Doctoral Student Profiles

Alice Arcury-Quandt

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MSPH in epidemiology from Emory University
• BA in biology from Oberlin College

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Select presentations and publications

Alice received a BA in Biology from Oberlin College and MSPH in Epidemiology from Emory University. Following her graduation from Emory University, she worked as an epidemiologist for the Oklahoma City-County Health Department and Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. Currently, Alice is enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, under the mentorship of Dr. Marnie Bertolet.

Alice’s research focuses on infectious disease epidemiology, particularly the modeling of vector-and airborne infections. She is particularly interested in the impact of uncertainty and data quality on modeling results and how to minimize that impact.

Select presentations 

• Arcury-Quandt AE. Poverty, testing, and COVID-19 case rates in Allegheny County. Paper presented at Dean’s Day, University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 2022.
• Powers T, Arcury-Quandt A, Traynor S, Lay J, Smoak B. Teaching Modern Disease Surveillance and Investigation Skills in Low-Income Nations. Paper presented at the International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases, Atlanta, Georgia, 2015.
• Arcury-Quandt A, Harry C. Spatial patterns in foodborne illness in Oklahoma County residents 2001-2010. Paper presented at the 142ndAnnual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, 2014. 
• Arcury-Quandt A, Jenks MH, Eberhard M, Moore A, Cantey P, Cama V. Evaluation of IgG4 Immune Responses Against Ov16 and Bm14 in Non-Human Primates Infected with Onchocerca volvulus. Paper presented at the 61stAnnual Meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Atlanta, Georgia, November, 2012.
• Arcury-Quandt AE. Latino golf course workers and their supervisors: experience and knowledge of hazardous materials. Paper presented at the 71stAnnual Meeting of the Society for Applied Anthropology, Seattle, Washington, March, 2011.

Select publications 

• McAdams RJ, Acevedo-Fontanez AI, Arcury-Quandt AE, Heberger JR. Head Injuries Among Children Treated in US Emergency Departments, 2015-2019. Pediatrics. Under review.
• Arcury-Quandt AE, Harbertson J, Ziajko L, Hale BR. Risk factors associated with positive depression screening across the shipboard deployment cycle. BJPsych Open(2019). 5(5):e84.
• Cama VA, McDonald C, Arcury-Quandt A, Eberhard M, Jenks HM, Smith J, Feleke SM, Thomson L, Wiegand RE, Cantey PT. Evaluation of an OV-16 IgG4 ELISA in humans and dynamics of Ov-16 IgG4antibody responses in a non-human primate model of Onchocerca volvulusinfection. Am J Trop Med Hyg(2018).Oct;99(4):1041-1048.
• Quandt SA, Arcury-Quandt AE, Lawlor EJ, Carrillo L, Marin AJ, Grzywacz JG, Arcury TA. 3-D jobs and health disparities: The health implications of Latino chicken catchers’ working conditions. Am J Ind Med (2013). 56:206-215.
• Arcury-Quandt AE, Gentry AL, Marín AJ. Hazardous materials on golf courses: experience and knowledge of golf course superintendents and grounds maintenance workers from seven states. Am J Ind Med (2011). 54: 474-485.
• Quandt SA, Arcury-Quandt AE, Washington CJ, Mulrooney T, BertoniAG. Community Gardens and Farmers Markets, Forsyth County, North Carolina. Wake Forest University Translational Science Institute Working Paper. Winston-Salem, NC, 2010.
• Lally BE, Geiger GA, Kridel S, Arcury-Quandt AE, Robbins ME, Kock ND, Wheeler K, Peddi P, Georgakilas A, Kao GD, Koumenis C. Identification and biological evaluation of a novel andpotent small molecule radiation sensitizer via an unbiased screen of a chemical library. Cancer Research. 2007;67(18):8791-9.

Mohammed Bu Saad

DrPH student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• cardiovascular & diabetes epidemiology
• prevention, lifestyle & physical activity epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in public health from Johns Hopkins University
• MBBS in Medicine and Surgery from King Faisal University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Mohammed Bu Saad is a physician from Saudi Arabia who is pursuing his DrPH degree in Epidemiology. His primary advisor is Dr. Bonny Rockette-Wagner, and he also works closely with Dr. Andrea Kriska. Mohammed holds a bachelor’s in medicine and Surgery from King Faisal University and a master’s degree in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University. His research interests include health promotion, prevention of obesity and diabetes, and promoting physical activity. His dissertation work involves studying the role of the built environment and walkability on physical activity changes and cardiometabolic outcomes among lifestyle modification intervention’s participants. Mohammed believes that promoting communities’ health is not limited to clinical work, but it should also be coupled with community-based initiatives to bridge the gaps between two vital practices, the traditional practice of medicine and public health.

Select presentations 

• Alghnam, Suliman, Saleh A. Alessy, Mohamed Bosaad, Sarah Alzahrani, Ibrahim I. Al Alwan, Ali Alqarni, Riyadh Alshammari, Mohammed Al Dubayee, and Majid Alfadhel. “The Association between Obesity and Chronic Conditions: Results from a Large Electronic Health Records System in Saudi Arabia.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 23 (2021): 12361. 
• Devaraj, Susan M., Jenna M. Napoleone, Rachel G. Miller, Bonny Rockette-Wagner, Vincent C. Arena, Chantele Mitchell-Miland, Mohammed Bu Saad, and Andrea M. Kriska. “The role of Sociodemographic factors on goal achievement in a community-based diabetes prevention program behavioral lifestyle intervention.” BMC Public Health 21, no. 1 (2021): 1-11. 
• King, Wendy C., Amanda S. Hinerman, Gretchen E. White, Anita P. Courcoulas, Mohammed A. Bu Saad, and Steven H. Belle. “Associations between Physical Activity and Changes in Weight Across 7 Years following ROUX-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.” Annals of surgery (2021).

Yuqing Chen

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
women's health epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BS in biotechnology from Hainan University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Additional information

Yuqing received a BS in Biotechnology from Hainan University and MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh. Yuqing has worked at the Epidemiology Data Center of the University of Pittsburgh as data manager/analyst of Study of Women’s Health across the Nation (SWAN) after graduation. Currently, Yuqing is enrolled in Doctoral Program in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Maria Brooks and Dr. Alicia Colvin.

Yuqing’s research interests focus on the effect of psychosocial and lifestyle factors on cardiovascular diseases among midlife women. Yuqing is particularly interested in how depression and other psychiatric diseases as well as social determinants on the development of type II diabetes among women across the menopause.

