PhD
December 21, 2022
The Association of Upper Airway Anatomy with Cognitive Test Performance and Brain Structure: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis
Sleep apnea, affecting an estimated 1 in 4 American adults, has been reported to be associated with both impaired cognitive function and brain structural abnormality. It is important to explore upper airway anatomy as a risk factor for brain structural abnormality and poor cognitive function both overall and above and beyond its effect on sleep….
Epidemiology of Violence in Colombia
Armed conflict is a major cause of injury and death worldwide, posing a significant public health problem. In addition to mortality directly resulting from violence, armed conflicts indirectly cause morbidity and mortality through destruction of health infrastructure and diversion of resources, forced displacement, environmental damage to water/sanitation access, and erosion of social and economic security….
Associations between cannabis use and availability on prescription opioid use and related outcomes among injured workers
INTRODUCTION: Work-related injuries are a significant contributor to the high prevalence of acute and chronic, non-cancer pain in the U.S. While opioids are often prescribed for work- related injuries, inappropriate prescribing of opioids for pain management has contributed to the rise in opioid dependence, overdose, and death. Increasing access to medical and nonmedical (also called…
Perinatal depression and adverse infant outcomes among Kenyan mother-infant pairs
Pregnancy and postpartum are periods of high vulnerability to mental disorder. More than 1 in 10 women experience a mental disorder during pregnancy and 13% after delivery, most commonly depression. Pregnancy and postpartum are critical time periods for the health and survival of mothers and their infants, yet maternal depression, remains underprioritized. Women in low-…
Evaluating the impact of Medication for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Policies in California Jails
Approximately 130 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose. Those exposed to the criminal legal system (CLS) through arrests and/or incarcerations have high rates of opioid use disorders (OUD) and associated adverse outcomes. Access to medications for OUD treatment (MOUD) during incarceration and post-release increases community engagement in treatment and reduces opioid use and…
Effects of HIV exposure, TB and HIV treatment, and isoniazid preventive therapy on prognosis and growth trajectories of children
Introduction: Expanded access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV services (PMTCT) have enabled the vast majority of pregnant women living with HIV (WLWH) to give birth to HIV-exposed uninfected (HEU) children. Evidence suggests that birth weight and birth length are lower in HEU than in HIV unexposed uninfected (HUU) children,…
Integrating epidemiologic and molecular methods to improve vaginal health
Challenges measuring the microbiome and limited incorporation of epidemiologic methods in microbiome science have hindered the progress of vaginal microbiome research, and major questions in the field remain unanswered despite decades of work. This dissertation seeks to address these gaps by describing measurement error and resulting bias in vaginal microbiota research; evaluating the state of…
Novel Estimation of Genetic Relationship Matrix (GRM) and Comparisons of Different GRMs in Mega- and Meta- GWAS, in the NHLBI TOPMed Program
This dissertation is a collection of statistical tools developed to create genetic relationship matrices for genome-wide association studies, and their application to epidemiological studies of sleep duration in the NHLBI TOPMed program. In chapter one, we proposed a Bayesian method to estimate inbreeding and kinship coefficients, thereby creating a novel Bayesian genetic relationship matrix. In…
The Role of Maternal Height in Pregnancy Outcomes and Complications
Background: Adult height reflects not only an individual’s genetic make-up but also their early life environmental exposures, socioeconomic status, infectious disease history, nutrition, and growth and development. Increasing evidence suggests an inverse association of height with the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among men and non-pregnant women. Studies of the association of…
Contraceptive Decision-Making and Use Among Latina Adolescents Aged 18-19 in the United States
Contraceptives offer individuals who do not want to become pregnant one form of reproductive autonomy. They are safe and effective when used correctly, and in the case of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), are associated with very low failure rates, user independence, and convenience. For adolescents, who are beginning to engage in sexual activity, and are…
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