PhD
October 8, 2024
Reproductive health impacts of structural gendered racism: moving from measurement to action
Intersecting systems of oppression, such as structural racism and sexism, have long been identified as fundamental causes of health inequities by activists and scholars. However, the field of epidemiology has only recently increased attention towards measuring systems of oppression and power in order to inform strategies to advance health equity. Racialized inequities in adverse birth…
Quantifying SARS-CoV-2 and mpox transmission patterns through phylodynamic inference
Emerging infectious diseases represent an urgent public health challenge. Unequal coverage of public health surveillance as well as asymptomatic spread, however, limit our ability to respond to outbreaks in a precise and timely manner. In this dissertation, I describe how genomic epidemiology can aid traditional public health investigations of emerging infectious disease dynamics. I begin…
Sexual Stigma, Depressive Symptoms, and HIV Vulnerability Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men in Kenya
The studies within this dissertation address sexual stigma and its associations with HIV behavioral vulnerability among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). GBMSM experience stigma and discrimination due to their sexual minority status. This work: 1) establishes the magnitude of reported depressive symptoms and alcohol use among GBMSM at three…
Aromatase inhibitor use, co-morbidities, and cardiovascular disease risk in breast cancer survivors
Breast cancer survivors are a growing population with significant comorbidity burden. Approximately 80 percent of breast cancer cases are hormone receptor-positive and can be treated by endocrine therapy. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) and tamoxifen are the two major types of endocrine therapies. Although AIs have more favorable breast cancer clinical outcomes than tamoxifen, AI-related cardiovascular disease…
Observational epidemiology for evaluating respiratory virus vaccine impact using population surveillance data
Observational studies of vaccine preventable diseases (VPDs) are needed to answer questions not addressed by clinical trials and inform policy decisions. In addition, data from community, rather than clinical, settings are essential as clinical surveillance largely does not capture individuals at low risk for severe disease and may not be representative of subclinical disease. Also,…
Morbidity, mortality, and gut virome ecology of Kenyan children exposed to versus not exposed to maternal HIV
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV has decreased rapidly with the expansion of optimized antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimens for all individuals living with HIV, resulting in a growing population of children who are HIV-exposed but uninfected (CHEU). Historically, CHEU have experienced greater morbidity and mortality than children who are HIV-unexposed uninfected (CHUU). The etiology of these differences…
October 6, 2024
Shengruo Zhang
Shengruo Zhang is a Ph.D. candidate, particularly interested in sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as HPV/HIV and bacterial STIs, both in the US and globally. She supports underserved communities in accessing trusted and culturally competent care. Shengruo is an ethnic Mongolian originally from China and a first-generation college student.
September 27, 2024
Miriam Flores Moreno
Miriam Flores Moreno was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and raised by agricultural working parents in Tri-Cities, Washington. She is a first-generation college student who graduated from the University of Washington (UW) with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health in 2018 and an Epidemiology Master of Public Health in the Spring of 2022. Miriam is…
September 25, 2024
Cami Rencken
Cami Rencken is a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington and a Trainee with the University of Washington Firearm Injury & Policy Research Program. She holds a Master of Science in Global Public Health from Brown University and a Bachelor of Science in Global Disease Biology from the…
Hannah Han
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