Rebecca Ehrenkranz

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
population neuroscience

Education: 

• MPH from Johns Hopkins University
• BA from Brandeis University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

After receiving her BA from Brandeis University, Rebecca worked as a clinical trials data analyst at Dana-Faber Cancer Institute/Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center. She returned to school at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she received her MPH. After graduating, she completed a Cancer Research Training Award fellowship at the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance Research Program. Currently, Rebecca is a 3rd year PhD student in epidemiology and trainee at the joint Carnegie-Mellon University – University of Pittsburgh Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition, under the advisement of Dr. Caterina Rosano. Her research within population neuroscience focuses on vitality in older age, brain aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Select publications

• Rebecca Ehrenkranz, Andrea L. Rosso, Briana N. Sprague, et al. Functional correlates of self-reported energy levels in the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Aging Clin Exp Res 33, 2787–2795 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40520-021-01788-0
• Rebecca Ehrenkranz, MPH, Qu Tian, PhD, Andrea L Rosso, PhD, Nancy W Glynn, PhD, Lana M Chahine, MD, James Hengenius, PhD, Xiaonan Zhu, PhD, Caterina Rosano, MD, Mild Parkinsonian Signs, Energy Decline, and Striatal Volume in Community-Dwelling Older Adults, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, 2021;, glab150, https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glab150

Select presentations 

• Rebecca Ehrenkranz, Xiaonan Zhu, Caterina Rosano. Perceived Energy Compensates for Fatigue During Rapid Gait: Results from the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study. Presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, November 2021 
• Rebecca Ehrenkranz, Qu Tian, Andrea L. Rosso, Nancy W. Glynn, Lana M. Chahine, James Hengenius, Xiaonan Zhu, Caterina Rosano. Energy Decline May Predict Mild Parkinsonian Signs in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Presented at the Gerontological Society of America Annual Scientific Meeting, November 2021

Sara Godina

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
environmental epidemiology, population neuroscience epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from The Ohio State University
• BS in neuroscience and BA in psychology from the University of Cincinnati

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations 

Sara Godina is a fourth year PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology and a trainee on Dr. Caterina Rosano’s Population Neuroscience of Aging & Alzheimer’s Disease (PNA) T32 grant. With a background in Neuroscience and Epidemiology (B.S., Neuroscience 2012, MPH Epidemiology 2018), Sara specifically came to the University of Pittsburgh to have the opportunity to work with the Epidemiology of Brain Resilience of Aging (eBRAIN) group, led by Drs. Caterina Rosano and Andi Rosso.

Sara’s research interests include environmental risk factors for healthy brain aging. As she has progressed in her doctoral studies, an emerging area of interest concerns environmental justice issues and disparities present at the group-level. Members of her dissertation committee include Drs. Andrea Rosso (primary faculty advisor and committee chair; expertise in population neuroscience and neighborhood factors), Tiffany Gary-Webb (expertise in social and chronic disease epidemiology), Beth Snitz (expertise in neuropsychological testing and cognitive measures), and Jeanine Buchanich (expertise in environmental epidemiology and biostatistics). Sara’s long-term career goal is to become a leader in aging research, particularly with respect to a focus on disparities among older adults.

Select presentations

• Gerontological Society of America’s 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting (virtual) 
• University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (virtual)7/20Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2020 (virtual) 
• Gerontological Society of America’s 2019 Annual Scientific Meeting, Austin, TX 
• University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health Pittsburgh, PA Dean’s Day Competition 
• The Ohio State University College of Public Health Columbus, OH Culminating Project Presentations 
• The Ohio State University 1^st Annual OSU College of Public Columbus, OH Health Student Case Competition 
• University of Cincinnati Research Week 2016: Spotlight on Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center Research

John Heberger

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
injury prevention epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in epidemiology and MA in economics from the University of Buffalo
• BA in economics from St. John Fisher College

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

John R. Heberger is an Epidemiologist at the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC-NIOSH). His research focuses on occupational injuries, injury severity, and injury burden in the mining industry. John is also using workers’ compensation data to supplement existing mining injury surveillance data and to estimate costs associated with mining injuries. He has master’s degrees in Economics and Epidemiology from the University at Buffalo, SUNY and is a third year Ph.D. student in Epidemiology program at the University of Pittsburgh, advised by Dr. Tom Songer. 

Select presentations

• Heberger, J.R., Nasarwanji, M.F., Pollard, J.P., & Kocher, L.M. (2022). Hand and Finger Injuries in the U.S. Mining Industry, 2011-2017. Accepted for presentation at the SME Annual Conference, March 1, Salt Lake City, UT.
• Heberger, J.R. (2019) Overview of NIOSH Mining Injury Surveillance. Presented at the CSTE Annual Conference, June 3, Raleigh, NC.

Select publications 

• Heberger, J.R. & Fritz, J. (2019). Fatalities cost in Mining. Pittsburgh, PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, version 1.0, 2019 Mar: software. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/works/coversheet2093.html 
• Dempsey, P. G., Pollard, J., Porter, W. L., Mayton, A., Heberger, J. R., Gallagher, S., … & Drury, C. G. (2017). Development of Ergonomics Audits for Bagging, Haul Truck, and Maintenance and Repair Operations in Mining. Ergonomics, 60 (12) pp. 1739-1753. 
• Gallagher, S. & Heberger, J.R. (2013). Examining the Interaction of Force and Repetition on Musculoskeletal Disorder Risk: A Systematic Literature Review. Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 55(1), 108-124. 
• Heberger, J.R. (2018) Demonstrating the financial impact of mining injuries using workers’ compensation data with the Safety Pays in Mining web application. Presented at the CSTE Annual Conference, June 12, West Palm Beach, FL.

Brandon M. Herbert

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• cardiovascular & diabetes epidemiology
• infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BS in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected publications

Brandon M. Herbert is a predoctoral trainee on the T32 Cardiovascular Epidemiology Training Program. He entered the PhD program in January 2020 and started on the T32 in May 2021. His research focuses on the effects social determinants of health have on cardiovascular health and care. Additionally, he is investigating how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted patients with acute coronary syndrome in Allegheny County and across the United States. Brandon’s primary advisers are Dr. Maria Brooks and Dr. Jared Magnani.

Select publications 

• Herbert BM, Johnson AE, Paasche-Orlow MK, Brooks MM, Magnani JW. Disparities in Reporting a History of Cardiovascular Disease Among Adults With Limited English Proficiency and Angina. JAMA Netw Open 2021;4:e2138780.10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.38780. 
• Medoff BS, Herbert BM, Baird AS, Magnani JW. Does education modify the association between depression and cardiovascular health? (from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey, 2013–14 and 2015–16). American Heart Journal Plus: Cardiology Research and Practice 2021.10.1016/j.ahjo.2021.100062. 
• Stokes N, Herbert B, Johnson A, Magnani JW. The effect of the lone parent household on cardiovascular health (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2015–2016). American Heart Journal Plus: Cardiology Research and Practice 2021;3.10.1016/j.ahjo.2021.100015.

Wei-Hsin (Teresa) Hsiao

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
women's health epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in epidemiology from Tulane University
• BS in public health from Taipei Medical University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Teresa received a B.S. in public health at Taipei Medical University in Taipei, Taiwan, and M.S degree in epidemiology at Tulane University. She is currently a PhD student at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Dara Mendez and Dr. Marquis Hawkins.

Teresa’s research interests focus on maternal sleep health. Specifically, she has a strong interest in assessing sleep health among pregnant and postpartum people and identify its associated risk factors and health outcomes. Her dissertation is to assess multidimensional sleep health during pregnancy and associated modifiable factors to improve poor sleep health during pregnancy. 

Select presentations

• Hsiao W.H., Mendez D., Facco, F.L., Levine, M. D., Wallace M.L., Hawkins, M. S., Multidimensional sleep health during nulliparous pregnancy: A prospective study. Poster presentation at the Virtual SLEEP 2021, June 2021 

Select publications 

• Hsiao, W. H., Paterno, M. T., Iradukunda, F., & Hawkins, M. (2020). The Preliminary Efficacy of a Sleep Self-management Intervention Using a Personalized Health Monitoring Device during Pregnancy. Behavioral Sleep Medicine, 1-12.

Jinghui Ju

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
cardiovascular & diabetes epidemiology

reproductive, perinatal & pediatrics epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• MS in global medicine from the University of Southern California
• MBBS in clinical medicine from Qingdao University

Selected presentations and publications

Jinghui is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, with interest in multiple fields of epidemiological study, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, women’s health, and perinatal health. Her dissertation work focuses on the interrelationship between reproductive health and cardiometabolic health in women with type 1 diabetes. Dr. Tina Costacou is her primary advisor. She also works for Dr. Costacou for the data management of the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications (EDC) study (NIH/NHLBI R01 DK34818) and the RETRO HDLc study (NIH/NIDDK R01 HL130153). 

