nbg24@drexel.edu
Biography:
Nicole Gidaya holds a BS in Psychobiology from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MPH from Drexel University. Nicole’s research interest is in the epidemiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Currently she is investigating pharmacologic exposures in pregnancy and risk for autism spectrum disorders.
During her undergraduate career, Nicole Gidaya was a research assistant for an autism project that focused on early intervention at the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles. She also conducted behavioral therapy to 0-4 year old children with ASD at the Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization Program at the UCLA. Throughout her Masters she worked with the non-profit organization, Maternity Care Coalition and Early Head Start in Norristown, Pennsylvania to develop ways to promote early identification for ASD to parents and teachers. Nicole also worked as the clinical research coordinator for the Center for Autism Research at the University of Pennsylvania and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She worked directly with the Principal Investigators and supervised the project support personnel. She was responsible for all administrative functions, including overall maintenance and monitoring of the project, budget and consortium agreement, and provided an administrative link with collaborators.
Publications:
Population-based study of genetic variation in individuals with autism spectrum disorders from Croatia.Wang LS, Hranilovic D, Wang K, Lindquist IE, Yurcaba L, Petkovic ZB, Gidaya N, Jernej B, Hakonarson H, Bucan M.BMC Med Genet. 2010 Sep 21;11:134. PMID: 2085824
Bucan M, Abrahams BS, Wang K, Glessner JT, Herman EI, Sonnenblick LI, Alvarez Retuerto AI, Imielinski M, Hadley D, Bradfield JP, Kim C, Gidaya NB, Lindquist I, et. al. (2009) Genome-wide analyses of exonic copy number variants in a family-based study point to novel autism susceptibility genes. PLoS Genet, 5, e1000536.
cg48@drexel.edu
Biography:
Ms. Gross-Davis received her MS from Drexel's College of Engineering in 2001 and her BS in Biology from Cabrini College in 1991. She also serves as Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the School. Ms. Gross-Davis has trained in the field of environmental science and engineering and uses these principles to execute environmental policy and regulations. Part of her work is to address the quality of our environmet and the connection it has to our quality of life. Her full faculty bio can be found here: http://publichealth.drexel.edu/Faculty/Faculty-Member/5034/facultyid--72/pageindex--2/
km599@drexel.edu
Biography:
Kristen Johnson obtained her MPH in Epidemiology from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and her BS from Boston College. Her research interests include infectious diseases, including their role in chronic infections, emerging/re-emerging pathogens, and HIV/AIDS.
Kristen completed the CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship program in infectious disease at the Bureau of Communicable Disease, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Prior to starting her doctoral program, she worked in the Therapeutics Research and Infectious Disease Epidemiology group in the Department of Population Medicine at Harvard Medical School, focusing on studies related to pharmacoepidemiology, specifically safety surveillance of influenza vaccine.
Publications:
Wong MR, Reddy V, Hanson H, Johnson KM, Tsoi B, Cokes C, Gallagher L, Lee L, Plentsova A, Dang T, Krueger A, Joyce K, Balter S. Antimicrobial resistance trends of Shigella serotypes in New York City, 2006-2009. Microb Drug Resist 2010; 16:155-61.
Moore KM, Duddy A, Lee GM, Velentgas P, Burwen DR, Platt R, Brown JS. Outpatient urticaria diagnosis codes have limited predictive value for same-day influenza vaccine adverse event detection. J Clin Epidemiol 2010; 63:407-11.
Brown JS, Moore KM, Braun MM, Ziyadeh N, Chan KA, Lee G, Kulldorff M, Walker A, Platt R. Active influenza vaccine safety surveillance: potential within a healthcare claims environment. Med Care 2009; 47:1251-57.
Moore KM, Duddy A, Braun MM, Platt R, Brown JS. Potential population-based electronic data sources for rapid pandemic influenza vaccine adverse event detection: a survey of health plans. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2008; 17(12):1137-41.
Moore KM, Reddy V, Kapell D, Balter S. Impact of electronic laboratory reporting on hepatitis A surveillance in New York City. J Public Health Manag Pract 2008; 145(5): 437-41.
as966@drexel.edu
Biography:
Alan Sim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at the University of Houston and a Master of Science degree in Epidemiology at the University of Texas School of Public Health. He has worked for state and federal organizations including MD Anderson Cancer Center, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the US Air Force on topics related to population and public health informatics, integrated disease surveillance, and health care data standards.
