Graduate
November 17, 2020
Perpetration of Interpersonal Violence, Incarceration, and Subsequent Risk for Firearm Suicide
Suicide is a major public health concern in the United States. The recent growth in the burden of suicide has disproportionately impacted marginalized communities and those of lower socioeconomic status. This dissertation uses administrative data across public health and public safety sectors to assess whether individuals have a heightened risk of suicide after release from…
Reaching underscreened women: correlates of cervical cancer underscreening, reactions to mailed HPV self-sampling kits, and cost-effectiveness of HPV self-sampling programs
Underscreening is a major risk factor for the development of cervical cancer. This dissertation examines factors associated with clinic-based Pap screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) self-sampling in a U.S. healthcare system and summarizes the existing evidence on the cost-effectiveness of HPV self-screening in order to support health system implementation of new strategies to increase cervical…
Association of Guideline-recommended COPD Inhaler Regimens with Respiratory Exacerbations, Exercise Performance, and Quality of Life
Background: Although inhaled therapy reduces exacerbations among patients with COPD, the effectiveness of providing inhaled treatment according to recent risk-stratification models remains unclear. Research Question: Are inhaled regimens that align with the 2017 Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) strategy associated with clinically important outcomes? Study Design and Methods: We conducted secondary analyses…
Genetic variation and natural anticoagulants
Protein C (PC), protein S (PS) and antithrombin (AT) belong to the main anticoagulant pathways that regulate hemostasis and further affect the risk of thrombotic events. Previous epidemiological studies of circulating levels of PC, PS and AT, genetic variation, and risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) have been limited by small sample sizes and restriction to…
Understanding Adherence to and HIV-1 Protection from a Microbicidal Vaginal Ring
Topical vaginal microbicides and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in the form of oral pills have been evaluated in efficacy trials for the prevention of HIV-1 infection over the past two decades with mixed results. In intention-to-treat analyses, some studies of PrEP agents, such as Truvada®, have shown positive efficacy results for reducing rates of HIV-1 infection…
Inflammatory Biomarkers, Genetics, and Survival among Colorectal Cancer Patients
Chronic inflammation significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) through inflammation-mediated mechanisms. Current evidence regarding the connection between circulating inflammatory biomarkers and CRC prognosis is limited to C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6. However, other inflammatory biomarkers with biologic relevance, such as monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), adiponectin, and leptin, are not well understood for…
Effects of Washington’s Opioid Prescribing Rules for Chronic, Non-Cancer Pain Management on Opioid Overdose Mortality and Pharmaceutical Opioid Distribution: 1999-2017
Background Since the 1990s, the opioid crisis has affected individuals and communities across the United States. National and statewide comprehensive efforts to address the problem include policies to prevent opioid addiction, identify opioid-addicted individuals, and provide effective treatment. In Washington state, in response to rising prescription opioid-related overdose deaths, the legislature passed the Engrossed Substitute…
Variation in Syphilis Among Men who Have Sex with Men and Women in the United States and Association with Syphilis in Women
We aimed to evaluate the percentage of early syphilis (ES) cases in men who have sex with men (MSM) occurring in behaviorally-bisexual men (MSMW) in the US; determine how that percentage varies by race/ethnicity, region and over time; and to assess the relationship of measures of MSMW syphilis with syphilis rates in women. We used…
November 16, 2020
Long-Term Air Pollution in Relation to Cardiac Structure, Function, and Supraventricular Arrhythmias
Background: Air pollution is an important contributor to cardiovascular morbidity, including risk of heart failure. Acute exposure is associated with inflammation, elevation of blood pressure, and episodes of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, less is understood about how long-term exposures may influence measures of atrial and ventricular structure and function, including supraventricular arrhythmias. No large longitudinal…
January 24, 2020
Eplet mismatches and de novo donor-specific antibody development in pediatric kidney transplant recipients
BACKGROUND The presence of HLA de novo donor-specific antibodies (dnDSA) is associated, probably causally, with failure of kidney transplants. In a pediatric kidney transplant population, we sought to determine the extent to which eplet mismatches (MM) are associated with the development of dnDSA. METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of pediatric kidney transplant recipients…
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