She previously worked as an ORISE fellow at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, where she was able to learn and apply skills simultaneously in real-world public health practice. Since 2018, she has been served as a Student Ambassador at the Epidemiology Department, answering questions from newly accepted Master’s students. Her goal is to become an epidemiologist committed to improving cardiovascular health and women’s health in diverse populations. 

Select presentations

• Ju J, Kinney GL, Miller RJ, Orchard TJ, Costacou T. The association of ankle-brachial index and BMI with pulmonary disease in type 1 diabetes. Presented at the 81^st Scientific Sessions of American Diabetes Association, June25-29,2021.
• Ju J, Rubinstein DN, EI Khoudary SR, Orchard TJ, Costacou T. Age at menarche and its association with the metabolic syndrome in type 1 diabetes. Presented at the 80thScientific Sessions of American Diabetes Association, Jun12-16,2020. 

Select publications 

• Ju J, Tomaszewski EL, Orchard TJ, Evans RW, Feingold E, Costacou T.(2020).Thehaptoglobin 2-2 genotype is associated with cardiac autonomic neuropathy in type 1 diabetes: the RETRO HDLc study. Acta Diabetol. 2020;57(3):271-278. 
• Ju J,& XieD.(2013). Radicular Cyst Infected Maxillary Sinus One Case Misdiagnosis. Medical Journal of QILU, ISSN:1008-0341/CN:37-1280/R.

Elora Kalix

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

reproductive, perinatal & pediatric epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BS in public health and statistics from West Chester University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Additional information

My advisor is Dr Catherine Haggerty, the Director of the Reproductive, Perinatal & Pediatric Area of Emphasis in the Department of Epidemiology. She is working on a group of The Pittsburgh Study called Healthy Environments and Strong Bodies, which has been my main involvement as her graduate student researcher. I have strong interests in infectious diseases and reproductive health, namely HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Additionally, I am interested in pharmacoepidemiology, social determinants of health, and health equity. 

I received my bachelor’s degree in 2019, studying public health and statistics. I began my graduate education immediately following, receiving my Master of Public Health degree in epidemiology in 2021. Here, I completed my master’s practicum and essay on COVID-19 racial and ethnic disparities in the United States, as well as the variation of how race and ethnicity data for cases and deaths were being reported at the state level. I have continued into the doctoral program in Epidemiology, where I will soon begin dissertation research, which is to be determined. As of now, I would like to pursue a career in public health as an epidemiologist at the federal level. 

Jessica Kerr

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in infectious diseases and microbiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BA in anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Jessica received all her education at the University of Pittsburgh, from her BA in Anthropology with a focus on medical anthropology to her MPH and now her work in her PhD. She is a part-time PhD student while she works full-time as the project coordinator for the MIDAS Network, a global network of infectious disease modelers, under the advisement of Dr. Wendy King. Her main research interests are vaccine hesitancy, vaccine equity, and developing infectious disease forecasts that incorporate these factors into them. Jess can be found on Zoom with her “zoo” at home, taking care of her office plants, kayaking, or, when there is not a pandemic, traveling. 

Select presentations

• Kerr J, Shadbolt S, Espino J, Levander J, Stazer J, Contamin L, Cross A, Arcury-Quandt A, Pokutnaya D, Hoccheiser H. The Models of Infectious Disease Agent Study (MIDAS) Coordinating Center: 2021 Update. Presented at Epidemics 8, November 2021. 
• Kerr J, Stazer J, Levander J, Van Panhuis W. MIDAS COVID-19 Parameter Database Summary. Presented at the MIDAS Network Annual Meeting, May 2021. 

Select publications 

• Rebecca K Borchering, Cécile Viboud, Emily Howerton, Claire P Smith, Shaun Truelove, Michael C Runge, Nicholas G Reich, Lucie Contamin, John Levander, Jessica Kerr. Katriona Shea, Justin Lessler. Modeling of Future COVID-19 Cases, Hospitalizations, and Deaths, by Vaccination Rates and Nonpharmaceutical Intervention Scenarios – United States, April-September 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 May 14. Doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7019e3. 
• Kerr JE, Weiss LS, Salcido DD. Simulation of the Effects of Co-Locating Naloxone with Automated External Defibrillators. Prehospital Emergency Care. 2018 Mar 1:1-6. Doi: 10.1080/10903127.2018.1439128.

Sarah Kolibash Royse

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
population neuroscience

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BS in neuroscience from The Ohio State University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected publications

The ultimate goal of Sarah’s research is to reduce racial disparities of Alzheimer’s disease. Under the mentorship of Beth Snitz and Caterina Rosano, she examines how race and race-related factors affect Alzheimer’s disease pathology and symptomatology. She does this through a combined lens of epidemiology, neuroscience, medical imaging, and psychosocial science. Upon graduating, she intends to continue this work in an academic setting; I hope to conduct research that informs Alzheimer’s disease interventions and treatments that are effective for all older adults, regardless of race or ethnicity. 

Select publications 

• Royse, S.K., Cohen, A.D., Snitz, B.E., & Rosano, C. (2021). Differences in Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias pathology among African American and Hispanic women: A qualitative literature review of biomarker studies. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 15, 69.
• Royse, S.K., Minhas, D.S., Lopresti, B.J., Murphy, A., Ward, T., Koeppe, R.A., Bullich, S., DeSanti, S., Jagust, W.J., & Landau, S.M. (2021). Validation of amyloid PET positivity thresholds in centiloids: A multisite PET study approach. Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, 13, 99.  Laymon, C.M., Minhas, D.S., Royse, S.K., Aizenstein, H.J., Cohen, A.D., Tudorascu, D.L., & Klunk, W.E. (2021). Characterization of Point Spread Function Specification Error on Geometric Transfer Matrix Partial Volume Correction in [¹¹C]PiB Amyloid Imaging. EJNMMI Physics, 8, 54.

JiWon Lee

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
aging epidemiology

prevention, lifestyle & physical activity epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from Columbia University
• MS in nutritional science focused on clinical nutrition from the University of Michigan
• BS in food and nutrition from Yonsei University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

JiWon received a B.S. in the department of Food & Nutrition at Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, an M.S. in Nutritional Science, focused on Clinical Nutrition from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and an M.P.H in Epidemiology from the Columbia University. Currently, JiWon is enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Jane Cauley.

JiWon’s current research interests are targeted for elderly population, in order to intervene their health issues and to improve their quality of life. More specifically, JiWon is focused on the impact of macronutrients and physical activity on muscle quality and quantity, fall and fracture prevention, and disability across race/ethnic groups. 

Select presentations

• JiWon R. Lee, Hsin-Chieh Yeh Soohun Cho: Diabetes and Prediabetes in a Cohort of Korean Employees American Diabetes Association 75th Scientific Sessions, June 5-9, 2015 Boston, MA 

Select publications 

• JiWon R. Lee, Nisa M. Maruthur, Hsin-Chieh Yeh: Nativity and Prevalence of Cardiometabolic Diseases among U.S. Asian Immigrants J Diabetes Complications 2020;34:Article 107679

Mengyi Li

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
cardiovascular & diabetes epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from Emory University
• BS in nutrition science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Mengyi graduated with a B.S. degree in nutrition science from University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Mengyi worked as chronic disease epidemiologist at Kansas Department of Health and Environment for three years. Currently, Mengyi is a pre-doctoral candidate in epidemiology advised by Dr. Akira Sekikawa at the University of Pittsburgh.