His research interests include HIV and chronic disease. He is currently investigating the relationship between treatment of HIV with Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) and metabolic factors associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Publications:
Javaheri S, Casciello M, Rubal B, Sim A, Leonard J, Feig J, Shry E. Lipid Control in Patients Undergoing Peripheral Arterial Revascularization Procedures Compared to Coronary Arterial Revascularization Procedures, American College of Cardiology Annual Conference, Mar 2006.
Steindel S, Loonsk JW, Sim A, et al. Introduction of a Hierarchy to LOINC to Facilitate Public Health Reporting. Proc AMIA Symp. 2002: 737–741.
Jernigan DB, Davies J, Sim A. Data Standards in Public Health Informatics (Chapter 11), Public Health Informatics and Information Systems, 1st edition, 2002: 213-238.
Sim A, Whitaker JP, Fichtner, RR; Development of a Metadata Registry Prototype. CDC IRM Update. October 1999. 13(3).
gas37@drexel.edu
Biography:
Ginger holds a B.A. in Biochemistry from Bryn Mawr College and an M.P.H. from Drexel University. Additionally, she has taken graduate courses in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of California, Irvine and in Business and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business. Ginger's work experience includes biostatistics, cancer research, emergency medical response, environmental consulting, project management, and coaching athletics. Her research interests include cancer epidemiology and injury epidemiology. Her current research focuses on breast cancer biomarkers that may be associated with risk and outcome disparities.
df377@drexel.edu
Biography:
Dan Figueras earned his BA in Secondary Education in Biology from SUNY Plattsburgh. He taught for 6 years at the Bronx High School of Science, covering subjects such as: biology, human physiology, introduction to research methods, epidemiology, nutritional science and health. Dan earned his MPH from Tulane University in 2006, with a concentration is epidemiology. He is also finish up a Certification in GIS from Lehman College in New York. Dan's primary research interests are infectious disease and risk assessment (toxicology).
jfk54@drexel.edu
Biography:
Julia Kuder received a BA/MA degree in statistics from Boston University in 2006. After graduation she began working at the John Hancock Research Center on Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Obesity Prevention at Tufts University as a data manager and analyst. Guided by her experiences with community level research on physical activity and nutrition, Julia pursues a doctoral degree in Epidemiology to merge a public health perspective with her statistical mentality.
Publications:
Rossell, Christine and Kuder, Julia. “Meta-Murky: A Rebuttal to Recent Meta-Analyses of Bilingual Education.” The Effectiveness of Bilingual School Programs for Immigrant Children. June 2005: 43-77.
Seguin RA, Palombo R, Economos CD, Hyatt R, Kuder J, Nelson ME. “Factors related to leader implementation of a nationally disseminated community-based exercise program: a cross-sectional study.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2008.
Folta SC, Lichtenstein AH, Seguin RA, Goldberg JP, Kuder, JF, Nelson ME. "StrongWomen – Healthy Hearts: A community-based program to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors in rural sedentary, overweight and obese mid-life and older women." American Journal of Public Health, 99(7):1271-1277, 2009.
Goldberg JP, Collins JJ, Folta SC, McLarney MJ, Kozower C, Kuder J, Clark V, Economos CD. “Retooling food service for early elementary school students in Somerville, Massachusetts: The Shape Up Somerville experience.” Preventing Chronic Disease 6(3): A103, 2009.
Rebecca A. Seguin, MS; Christina D. Economos, PhD; Ruth Palombo, PhD; Raymond Hyatt, PhD; Julia Kuder, MA, Miriam E. Nelson, PhD. “Strength training and older women: a case study examining factors related to exercise adherence in a nationally disseminated community program.” Journal of Aging and Physical Activity: 2010 Apr;18(2):201-18.
