PhD
November 18, 2020
Exposure to ambient air pollution and outcomes in women undergoing in vitro fertilization
BACKGROUND This study estimates the effect of exposure to air pollution prior to the start of in vitro fertilization (IVF) on fertilization, embryo quality, pregnancy, and live birth. We expand upon previous research by estimating exposure using differing exposure time windows, examining the role of infertility, and examining potential mechanistic pathways. METHODS This retrospective cohort…
Commonly used medications and survival from ovarian cancer
Background: Ovarian cancer is the 10th most common type of cancer and the 5th leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States (U.S.). The majority of incident ovarian cancer cases are diagnosed in individual less than 65 years of age, but little evidence exists regarding the economic burden of ovarian cancer in…
Association of air pollution with longitudinal changes in arterial stiffness and correlates of longitudinal change in arterial stiffness in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
BACKGROUND Many studies have shown associations between particulate matter with diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5), also called fine particulate air matter, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Improved understanding of the biological mechanisms linking air pollution to cardiovascular health effects is crucial to giving further support and justification for limiting air…
A Randomized Controlled Trial for Treatment of High-Grade Cervical Lesions Among HIV-Infected Women in Kenya
HIV and cervical cancer are co-epidemics that disproportionally impact women living in low resource settings. Women infected with HIV have consistently been reported to have higher burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, persistent HPV infection, and cervical pre-cancerous lesions than HIV-uninfected women. These lesions, if left untreated, can progress to cervical cancer. For women with…
Role of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and host genetic variants in risk of myocardial infarction among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
With the advent of highly effective antiretroviral therapy in the last 20 years, survival of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (PLWH) has improved dramatically. Over the same period, morbidity and mortality from non-AIDS-defining illnesses, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), have increased. PLWH are at higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI) compared to the general…
Metabolic syndrome following hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and among HIV infected adults: understanding cardiovascular disease risk
In this dissertation we discuss the findings of two studies that describe the burden of the Metabolic syndrome (MetS) in Kenya, a low resource setting with increasing incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other non-communicable diseases (NCD.). In these two complementary studies, we evaluate the risk of MetS in two different study populations,…
Contraception and HIV-1 prevention among women in Africa: informing choices amid expanding options
Introduction Options for both contraception and HIV-1 prevention are expanding in sub-Saharan Africa, offering important opportunities to provide women with products they need to achieve their prevention goals. Decision-making in the face of many options is complex, and we aimed to generate evidence to inform women’s selection of contraception and HIV-1 prevention with the following…
Inflammation and right ventricular structure and function in health and disease
Right heart failure is common and serious. For the vast majority of patients with right heart failure there are few if any treatments beyond diuretics, salt, and fluid management. The lack of drug development in this area may be anchored in the erroneous belief that the right heart is a passive observer in physiology that…
Mathematical modeling to inform implementation of HIV prevention programs in the United States
Despite advances in the detection and treatment of HIV, the incidence of infection in the United States has increased in some subgroups over the past decade and remained stable in others. These trends point to a need for improved strategies for prevention that take into account the social, behavioral, and clinical context of different target…
Following a Firearm Injury: Recidivism and Behavior Change
Firearm injuries remain an important and understudied public health problem. Besides the high cost of injury care, loss of work, potential need for long term care and emotional trauma for the individual injured, firearm injuries pose unique harm to the larger community as well. Individuals with a history of firearm injury are at substantially higher…
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