Mengyi’s research interests center around the etiology of cardiovascular diseases and aging. Currently, Mengyi is interested in how modifiable factors (diet, etc.) could affect cardiovascular function and chronic disease progression. Mengyi is also looking forward to exploring clinical trials and pharmacoepidemiology. 

Select presentations

• Mengyi Li. Association between Diabetes and Tooth Loss, 2018 Kansas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Presented at Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists Annual Conference, June 13-17, 2021. 
• Mengyi Li, Lainey Faulkner. Encouraging Health and Wellness Outside Clinic Walls: Supporting Patients with Arthritis After Physical Therapy Through Evidence-Based Community Programs. Presented at Kansas Physical Therapist Association, March 6, 2020. 

Select publications 

• Mengyi Li. Diabetes Mortality in Kansas, 2017. Kansas Health Statistics Report. Nov 2019; 82.

Hai-Wei Liang

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in environmental and occupational health science from National Yang-Ming University
• BS in nutrition and health sciences, Taipei Medical University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Hai-Wei received a B.S in Nutrition from Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, and an M.S in Environmental and Occupational Health from National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan. She is currently a Ph.D. student and works as a graduate student researcher under the mentorship of Dr.  Jennifer Adibi.

Her research interests targeted how environmental pollutants exposure (endocrine disruptors,specifically) alters pregnant women and infant health by incorporating epidemiology data and bench work results. Her recent work in the laboratory has developed an in vitro 3D placental organoid model to examine chemical exposures on placental function. Her career goal is to become an independent researcher that could apply innovative lab approaches to answer questions from epidemiology research. 

Select presentations

• Hai-Wei Liang, Qing Yin, Carla Ng, Hannu Koistinen, Emily Barrett, Tom O’Connor, Richard Miller, Xiaoshuang Xun, Nora Moog, Claudia Buss, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Jennifer J. Adibi, “The association of maternal serum levels of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances and four forms of human chorionic gonadotropin in early pregnancy”. Accepted at International Conference on Fetal Programming and Developmental Toxicity (2022) 
• H. Liang, N. Snyder, X. Xun, M. Smith, R. Birru, K. Carroll, K. LeWinn, N. R. Bush, F. Tylavsky, J. J. Adibi, “Reversal of association between prenatal phthalate levels and birth size when measuring phthalates in placental tissue versus in maternal urine”. Accepted at the International Society for Environmental Epidemiological (ISEE) 2020 Virtual Conference 
• Hai-Wei Liang; Yu-Fang Huang; Pei-Wei Wang; Chun-Hao Lai; Meng-Han Lin; Li-Wei Huang; Winnie Yang; Mei-Lien Chen, “Association of birth outcomes with prenatal exposure to parabens”. Presented at Children’s Environmental Health Network-2017 Translational Research Conference: New Challenges (CEHN 2017), Arlington, VA, USA, 04, 201 

Select publications 

• Birru, Rahel;Liang, Hai-Wei;Farooq, Fouzia;Bedi, Megha;Feghali, Maisa;Haggerty, Catherine;Mendez, Dara;Catov, Janet;Ng, Carla;Adibi, Jennifer. (2021). A pathway level analysis of PFAS exposure and risk of gestational diabetes mellitus. Environmental Health. 20. 10.1186/s12940-021-00740-z. 
• Chia-Huang Chang; Pei-Wei Wang; Hai-Wei Liang; Yu-Fang Huang; Li-Wei Huang; Hsin-Chang Chen; Meng-Han Lin; Winnie Yang; I-Fang Mao, The sex-specific effects of maternal paraben exposure on size at birth, Int J Hyg Environ Health, 2019Jul;222(6):955-964.

Ziling Mao

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
obesity & nutritional epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from Emory University
• Bachelor's in administration of public health services from Capital Medical University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Ziling Mao is a first year Ph.D. student in Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, advised by Dr. Samaneh Farsijani. Her research interests are nutritional epidemiology, gut microbiome and omics data analysis, nutritional strategies (e.g., meal timing and patterns of food intake) and cardiometabolic health, and dietary approaches to promote healthy aging. Ziling got her master’s degree in Epidemiology from the Emory University at Atlanta, GA. Her career goal is to become an epidemiologist/research scientist in industries or research institutes. 

Select presentations

• Mao Z, Prizment AE, Lazovich D, Gibbs DC, Bostick RM. Lifestyle and dietary oxidative balance scores and risk for incident colorectal cancer among older women: the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Proc AACR 2020; 61:Abstract #3212. 
• Mao Z, Prizment A, Lazovich D, Bostick RM. Associations of dietary and lifestyle oxidative balance scores with all-cancer, all-CVD, and all-cause mortality risk among older women; the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Proc AACR 2021; 62:Abstract #846. 

Select publications 

• Mao Z, Aglago E, Zhao Z, Schalkwijk C, Jiao L, Freisling H, et al. (2021) Dietary intake of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and mortality among individuals with colorectal cancer. Nutrients. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13124435
• Mao Z, Bostick RM. (2021). Associations of Dietary, Lifestyle, Other Participant Characteristics, and Oxidative Balance Scores with Plasma F2-isoprostanes Concentrations in a Pooled Cross-Sectional Study. Eur J Nutr. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021-02754-2
• Mao Z, Prizment AE, Lazovich Bostick RM (2021). Associations of dietary and lifestyle oxidative balance scores with mortality risk among older women: the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Eur J Nutr. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-021- 02557-5
• Mao Z, Prizment AE, Lazovich D, Gibbs DC, Bostick RM (2020). Dietary and Lifestyle Oxidative Balance Scores and Incident Colorectal Cancer Risk Among Older Women; the Iowa Women’s Health Study. Nutr Cancer. https://doi.org/10.1080/01635581.2020.1821904
• Zhao J, Mao Z, Fedewa SA, Nogueira L, Yabroff KR, Jemal A, and Han X (2020). The Affordable Care Act and access to care across the cancer control continuum: A review at 10 years. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21604

Rebecca McAdams

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
women's health epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology and health behavior/health promotion from The Ohio State University
• MA in higher education and student affairs from The Ohio State University
• BS in biological sciences and psychology from Carnegie Mellon University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Rebecca received a BS in Biological Sciences and Psychology from Carnegie Mellon University, and an MA in Higher Education and an MPH in Epidemiology as well as Health Behavior/Health Promotion from The Ohio State University. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh. Although she has worked in the pediatric injury prevention field for the past 6 years as a Senior Research Associate at Nationwide Children's Hospital, her passion and research interests are in maternal health. Specifically, she is interested in mitigating maternal morbidity and mortality as well as understanding postpartum maternal and paternal mood disorders. She is advised by Dr. Lisa Bodnar. She has two children, Emory and Maeve, and enjoys spending time with her family, rock climbing, and playing piano.  

Select presentations

• McAdams R. J., Roberts K. J., Klein E. G., Manganello J., McKenzie, L. B. Using content analysis and eyetracking to understand injury prevention content dissemination on social media. Society for Advancement of Violence and Injury Research Meeting. Cincinnati, OH. Poster Presentation. April 2021 
• McAdams R. J., Roberts K. J., Klein E. G., Manganello J., McKenzie, L. B. Moms on social media: A nationally representative online survey. Poster accepted for presentation at AAHB 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting, “Transforming the narrative to meet emerging health behavior challenges” (March 8-11, 2020) in Napa, CA. 