Sacheck J, Kuder J, Ioannone L, Economos CD. “Physical Fitness, Adiposity and Metabolic Risk Factors in Young College Students.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. June 2010 - Volume 42 - Issue 6.
ajk46@drexel.edu
Biography:
Andrew Klink holds a B.S. in Medical Microbiology & Immunology and French from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and an M.P.H. from Drexel University School of Public Health. His Master’s research focused on health outcomes among subjects with rheumatoid arthritis. Currently, Andrew is involved in clinical research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Division of Rheumatology focusing on pharmacoepidemiology and outcomes research in pediatric vasculitis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
Publications:
Weiss PF, Klink AJ, Hexem K, Burnham JM, Leonard MB, Keren R, Localio R, C Feudtner. Variation in inpatient therapy and diagnostic evaluation of children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura, Journal of Pediatrics. Vol 155(6):812-8. 2009.
Weiss PF, Klink AJ, Localio R, Hall M, Hexem K, Burnham JM, Keren R, Feudtner C. Corticosteroids may improve clinical outcomes during hospitalization for Henoch Schönlein purpura. Pediatrics. Vol 126(4):674-81. 2010.
Weiss PF, Klink AJ, Luan X, Feudtner C. Temporal association of Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, and parainfluenza pediatric hospitalizations and hospitalized cases of Henoch-Schönlein purpura. Journal of Rheumatology. Vol 37(12). 2010.
aew59@drexel.edu
Biography:
Anna Wallace received her BS in Anthropology & Sociology at the University of Utah and her MPH in Epidemiology & Public Health at Yale University. Her current research focuses on Autism Spectrum Disorders; Blood and Blood Product Safety; Skin & Soft Tissue Infections; Mastectomies and WellPoint Associate Wellness and Cost of Care.
Publications:
Wallace AE, Anderson GM, Dubrow R. (2008). Obstetric and Parental Psychiatric Variables as Potential Predictors of Autism Severity . Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders , 38(8): 1542-54.
Motsko SP, Wallace AE, Pollack M, et al. (2008). Analysis of a Marker for Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Among 167 Million Insured US Patients . Poster presented at the 24 th International Conference on Pharmacoepidemiology and Therapeutic Risk Management (Copenhagen, Denmark August 17-20, 2008).
Yu H, Solari P, Wallace AE, et al. (2008). Effect of Patients ’ Out-of-Pocket Cost on Adherence and Persistence with Omalizumab (Xolair) Therapy for Allergic Asthma . Poster presented at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 13 th Annual International Meeting (Toronto, Canada May3-7, 2008).
Barron JJ, Wallace AE, Carson R, & Marton J. (2007). Healthcare Utilizations and Cost Analysis of Oral Linezolid versus Intravenous Vancomycin in the Outpatient Setting . Poster presented at the 45 th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America (San Diego, CA October 4-7, 2007).
Jing Sun, MPH
js3588@drexel.edu
Biography:
Jing Sun holds a Bachelor of Medicine from Guangdong Medical College in China and an MPH from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. She has conducted research on a seafood diet and the prevalence of hypotension and Papanicolaou screening awareness and involvement by Hmong American women in La Crosse County, Wisconsin. Currently, her research interests are infectious disease epidemiology and early cancer detection surveillance.
Publications:
Sun, J., Chen, Y., Liu, D.Q., Chen, J.J., Wu, H.Y., Xu, T. & Pan, M. (2008). An investigation of the relationship between seafood diet and prevalence of hypertension in three villages of Zhanjiang, Guangdong. China Pratical Medicine, 3, 22-24.
Leonard Emuren, MPH
le89@drexel.edu
Biography:
Leonard Emuren is a physician trained at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He has been practicing as a medical doctor in Nigeria since graduation in 1997. He also has a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Epidemiology from Eastern Virginia Medical School/Old Dominion University, Norfolk in 2010. His research interest is in infectious disease with emphasis on HIV/AIDS.
Neena George, MPH
nsg@drexel.edu
Biography:
Neena obtained her MPH in Epidemiology from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and her BS in Biological Sciences from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. In addition to cancer research, her work experience includes disease surveillance and investigation. Her main research interest is in cancer epidemiology. Neena’s current research is focused on disparities in breast cancer outcomes.
Bo Park, MPH
byp24@drexel.edu
Biography: Bo has a BA in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California Berkeley and MPH from Dartmouth College. She has worked at World Trade Center Medical Monitoring and Treatment program looking at rescue worker exposures and disease prevalence during 9/11 clean-up and at the U.S. Chemical Safety Board investigating causes and prevention methods of chemical accidents in United States. She would like to apply environmental exposure epidemiology in women's reproductive issues.
