently works at the Center for Urban Families in Baltimore, Maryland. Kalfou_3_1_text_1_162_toRE_032416.indd 79 3/24/16 2:43 PM