PhD
May 16, 2022
Predictors of Velopharyngeal Insufficiency After Surgical Advancement of the Maxilla Among Young Adults with Cleft Palate
Introduction: Maxillary hypoplasia refers to undergrowth of the upper jaw and results in malocclusion of varying severity. While the prevalence of severe maxillary hypoplasia in the general population of the United States is 0.3%, the prevalence among patients with a cleft palate with or without cleft lip (CP/L) is more than 40%. The timeline of…
May 14, 2022
Residential green space and behavioral and mental health outcomes in early childhood
BackgroundNatural environments, including urban green spaces, have been associated with a range of health outcomes across the life course. Green space may promote healthy development, even early in childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between residential green space exposures and child behavioral and mental health in a socio-demographically diverse cohort…
The genetics of sex hormones and their effects on mammographic density in women
In this work we leveraged genomic information from large-scale population-based studies to explore the relationships between three epidemiologic factors associated with breast cancer in women: 1) mammographic density, 2) sex hormone concentrations, and 3) body mass index (BMI). Mammographic density, which describes the proportion of dense (i.e., epithelial and stromal) tissue in the breast, is…
August 6, 2021
Cancer incidence, mortality, and immunotherapy outcomes in relation to sleep problems: Results from Cardiovascular Health Study and a cancer immunotherapy cohort
Background: Sleep problems (SP) affect a large proportion of adults: an estimated 50-70 million U.S. adults suffer from sleep problems. Among numerous potential health consequences, sleep problems may be adversely associated with cancer risk and cancer mortality. There has been evidence from human studies and numerous animal studies linking sleep problems to cancer development and…
Diabetes Mellitus as a Risk Factor for Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected and Uninfected Populations
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading infectious causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Diabetes and HIV are important risk factors that contribute to the persistently high TB incidence globally. However, the importance of diabetes on TB risk in key sub-populations is not well-established. Additionally, body mass index (BMI) affects both TB and diabetes risk,…
January 14, 2021
Does the union make us strong? Labor unions, health, and health inequities in the United States
Recently, life expectancy in the U.S. has stagnated or declined for the poor and working classes and risen for the middle and upper classes. Declining labor union density – the percent of workers belonging to labor unions – has contributed to burgeoning income inequity. In this dissertation, we examined the relationship between unionism and health,…
The influence of state minimum wage increases on health and behavior
Low and minimum wage work, prevalent in the United States, is a key driver of both income inequality and income-driven health disparities. Cities and states have increasingly moved to adopt higher minimum wages with the goal of closing the income gap and improving the economic well-being of their residents. Over the last decade, academics and…
Genomic epidemiology on the frontline: Inferring disease dynamics from pathogen genomes and supporting genomic analysis in applied public health settings.
Within infectious disease epidemiology, genomic epidemiology is a field that seeks to describe pathogen transmission dynamics using evolutionary analysis of pathogen genome sequences and associated metadata. Genomic data have a wealth of information; we can use them to group related cases of disease, detect cryptic disease transmission, differentiate source and sink populations, and describe how…
January 12, 2021
Improving Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Delivery for Young Women in Kenya
The rollout of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention to priority populations, including young women, is expanding in sub-Saharan Africa. However, existing barriers to PrEP rollout at the individual, community and policy levels could slow progress and impede the success of PrEP implementation programs. In order to achieve success in HIV prevention, it is crucial…
November 25, 2020
Firearm-related morbidity and mortality by injury intent: Analysis of medical, criminal, and vital records in Seattle, WA
BACKGROUND Due to the reliance on administrative records in firearm injury research, individual studies do not present an integrated picture of firearm injuries. Non-fatal and fatal injuries are frequently studied separately, as are injuries of different intents. Certain risk factors for assault-related firearm injuries, like characteristics of the neighborhoods where they occur, the injured person’s…
Previous page Next page