Select publications

• McAdams, R. J., Roberts, K. J., Klein, E. G., Manganello, J. A., & McKenzie, L. B. (2021). Using social media to disseminate injury prevention content: Is a picture worth a thousand words? Health Behavior Research, 4(2), 3. https://doi.org/10.4148/2572-1836.109
• McKenzie, L. B., Roberts, K. J., McAdams, R. J., Abdel-Rasoul, M., Kristel, O., Szymanski, A., Keim, S. A., & Shields, W. C. (2021). Efficacy of a mobile technology-based intervention for increasing parents’ safety knowledge and actions: A randomized controlled trial. Injury Epidemiology, 8(56), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-021-00350-w
• McAdams, R. J., Swidarski, K., Clark, R. M., Roberts, K. J., Yang, J., & McKenzie, L. B. (2018). Bicycle related injuries among children treated in US emergency departments, 2006-2015. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 118, 11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2018.05.019

Marisa Millenson

MD/PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• environmental epidemiology
• reproductive, perinatal & pediatric epidemiology
• women's health epidemiology

Education: 

• ScB in statistics from Brown University
• ScM in biostatistics from Brown College School of Public Health

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Marisa received her Bachelor of Science, with Honors, in Statistics from Brown University and her Master of Science in Biostatistics from the Brown University School of Public Health. Currently, Marisa is a trainee in the Medical Scientist Training Program through the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University, where she is co-enrolled as a medical student in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and as a doctoral student in the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology. Her epidemiology doctoral work is conducted under the mentorship of Dr. Lisa Bodnar.

Marisa’s research interests focus on environmental exposures during pregnancy and their effects on maternal and infant health. Marisa is particularly interested in understanding how nutrition and pharmaceutical use during early pregnancy influence children’s long-term development and wellbeing. Marisa aims to use this expertise as the foundation for a future career as a physician-epidemiologist practicing preventive medicine.

Select publications 

• Millenson ME, Braun JM, Calafat AM, et al. Urinary organophosphate insecticide metabolite concentrations during pregnancy and children’s interpersonal, communication, repetitive, and stereotypic behaviors at 8 years of age: the HOME study. Environmental Research. 2017 Aug 1;157:9-16. 

Mitra Mosslemi

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
environmental epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in epidemiology from the University of California
• MS in system biology, University of Gothenburg (Sweden)

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Mitra’s research interest is in personalized medicine, a medical model that uses genomic, physiological, and environmental factors associated with a disease to separate people into different groups who respond differently to specific prevention or therapies. She is particularly interested in identifying biomarkers for early detection and therapies for prevention of complications in patients with chronic diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Mitra earned an MS in System Biology from Gothenburg University (Sweden) and an MS in Epidemiology from the University of California, Irvine (UCI). After graduating from UCI, she worked as a researcher with the Heart Disease Prevention Program and the Harold Simmons Kidney Research Center at UCI, Department of Medicine. Currently, Mitra is a PhD student in epidemiology, working under the supervision of Dr. Tina Costacou.

Select presentations

• Mosslemi M, Hanna RM, Rhee CM, Kalantar-Zadeh K, Streja E. Comparison of chronic kidney disease risk factors between normoalbuminuric and albuminuric patients with diagnosed diabetes and reduced kidney function. [Poster Presentation] American Diabetes Association 80th Scientific Sessions. Online, June 12-16, 2020. 
• Mosslemi M, Wong ND. “Oral Glucose Tolerance Test Detects Diabetes at Early Stages.” [Poster Presentation] American Heart Association EPI|LIFESTYLE 2020 Scientific Sessions. Phoenix, AZ, USA; March 3-6, 2020. 
• Mosslemi M, Park HL, McLaren CE, Wong ND. “Treatment-based approach for Diabetes Type Identification in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.” [Poster Presentation] Society for Epidemiologic Research 52nd Annual Meeting. Minneapolis, MN, USA; June 18-21, 2019. 
• Mosslemi M, Park HL, McLaren CE, Wong ND. “Comparison of cardiovascular risk factors between type 1 and type 2 diabetes in United States adults.” [Poster Presentation] American Diabetes Association 79th Scientific Sessions. San Francisco, CA, USA; June 7-11, 2019. 

Select publications 

• Mosslemi M, Wong ND. Importance of applying treatment data to ascertain type 1 diabetes cases in health registries. BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care 2021; 9 (1), e002280. doi: 10.1136/bmjdrc-2021-002280
• Mosslemi M, Park HL., McLaren CE., Wong ND. Treatment-based Algorithm for Identification of Diabetes Type in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Cardiovascular Endocrinology & Metabolism 2020;9(1):9–16. doi: 10.1097/XCE.0000000000000189 
• Nørgaard CH, Mosslemi M, Lee CJ, Torp-Pedersen C, Wong ND. The Importance and Role of Multiple Risk Factor Control in Type 2 Diabetes. Current Cardiology Reports 2019; 21: 35. doi.org/10.1007/s11886-019-1123-y 
• Hubaux R, Thu KL, Vucic E, Pikor L, Kung S, Martinez V, Mosslemi M, Becker-Santos D, Gazdar AF, Lam S, Lam WL. Microtubule affinity-regulating kinase 2 is associated with DNA damage response and cisplatin resistance in non-small cell lung cancer. International Journal of Cancer 2015;137(9):2072–82. doi: 10.1002/ijc.29577

Natalie Price

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
environmental epidemiology

Education: 

• MSPH in epidemiology of microbial diseases from Yale School of Public Health
• BA in economics from Oberlin College

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Natalie is a first year doctoral student in the department of epidemiology. She has 8 years of experience working in public health program evaluation, and health information system development and management. After living and working in countries around the world, her focus has shifted to communities much closer to home. 

She works with Drs. Evelyn Talbott and Jeanine Buchanich on a study examining the effects of environmental exposures on birth outcomes, childhood cancer, asthma in southwestern Pennsylvania. Her research interests include the effects of air pollution and other environmental exposures on birth outcomes, neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disorders. Additionally, she is interested in occupational health, environmental justice, and community-driven research.

Select publications 

• Wroe, E. B., Kalanga, N., Dunbar, E. L., Nazimera, L., Price, N. F., Shah, A., … & Talama, G. C. (2020). Expanding access to non-communicable disease care in rural Malawi: outcomes from a retrospective cohort in an integrated NCD–HIV model. BMJ open, 10(10), e036836.
• Joharifard, S., Price, N., Ipanaqué, J. G. Y., Clarke, R. H., Nyemah, E., Wallace, A. F., … & Mentoe, S. J. (2020). The Impact of Implementing a Comprehensive Surgical Program on the Surgical Cohort at a Remote Referral Hospital in Southeastern Liberia. World Journal of Surgery, 44(3), 680- 688.
• Farahani, M., Price, N., El-Halabi, S., Mlaudzi, N., Keapoletswe, K., Lebelonyane, R., … & Gabaake, K. (2016). Impact of health system inputs on health outcome: a multilevel longitudinal analysis of Botswana National Antiretroviral Program (2002-2013). PloS one, 11(8), e0160206.
• Farahani, M., Price, N., El-Halabi, S., Mlaudzi, N., Keapoletswe, K., Lebelonyane, R., … & Gabaake, K. (2016). Variation in attrition at subnational level: review of the Botswana National HIV/AIDS Treatment (Masa) programme data (2002–2013). Tropical Medicine & International Health, 21(1), 18-27.
• Farahani, M., Price, N., El-Halabi, S., Mlaudzi, N., Keapoletswe, K., Lebelonyane, R., … & Gabaake, K. (2016). Trends and determinants of survival for over 200 000 patients on antiretroviral treatment in the Botswana National Program: 2002–2013. AIDS (London, England), 30(3), 477.
• Kane, M. J., Price, N., Scotch, M., & Rabinowitz, P. (2014). Comparison  of ARIMA and Random Forest time series models for prediction of avian influenza H5N1 outbreaks. BMC bioinformatics, 15(1), 276.

