PhD
November 18, 2020
The human gut microbiome: methodological issues in characterization and role in trimethylamine N-oxide formation
The human gut microbiome has been of great interest in recent years and is being increasingly incorporated into epidemiological research. While early work was primarily interested in characterizing the gut microbiota within healthy individuals, studies have gradually shifted focus towards identifying associations with disease risk and outcomes. The gut microbiome has already been linked to…
Effects of Parental Mental Illness on Common Child Health Outcomes
Background: Transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TA-TMA) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has not been well-characterized in large population studies with clinically adjudicated cases. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of adults who underwent allogeneic HCT between 2006 and 2015 to determine the incidence of and risk factors for TA-TMA, and to describe its natural…
Rotavirus vaccines in low-income settings
BACKGROUND An estimated 200,000 deaths due to rotavirus diarrhea occur annually in children with most of the burden in low-income settings. Rotavirus is a double stranded RNA virus transmitted via the fecal-oral route. Without a vaccine, nearly all children <5 years old become infected with rotavirus and recurrent infection is common. Rotavirus vaccines continue to…
Investigating the sexual partnerships of transgender women in Lima, Peru to improve targeted HIV interventions
Background: Transgender women (TW) have a high burden of HIV but remain understudied in HIV research. One poorly understood aspect of HIV risk among TW is the source of HIV infection in epidemics driven by sexual transmission. TW primarily report sexual partnerships with hetero- or bisexual cisgender men, populations that generally have a low HIV…
Integrating data systems to improve HIV care engagement in King County, WA
Continuous engagement in HIV care and treatment is crucial for the health of persons living with HIV (PLWH) and for preventing HIV transmission to others. However, in the United States (US), care engagement, or retention in care, represents the biggest drop off in the HIV care continuum, which maps out the care process from HIV…
The Vaginal Microbiome: The Influence of Intramuscular Depot-medroxyprogesterone Acetate Initiation on Vaginal Microbiota and A Comparison of PCR Approaches for Use in Predicting HIV Acquisition
The vaginal microbiome is a key factor in women’s reproductive health and hormones may play an important role in the composition of vaginal bacterial communities. The vaginal microbiome is commonly evaluated using broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with next generation sequencing (NGS) or taxon-specific quantitative PCR (qPCR); both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. We sought…
Engaging Male Partners in Home-based Couple Education and Testing for Syphilis and HIV
For HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), men seek care at more advanced stages of disease and are less likely to initiate treatment.1-4 Male partner participation in antenatal care (ANC) has been shown to increase male and female HIV testing,5,6 identification of HIV-discordant couples,7,8 female participation in ANC and uptake of PMTCT services1,9 as…
Investigation of Pertussis Resurgence in King County, Washington
Introduction: Pertussis or “whooping cough” is an infectious disease caused by bacterium Bordetella pertussis. Despite widespread vaccination since the 1950s, it continues to cause epidemics in several countries. In fact, in the last three decades, many countries with high vaccination coverage have reported a resurgence in pertussis activity. Understanding the factors that led to pertussis…
Diet, inflammation, and genetic predictors of tissue-specific gene expression: A functionally-informed gene-environment interaction analysis for risk of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in both sexes combined worldwide, as well as the second leading cause of cancer deaths. Pathogenesis of CRC can be attributed to both genetic (G) and environmental (E) factors. Among environmental risk factors, dietary factors contribute significantly to the etiology of CRC. Extensive research has…
Assessing Optimal Intervention Targets for Respiratory Infections in Structured Populations
Background: Respiratory Viral Infections (RVI) are one of the most common health conditions globally, and are an enormous burden to health systems and society in terms of direct medical expenses and indirect productivity losses. Despite progress made in the 20th century with the introduction of antibiotics, vaccines, and antivirals there are no specific interventions for…
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