Dr. Anderson conducts and writes about research that explores the relationship between laws and population health. A big part of his recent work has focused on bridging the gap between legal and epidemiological researchers, each of whom brings a distinct set of norms and methods to empirical research. In book chapters and papers, he has helped lay out some ways that legal researchers can incorporate scientific principles into how they identify, collect, and analyze laws. The interactive, open-access portal that Dr Anderson helped design (lawatlas.org) now hosts more than 50 datasets quantifying variation in health-related laws between states and over time, and has a wide variety of collaborators.

Aggressive policing is the subject of some of Dr. Anderson’s recent work. He is interested in understanding how lessons from patient safety campaigns and broader trends in the design and delivery of health care might provide insights into ways to make policing safer and more effective.