Meiyuzhen Qi

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• aging epidemiology
• women's health epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BS in experimental medicine, Peking University Health Science Center

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Meiyuzhen is a PhD student majoring in Epidemiology under the supervision of Dr. Samar R. El Khoudary. Meiyuzhen received her bachelor’s degree in Experimental Medicine at Peking University and her master’s degree in Epidemiology in University of Pittsburgh. At Pitt, she worked as a data analyst in the Department of Health Policy & Management for 1 year and then started her PhD study. Her research interest focuses on investigating how changes in cardiovascular risk factors over menopausal transition will impact women’s cardiovascular health and cognitive function later in life. During her PhD study, Meiyuzhen used to work as a Teaching Fellow in the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE) for 2 years and now she is a GSR in SWAN analytic group. Her career goal is to work for epidemiological education and research at a research institute.

Select presentations

• Qi M, Barinas-Mitchell E, Janssen I, Brooks MM, Chang CH, Derby CA, Karlamangla AS, El Khoudary SR. Longitudinal association between cardiovascular fat and cognitive function among midlife women: The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Cardiovascular Fat Ancillary Study. Presented at 2021 The North American Menopause Society Annual Meeting, 2021 Sep 22-25, Washington DC. 

Select Publications

• El Khoudary SR, Qi M, Chen X, Matthews K, Allshouse AA, Crawford SL, Derby CA, Thurston RC, Kazlauskaite R, Barinas-Mitchell E, Santoro N. Patterns of menstrual cycle length over the menopause transition are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis after menopause. Menopause. 2021 Oct 11. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001876. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 34636354

Laura Alejandra Ramirez Tirado

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MD as medical surgeon from the National Autonomous University of Mexico
• MS in epidemiology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Alejandra received a MD as Medical Surgeon from the National Autonomous University of México (UNAM). She also graduated with honors from the Master of Sciences in Epidemiology in the same university. Before completing her master’s degree, she participated in a 6-month research internship with the University of Oxford in the Nuffield Department of Population Health under the mentorship of Prof. Jonathan Emberson and Louisa Gnatiuc collaborating in the Mexico City Prospective Study. 

While pursuing his master’s degree and until December 2019 she worked as a researcher in the Functional Unit of Thoracic Oncology of the Instituto Nacional de Cancerología (INCan) of Mexico. Since 2016 she became professor at the Faculty of Medicine of UNAM and since 2017 member of the National System of Researchers of Mexico (CONACyT). During the pandemic, Alejandra, cooperated with the Regional Office of the Pan American Health Organization in collaboration with the General Directorate of Epidemiology in Mexico as Epidemiological Advisor. 

Alejandra is member of the Mexican Society of Public Health as well as from the Society of Health Economics and Outcomes Research. She is also member of the Editorial Board from the Mediastinum. 

Currently, Alejandra is enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Emma Barinas-Mitchell.

Alejandra´s research interests focus on in molecular epidemiology of chronic diseases (e.g., oncological, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases). 

Select presentations

• 18th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC, 2017), International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Yokohama, Japan. Oct 15-18, 2017. Papers presented (MA.08-10, P1.01-019, P2.01-070, P3.14-012). Available at: WCLC 2017- (Yokohama, Japan) 
• 20th World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC, 2018), International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Montreal, Canada. Sep 24-29, 2018. Available at: (WCLC 2018-Montreal,Canada) 
• World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC, 2019), International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) in Barcelona Spain. Sep 7-10, 2019. Available at: (WCLC 2019-Barcelona, Spain) 

Select publications 

• Arrieta O, Barrón F, Ramírez-Tirado LA, Zatarain-Barrón ZL, Cardona AF, DíazGarcía D et al. Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab Plus Docetaxel vs Docetaxel Alone in Patients with Previously Treated Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: The PROLUNG Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. 2020 Apr 9. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2020.0409. 
• Arrieta O, Barrón F, Salinas Padilla MA, Avilés-Salas A, Ramírez-Tirado LA, et al. Effect of Metformin Plus Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Compared with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Alone in Patients With Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Mutated Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Phase 2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Oncol. Published online September 5, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2019.2553. 
• Ramírez-Tirado LA, Uribe-Ortiz CE, Arrieta O, Tirado-Gómez LL. Lung cancer mortality and municipal marginalization in Mexico, 1998-2016. Salud Publica Mex. 2019 May-Jun;61(3):249-256. doi: 10.21149/10083. 
• Ramírez- Tirado LA, Tirado-Gómez LL, López-Cervantes M. Inequality in primary care interventions in maternal and child health care in Mexico. Rev Panam Salud Publica. 2014 Apr;35(4):235-41. Spanish.

Vatsala Rangachar Srinivasa

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MSPH in epidemiology from Emory University
• BA in biology from Oberlin College

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Select publications 

• Mustapha, M. M., Srinivasa, V. R.^*, Griffith, M. P., Cho, S.-T., Evans, D. R., Waggle, K., Ezeonwuka, C., Snyder, D. J., Marsh, J. W., Harrison, L. H., Cooper, V. S., & Van Tyne, D. (2021). Genomic diversity of hospital-acquired infections revealed through prospective whole genome sequencing-based surveillance. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.27.466213 
• Chen, Y., Lin, H., Cole, M., Morris, A., Martinson, J., Mckay, H., Mimiaga, M., Margolick, J., Fitch, A., Methe, B., Srinivas, V., Peddada, S., & Rinaldo, C. (2021). Signature changes in gut microbiome are associated with increased susceptibility to HIV-1 infection in MSM. Microbiome, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-021-01168-w 
• Sundermann, A. J., Chen, J., Kumar, P., Ayres, A. M., Cho, S.-T., Ezeonwuka, C., Griffith, M. P., Miller, J. K., Mustapha, M. M., Pasculle, A. W., Saul, M. I., Shutt, K. A., Srinivasa, V., Waggle, K., Snyder, D. J., Cooper, V. S., Van Tyne, D., Snyder, G. M., Marsh, J. W., … Harrison, L. H. (2021). Whole-genome sequencing surveillance and machine learning of the electronic health record for Enhanced Healthcare Outbreak Detection. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab946 
• Sundermann AJ, Chen J, Miller JK, Saul MI, Shutt KA, Griffith MP, Mustapha MM, Ezeonwuka C, Waggle K, Srinivasa V, Kumar P, Pasculle AW, Ayres AM, Snyder GM, Cooper VS, Van Tyne D, Marsh JW, Dubrawski AW, Harrison LH. Outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections from a Contaminated Gastroscope Detected by Whole Genome Sequencing Surveillance. Clin Infect Dis. 2020 Dec 25:ciaa1887. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciaa1887. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33367518. 
• Srinivasa, V. R., Hariri, R., Frank, L. R., Kingsley, L., Magee, E., Pokrywka, M., & Yassin, M. H. (2019). Hospital-associated Clostridium difficile infection and reservoirs within the hospital environment. American Journal of Infection Control,47(7), 780-785. doi:10.1016/j.ajic.2018.12.013 
• K Rath, A B Singh, S Chandan and R S Vatsala. (2016): “Isolation and Characterization of a Biosurfactant Producing Strain pseudomonas aeruginosa SMVIT 1 from Oil Contaminated Soil”, Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research, Vol. 75, pp. 681-686. 

