Graduate
December 26, 2023
Suicide and Firearm Access among Legal System Involved Perpetrators of Domestic Violence
Individuals incarcerated for DV-related offenses or subject to domestic violence protection orders (DVPOs; i.e., respondents) have threatened or engaged in one form of violence perpetration and may be at increased risk for experiencing others forms of violence, including suicide death. Several risk factors for perpetration of DV overlap with suicide; however, few studies have examined…
Novel Testing Strategies to Support HIV Treatment and Prevention: Acceptability, Preferences, and Impact on Engagement in Care and Sexual Behaviors
The primary goal of this dissertation project was to advance our understanding of the impact of novel testing strategies to support HIV treatment and prevention. Despite significant advancements in antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), rates of suboptimal medication adherence and disengagement from care, particularly in the first year of care, remain extraordinarily high….
Pregnancy and cervical cancer: a retrospective study of the associations of age at first pregnancy and parity with non-invasive and invasive cervical lesions among HIV-negative women in Senegal
Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Senegal. Senegal’s cervical cancer prevention strategy has prioritized vaccinating young girls with human papillomaviruses (HPV) vaccines, but not screening of older women. There is limited knowledge about the roles of age at first pregnancy (AFP) and parity in developing cervical intra-epithelial lesions (CIN) and invasive…
Empowerment, Stigma, and Structural Factors and their Influences on Sexual and Reproductive Health Care of Young Women
Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in East and southern Africa face parallel epidemics of HIV incidence and unintended pregnancy. AGYW in Kenya, specifically, confront unique challenges to sexual and reproductive health access, quality, and wellbeing. To understand the social and structural barriers that impede optimal reproductive health outcomes, it is crucial to understand the…
PrEP Persistence Among Key Populations in Ukraine: Analysis of Scaled PrEP Program Data from October 2020 through February 2022
While global HIV incidence has rapidly decreased during the last decade, Central and Eastern Europe have experienced a significant rise in new cases annually. Ukraine, located in Eastern Europe, has been one of the most ambitious in the region in implementing programs to combat HIV since 2017, including expanding access to PrEP among key populations…
December 22, 2023
Associations of Prescription Opioid Use during Pregnancy with Low Birth Weight and Length of Hospital Stay: Analysis of PRAMS Data
Prescription opioid use among US pregnant women, primarily used for its analgesic properties, has increased substantially over the last decades. Findings from several studies investigating associations of prescription opioid use with adverse neonatal outcomes (including preterm birth, poor fetal growth, longer hospital stays, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and birth defects) were not consistent. We examined overall…
Impact of the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 goals on incident cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the Strong Heart Family Study
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among American Indians. In 2022, the American Heart Association (AHA) developed the Life’s Essential 8 goals to promote optimal cardiovascular health (CVH) for Americans. The goals comprise 4 health behaviors (i.e., diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and sleep) and 4 health factors (i.e., body…
Factors associated with guideline-concordant biomarker testing in patients with stage IB-IIIA non-small cell lung cancer
Even with recent advances in identifying oncogenic genomic alterations and developing targeted therapies for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the uptake of molecular testing remains suboptimal among patients with advanced NSCLC, and comparable estimates for molecular testing in earlier stage NSCLC have not previously been published. This study describes and identifies factors associated with the…
Reliability of IgG serum antibodies, the electronic health record, and self-report in estimating urogenital and extragenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections in men who have sex with men
Few studies have examined the systemic antibody response in extragenital Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) infections. We estimate seroprevalence of IgG serum antibodies to CT among a cohort of men who have sex with men (MSM) with and without current infections stratified by anatomic site. We also examine the reliability of IgG serum antibodies, the electronic health…
Elevated body mass index, dementia risk, and post-mortem neuropathology
Over two-thirds of Americans aged 20 and over are considered overweight or obese. Compared to those who are within the healthy weight range as determined by body mass index (BMI), overweight and obese individuals are higher risk for poorer cognitive performance and structural brain pathology on neuroimaging studies. In addition, previous studies have shown a…
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