PhD

October 20, 2026

Geographic mortality and morbidity disparities in the US and Washington State: Migration, rurality, and wildfire smoke

This dissertation examined geographic all-cause and cause-specific mortality disparities in theUS and mental health disparities associated with wildfire-specific air pollution exposure in Washington State. Geographic analyses found that migration and rurality were associated with all-cause mortality, and migration, poverty, and rurality were associated with cause-specific mortality patterns in the US from 2000-2019. Higher county-level out…

Extreme Risk Protection Orders in Washington State and their impact on criminal legal system interactions

Firearm restriction policies reduce firearm-related harm. Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPOs) are civil orders which temporarily restrict and remove access to firearms among individuals (“respondents”) who demonstrate high-risk behaviors. This dissertation examined the characteristics and geographic distribution of Washington State’s ERPOs and evaluated criminal legal system interactions among ERPO respondents. ERPOs in Washington were predominantly…

Integrating Sexually Transmitted Infection Testing into Pharmacy-Based HIV Prevention for Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Kenya: Epidemiology, HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, and Sexual and Reproductive Health Service Delivery

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in sub-Saharan Africa experience a substantial burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV. Curable STIs, including chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis, are frequently asymptomatic and may remain undiagnosed in settings where STI services rely primarily on syndromic management. Untreated infections can result in pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, adverse pregnancy…

October 13, 2026

The Urban Environment and Active Living: The Case of Bogotá, Colombia

The built environment fundamentally shapes health opportunities, including those for active living. While research from the Global North has identified the types of built environments that support choice-based physical activity, less is known about their distribution and active-living promoting potential in Global South cities, where activity is often necessity-driven and socioeconomic inequalities and segregation are…

Prevention of Chlamydia trachomatis Infections: Vaccination and Post-Exposure Prophylactic Antibiotic Use

In 2023, over 1.6 million cases of Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) were reported in the United States, making it the most common notifiable sexually transmitted infection (STI). Although CT affects the broader population, young women aged 15 to 24 years and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) face disproportionately higher risk…

Advancing PrEP Use among Pregnant Women in sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), cisgender women are disproportionately affected by HIV, accounting for approximately 63% of all new infections in this region. Pregnancy, a period experienced by many young women in SSA, is associated with an elevated risk of HIV acquisition due to the combined effects of behavioral, immunological, and hormonal changes. Daily oral tenofovir…

Integrative Genomic and Proteomic Approaches to Thrombotic Events

Leveraging data from 37,564 UK Biobank Pharma Proteomics Project participants, we investigated mechanisms and developed risk prediction models for thrombotic events, including ischemic stroke (IS), myocardial infarction (MI), and venous thromboembolism (VTE), within a unified multi-phenotype framework. We conducted proteome-wide association studies for each thrombotic event and a composite endpoint (first occurrence of IS, MI,…

Associations between influenza vaccination during pregnancy and outcomes related to maternal influenza disease, infant anthropometry/nutritional status, and cost-effectiveness in Nepal

Globally, influenza causes 3-5 million severe illnesses and 290,000-650,000 deaths each year. Pregnant individuals and infants are at increased risk of influenza-associated morbidity and mortality, making maternal vaccination a high priority to protect pregnant/postpartum individuals and their infants via maternal antibodies. Although influenza mortality rates are estimated to be higher in low- and middle-income countries…

Correlates and Metabolic Health Outcomes of Adolescent Loneliness

Background: Loneliness among adolescents has drawn public health concern due to its rising rates and established implications for mental and physical health. Global estimates indicate that the percentage of adolescents who reported feeling lonely “often” or “always” nearly doubled from 2012 (12%) to 2018 (23%). These widespread shifts may reflect societal influences and increased time…

Improving Detection of Tuberculosis Disease Among Children

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health concern globally and is a leading infectious cause of morbidity and mortality in both adults and children. Approximately 1.3 million children and young adolescents who developed TB disease in 2023, and among those 191,000 died from TB. The risk of TB infection progressing to disease, and from disease…