Select presentations

• “Clostridium difficile Infection (CDI) Spread within the Hospital Environment” Presented at University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health as part of Dean’s Day competition. Presented at Dept. of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh as part of research day 
• “Increasing Hepatitis C Screening Among Injection Drug Users in Allegheny County” Presented at Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD), Pittsburgh 
• “Emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in the neonata intensive care unit: an infection prevention and patient safety challenge” Presented at University of Pittsburgh 

Journal Club Presentations: 

• “Diverse Sources of C. difficile Infection Identified on Whole-Genome Sequencing” (NEJM), UPMC Mercy 

• “Emergence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains in the neonatal intensive care unit: an infection prevention and patient safety challenge” (CMI), University of Pittsburgh 

• Reviewer: Article: “Vaccination against HPV in adolescent girls: Mother’s knowledge, attitude, desire and Practice in Nigeria”, University of Pittsburgh 

• “Reducing opioid overdose in adults age 25-55 in Western Pennsylvania” Presented at University of Pittsburgh 

• “Screening and isolation of secondary metabolites from algae” Presented at Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India 

• “Effects of Oil Spill on Marine Ecosystem” Presented at Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India

• Sanyal, A., Rangachar, V. S. and Gupta, P. (2019). TZA, a Sensitive Reporter Cell-based Assay to Accurately and Rapidly Quantify Inducible, Replication-competent Latent HIV-1 from Resting CD4+ T Cells. Bio-protocol 9(10): e3232. DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3232.

Jimmie Roberts

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
social epidemiology & health equity

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BA in linguistics from Emory University
• BA in comparative literature from Emory University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Jimmie received a B.A. in Linguistics and a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Emory University. Following his bachelor’s training, he received a Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh under the leadership of Dr. Maria Brooks and Dr. Kristine Ruppert in the area of pharmacoepidemiology focused on assessing the annualized change in BMD among women with hypothyroidism over the menopausal transition. and 

Jimmie’s passion for public health arose from his internship at the CDC through the CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (CUPS) program, and from 2020 – 2021, he worked as a Graduate Student Researcher at the University of Pittsburgh under the guidance of Dr. Elsa Strotmeyer. In 2022, he was accepted into the NIH/NIA T32 Epidemiology of Aging Training program and transitioned to become an Aging Pre-Doctoral Fellow. His interests include pharmacoepidemiology and health equity research in older adults. 

Select presentations

• Roberts J. (2020) Investigation of Bone-Mineral Density while using Thyroid Medication: a SWAN Cohort Study. Epidemiology in Action, University of Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, PA.

Lauren Roe

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• aging epidemiology
• infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in health and exercise science from Wake Forest University
• BS in exercise science from Elon University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Lauren received her undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from Elon University. Immediately following, she completed her master’s degree from Wake Forest University under the mentorship of Kristen Beavers, Ph.D., MPH, RD studying the impact of intentional weight loss on mortality biomarkers in older adults. 

Working as a clinical research specialist in Cleveland, OH at University Hospitals for two years following her Wake Forest training affirmed her interest in pursuing advanced training in clinical research methodology, and since 2020 she has been working under the direction of Dr. Jane Cauley. She began her training as a Graduate Student Researcher from 2020-2021, then transitioned to an Aging T32 Pre-doctoral Trainee starting in the spring of 2022. Her active interest is in studying the association of 24-hour composition of daily activities with falls and musculoskeletal health in older adults. 

Select presentations

• Roe, L.S., Harrison, S., Cawthon, P.M., Moored, K.D., Ensrud, K., Stone, K., Pettee Gabriel, K., Cauley, J.A. Association of Sedentary and Active Bout Frequency with Mortality in Older Men Using Accelerometry. Gerontological Society of America. 11/2021. 

Select publications 

• Roe, L.S., Harrison, S., Cawthon, P.M., Moored, K.D., Qiao, Y., Ensrud, K., Stone, K., Pettee Gabriel, K., Cauley, J.A. The association of daily sedentary and active (light/moderate/vigorous) bout frequency with mortality risk in older men using accelerometry. In progress.

Daniel Seresin

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
Infectious disease epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• BA in molecular and cell biology from the University of California, Berkeley

Email 

Selected presentations and publications

Daniel Seresin is a PhD student with interests in infectious disease public health practice. He is primarily interested in evaluating the effectiveness of surveillance methods for Hepatitis C and utilization of clinical treatments for Hepatitis C. He has worked alongside members of the Allegheny County Health Department including Dr. Kristen Mertz and Dr. LuAnn Brink on multiple infectious disease projects involving Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS, COVID-19, and STIs. His departmental academic advisor is Dr. Thomas Songer. He also works as a departmental teaching assistant for the Department of Epidemiology. His goal is to work for a public health government agency.

Natalie Sumetsky

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• social epidemiology
• psychiatric epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in biostatistics from the University of Pittsburgh
• BS in psychology and BA in Slavic studies from the University of Pittsburgh

Email

Selected presentations and publications

Since receiving her Master’s in biostatistics in 2017, Natalie has continued to apply her quantitative skills as a full-time research analyst. For the past five years, she has been fortunate enough to work with Dr. Christina Mair, which has allowed for a wide range of projects and collaborations, as evidenced by some of my recent publications. Her research interests, broadly, relate both to the methodological and the substantive aspects of spatio-temporal determinants of substance use and psychiatric epidemiology. After completing her PhD in epidemiology under the guidance of Drs. Maria Brooks, Paul Gruenewald, and Christina Mair, she aspires to work as a quantitative research scientist, continuing to ask and (attempting to) answer emergent questions related to her research interests. 

Select presentations

• Sumetsky N, Mair C, Gruenewald PJ, Zheng K, Grefenstette JJ. Accelerating youth risks for alcohol problems: Ecological impacts of drinking opportunities. Presented at: Research Society on Alcoholism Annual Meeting; 2019 June; Minneapolis, MN. 
• Sumetsky N, Gruenewald PJ, Ponicki WR, Mair C. Multiscale analyses of alcohol outlets and crime reports in Oakland, CA. Presented at: Alcohol Policy Conference 18; 2018 April; Washington, DC.

Select publications 

• Sumetsky N, Gruenewald PJ, Lipperman-Kreda S, Lee JP, Mair C. Alcohol use frequencies and associated problems across drinking contexts. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs 2022. In press.
• Sumetsky N, Frankeberger J, Coulter RWS, Friedman MR, Burke JG, Mair C. Mental health and alcohol use during and before the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Behavioral Medicine 2022. doi: 10.1080/08964289.2021.2015278
• Sumetsky N, Mair C, Wheeler-Martin K, Cerda M, Waller LA, Ponicki WR, Gruenewald PJ. Predicting the Future Course of Opioid Overdose Mortality: An Example from Two US States. Epidemiology 2021, 32(1):61-69. doi:10.1097/EDE.0000000000001264
• Sumetsky N, Mair C, Anderson S, Gruenewald PJ. A Spatial Partial Differential Equation Approach to Addressing Unit Misalignments in Bayesian Poisson Space-Time Models. Spatial and Spatio-temporal Epidemiology 2020, 33. doi:10.1016/j.sste.2020.100337
• Sumetsky N, Burke JG, Mair C. Relationships Between Opioid- Related Hospitalizations and Intimate Partner Violence and Child Maltreatment Hospitalizations in Pennsylvania Across Space and Time. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2020. doi:10.1177/0886260520948525
• Sumetsky N, Burke JG, Mair C. Opioid-related diagnoses and HIV, HCV, and mental disorders: Using Pennsylvania hospitalization data to assess community-level relationships over space and time. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2019, 73(10):935-940. doi:10.1136/jech-2019-212551

Baiyang Sun

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• reproductive, perinatal & pediatric epidemiology
• women's health epidemiology

Education: 

• MPH in epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh
• Bachelor of Dentistry from Sichuan University

Email

Selected presentations and publications

Baiyang Sun received her Bachelor of Dentistry from Sichuan University West China School of Stomatology, and Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. Currently a PhD Student in Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh and under the mentorship of Dr. Janet Catov, she is primarily interested in maternal and child health, with a focus on relationship between adverse pregnancy outcomes and later life maternal cardiovascular disease risk. 