Publication:
Woskie, S. R., Kim, H., Freund, A., Stevenson, L., Park, B. Y., Baron, S., Herbert, R., de Hernández, M. S., Teitelbaum, S., de la Hoz, R. E., Wisnivesky, J. P. and Landrigan, P. (2011), World Trade Center disaster: assessment of responder occupations, work locations, and job tasks. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 54: 681–695. doi: 10.1002/ajim.20997
Aimee Palumbo, MPH
aew59@drexel.edu
Biography:
Aimee Palumbo received her MPH in Epidemiology from the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia. Her research interests include infectious diseases including chronic viral infections and chronic outcomes of infectious diseases.
Her master's research explored the impact of gene mutations on cognitive impairment in HIV positive women. During this time she also worked for GW and the DC Department of Health in the Bureau of Epidemiology of the HIV/AIDS Administration. Aimee completed the CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship program in healthcare-associated infections at the Pennsylvania Department of Health and subsequently worked for the state as an enteric disease epidemiologist.
Publications:
Trivedi T, DeSalvo T, Lee L, Palumbo A, et al. Excess hospitalizations and mortality associated with norovirus outbreaks in nursing homes, 2009-2010. JAMA (in press)
Palumbo AJ, Loveless PA, Moll ME, Ostroff S. Evaluation of Healthcare-Associated Infection Surveillance in Pennsylvania Hospitals. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology 2012; 33(2):105-111.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Invasive Group A Streptococcus in a Skilled Nursing Facility---Pennsylvania, 2009-2010. MMWR 2011; 60:1445-1449.
Michael T. LaVasseur, MPH
mtl55@drexel.edu
Biography:
Michael holds his BA in Molecular Biology and Medical Anthropology from Sarah Lawrence College and his MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from the CUNY Hunter School of Public Health. He is a predoctoral fellow with the Collaborative Research Group on Health Policy and Promotion at CUNY York College. His research focus is on social networks and the application of network methodologies in diminishing health disparities. He has held positions at the HIV Research Center of Columbia University, the Bureau of Environmental Policy and Surveillance at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Population Council, and Weill Cornell Medical College.
Publications:
LeVasseur MT, Kelvin EA, Grosskopf NA. Intersecting Identities and the Association Between Bullying and Suicide Attempt among New York City Youth: Results from the 2009 New York City Youth Risk Behavior Survey, American Journal of Public Health (Accepted July 15, 2012).
Elizabeth DeVilbiss, MPH, MS
ead77@drexel.edu
Biography:
Elizabeth DeVilbiss earned her MPH in Epidemiology from the Drexel University School of Public Health in 2012, her MS in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University in 2006, and her BS in Chemical Engineering from the Pennsylvania State University in 2005. Elizabeth’s research interests include the epidemiology of environmental exposures to chemicals, methodologies of analyzing multiple correlated environmental exposures, chemical toxicology, and risk assessment. Over summers, she holds an internship position at ExxonMobil Biomedical Sciences where she primarily analyzes benzene exposure data and lymphohematopoietic cancer incidence in petroleum workers, and is a member of the benzene OEL team.
During her MPH, she studied associations between chlorophenol pesticide exposure and thyroid function, as well as chemically and biologically mediated health risks associated with climate change. Her previous work in public health was as a vaccination coordinator and health team member for Volunteer Service of Nepal (VSN). In these roles, she coordinated and facilitated a complete vaccination program among 125 children living in VSN sponsored orphanages, while managing and treating the daily health issues of 54 children at her placement orphanage. Her work was informed by knowledge of vaccines acquired through her professional work in vaccine engineering.
Biography:
Neal Goldstein received his undergraduate degree in Information Science from the University of Delaware, and his graduate degree in biomedical informatics from Oregon Health & Science University. Neal's background is in medical imaging, with specific focus on women's health, and worked in industry for 10 years prior to starting his PhD at Drexel. His research interests involve crossing the informatics tools and techniques in the public health domain. Recent publications include co-authoring a chapter on organizational and social challenges of implementing PACS, and a literature review of up-to-date percentages in vaccine registries.