Select publications 

• Sun B, Parks WT, Simhan HN, Bertolet M, Catov JM. Early pregnancy immune profile and preterm birth classified according to uteroplacental lesions. Placenta. 2020 Jan 1;89:99-106. doi: 10.1016/j.placenta.2019.12.007. Epub 2019 Dec 10. PMID: 32056560. 
• Sun B, Bertolet M, Brooks MM, Hubel CA, Lewis CE, Gunderson EP, Catov JM. Life Course Changes in Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Associated With Preterm Delivery: The 30-Year CARDIA Study. J Am Heart Assoc. 2020 Aug 4;9(15):e015900. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.119.015900. Epub 2020 Jul 22. PMID: 32696706; PMCID: PMC7792274.

Ziyuan Wang

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
cardiovascular & diabetes epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in biostatistics from the University of Washington
• BS in medical microbiology & bacteriology from the University of Minnesota

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Ziyuan is a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh. Before coming to Pittsburgh, Ziyuan completed her bachelor’s degree in Medical Microbiology and Bacteriology at the University of Minnesota and her master’s degree in Biostatistics at the University of Washington. She also had one year of experience working as a research intern for Dr. Clara Dominguez-Isla at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center during her master’s study, focusing on the case- cohort study design and the unmeasured confounding effect in HIV trial data. Currently, Ziyuan works as a GSR for Dr. Samar El Khoudary and receives academic advisements from Dr. Samar El Khoudary. She is interested in cardiovascular epidemiology, focusing on understanding the possible association between inflammation markers and heart measurements in midlife women. Ziyuan has knowledge in molecular and biological disciplines and solid quantitative skills to bring unique perspectives to the department.

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• Presenter at UofM Undergraduate Research Symposium and CBS Undergraduate Research Symposium for sequencing analysis 
• Presenter at iGEM Competition in Boston, MA for genetically engineered E. coli research

Kailyn Witonsky

MD/PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:

• aging epidemiology
• population neuroscience

Education: 

• BA in English Literature from Swarthmore College

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Selected presentations and publications

Kailyn received a B.A. in English Literature and Neuroscience from Swarthmore College. Currently, Kailyn is enrolled in the MD/PhD – Epidemiology program at the University of Pittsburgh under the mentorship of Dr. Catarina Rosano.

Kailyn has a passion for complex questions specifically regarding the neurobiological factors in resilient aging, questions that require multidisciplinary – epidemiological, clinical, neurological, computational – perspectives. Specifically, in graduate school, Kailyn aims to investigate p between digital platforms and neurological aging among older adults.

Select publications 

• Lateef, T., Witonsky, K., He, J. and Ries Merikangas, K., 2019. Headaches and sleep problems in US adolescents: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey–Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A). Cephalalgia, 39(10), pp.1226-1235.
• Rubio, F.J., Quintana‐Feliciano, R., Warren, B.L., Li, X., Witonsky, K.F., Valle, F.S.D., Selvam, P.V., Caprioli, D., Venniro, M., Bossert, J.M. and Shaham, Y., 2019. Prelimbic cortex is a common brain area activated during cue‐induced reinstatement of cocaine and heroin seeking in a polydrug self‐administration rat model. European Journal of Neuroscience, 49(2), pp.165-178.
• Hamedani, A.G., FR Witonsky, K., Cosico, M., Rennie, R., Xiao, R., Sheldon, C.A., Paley, G.L., McCormack, S.E., Liu, G.W., Friedman, D.I. and Liu, G.T., 2018. Headache Characteristics in Children With Pseudotumor Cerebri Syndrome, Elevated Opening Pressure Without Papilledema, and Normal Opening Pressure: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain.
• Li, X., Witonsky, K., Lofaro, O.M., Surjono, F., Zhang, J., Bossert, J.M. and Shaham, Y., 2018. Role of anterior intralaminar nuclei of thalamus projections to dorsomedial striatum in incubation of methamphetamine craving. Journal of Neuroscience, pp.2873-17.
• Li, X., Carreria, M.B., Witonsky, K.F., Zeric, T., Lofaro, O.M., Bossert, J.M., Zhang, J., Surjono, F., Richie, C.T., Harvey, B.K. and Son, H., 2017. Role of dorsal striatal histone deacetylase 5 in incubation of methamphetamine craving. Biological Psychiatry.
• Baugh, A.T., Witonsky, K.R., Davidson, S.C., Hyder, L., Hau, M. and van Oers, K., 2017. Novelty induces behavioural and glucocorticoid responses in a songbird artificially selected for divergent personalities. Animal Behaviour, 130, pp.221-231

Shanshan Yao

PhD student

Research area(s) of emphasis:
aging epidemiology

Education: 

• MS in epidemiology and biostatistics from Peking University
• BS in mathematics from Peking University
• MBBS in medical science from Peking University

Email | Curriculum Vitae

Selected presentations and publications

Shanshan Yao received a MBBS in Medical Science, a BS in Mathematics, and an M.Sc. in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the Peking University, China. Currently, she is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh. She is enrolled in the Doctoral Program in Aging Epidemiology the under the mentorship of Dr. Anne B Newman. Her research interests focus on the phenotype of healthy aging and the metabolic mechanism of aging. Her career goal is to become an epidemiologist in Aging.

Select presentations

• The Lancet and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) – Oct 2018 
• Frailty-China Conference 2019 – Oct 2019 
• The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), 71st Annual Scientific Meeting – Nov 2019 

Select publications 

• Yao SS, Meng X, Cao GY, et al. Associations between Multimorbidity and Physical Performance in Older Chinese Adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020;17(12):4546. Published 2020 Jun 24. doi:10.3390/ijerph17124546 
• Yao SS, Cao GY, Han L, et al. Associations Between Somatic Multimorbidity Patterns and Depression in a Longitudinal Cohort of Middle-Aged and Older Chinese. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2020;21(9):1282-1287.e2. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2019.11.028 
• Yao SS, Cao GY, Han L, et al. Prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in a nationally representative sample of older Chinese: results from CHARLS. The journals of gerontology Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2019. 
• Wang XW, Yao SS, Wang MY, et al. Multimorbidity among Two Million Adults in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(10):3395. Published 2020 May 13. doi:10.3390/ijerph17103395 
• Cao GY, Yao SS, Wang K, et al. Vision impairment, vision correction, and cognitive decline among middle-aged and older Chinese: results from the China health and retirement longitudinal study [published online ahead of print, 2020 Oct 16]. Aging and Mental Health. 2020;1-8. doi:10.1080/13607863.2020.1828271 
• Zhang Q, Cao GY, Yao SS, et al. Self-reported vision impairment, vision correction, and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older Chinese: Findings from the China health and retirement longitudinal study [published online ahead of print, 2020 Aug 11]. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2020;10.1002/gps.5398. doi:10.1002/gps.5398