Learn more about the focus of our students' research in Drexel Dornsife's PhD in Epidemiology program.

Table of Contents:

• Paola Arevalo, MS
• Mercy Atuahene, MS
• Juan Carlos Figueroa, MS
• Mark Hernandez, MPH
• Diana Higuera-Mendieta, MD, ScM
• Justin Jones, MPH
• Nykesha Johnson, MPH
• Apollo Kivumbi, MBchB, MPH, MMed
• Francesca Mucciaccio, MPH
• Ana Lucía Peralta, MD MSCI
• Katherine Roshak-Durst, MPH
• Victoria Ryan, MSPH
• Koichi Sakakibara, MHS
• Tai Simpson, MPH
• Andrea Tristan Urrutia, MPH
• Rachel Vecchione, MPH

Paola Arevalo, MS

Degrees: MS in Nutrition and Foods with focus in Health Promotion and Prevention of Chronic Diseases, University of Chile; BS in Nutrition, Rafael Landivar University in Guatemala

Focus: Paola is a Graduate Research Fellow in Drexel’s Urban Health Collaborative (UHC), under the “Social determinants of cardiovascular disease risk factors over the life course” D-43 grant.

Research Interests:

• Health determinants and inequities
• Chronic diseases prevention
• Food environments and policies
• Urban health
• Health promotion
• Data analysis methods

Professional Experience::

• Research assistant in the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP), leading the data analysis in projects related with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
• Junior investigator in the project “Monitoring of sodium and trans fats in packaged products of Panama”
• Research assistant with the University of Chile, focusing in the assessment of non-nutritive sweeteners in children and further recommendations to policy makers

Contact: paa49@drexel.edu

Mercy Atuahene, MS

Degrees: MS in Applied Statistics, West Chester University; MS in Statistics and Operations Research, University of Orleans, France; BS in Mathematics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana

Research Interests:

• Maternal and child health
• Pharmacoepidemiology

Professional Experience:: Mercy is a Senior Principal Biostatistical Programmer at Incyte Corporation. In her seven years at Incyte, Mercy has worked with a team of statisticians and clinical programmers in drug development.

As a Biostatistical Programmer, Mercy provides clinical summaries to team members via statistical programming and summarization of clinical trial data. These summaries provide insights to team members to advance drug development in the Dermatology and Cancer Therapeutic Areas.

Mercy is proud to highlight her contributions to clinical trial data for Opzelura, a recently FDA-approved treatment for Vitiligo and Atopic Dermatitis.

Contact: mka67@drexel.edu

Juan Carlos Figueroa, MS

Pronouns: he/him/his

Degrees: MS in Epidemiology from Drexel University; BA in Anthropology from Universidad del Valle de Guatemala

Focus: Currently, his research is focused on the health impacts of droughts in Latin American cities using data from the SALURBAL-Climate project.  

Research Interests:

• Water scarcity
• Drought
• Chronic diseases
• Mixed methods

Professional Experience: Prior to starting his studies at Drexel University, Juan Carlos worked in Guatemala doing qualitative research with the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) in a study aiming to improve hypertension control. He also worked with the Ministry of Public Health on assessments to inform communication strategies to improve malaria care.

During his master’s studies, he joined a multidisciplinary team that focused on the health impacts of intermittent water supply—particularly on chronic disease—in Mexico.

Publications: View publications on Google Scholar

Contact: jcf333@drexel.edu

Mark Hernandez, MPH

Degrees: MPH in Monitoring and Evaluation from Boston University; BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Focus: Mark's research examines how sociostructural factors and neighborhood environments shape population health and health equity. His current work focuses on how gentrification shapes mental health and how residential segregation influences chronic disease across the life course.

Research Interests:

• Social epidemiology
• Structural determinants of health and health equity
• Gentrification, residential segregation, and displacement
• Neighborhood, housing, and food environments
• Mental health and stress-related health outcomes
• Longitudinal analysis

Professional Experience: Prior to joining the doctoral program, Mark worked as a researcher in the areas of health technology and public health informatics. Mark previously led a collaboration to develop data analytics and decision support tools for Maine’s mental health crisis system.

Publications:

• Edwards, J. R., Schwartz, G. L., Hernandez, M. A., Barber, S., Patel, S., & Jahn, J. L. (2026). Relationships Between Extreme Ambient Temperatures, Neighborhood Structural Deprivation, and Fatal Police Violence: A Case-Crossover Analysis. Journal of Urban Health.
• Hernandez, M. A., Hirsch, J. A., Mucciaccio, F. A., Kumar, A., Tabb, L. P., Finlay, J. M., Bader, M. D. M., Bennett, A., Michael, Y. L., & Lovasi, G. S. (2025). Gentrification and Fear of Displacement: A Quantitative Study of Older Black and White US Adults. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.
• Bhatia, R., Hernandez, M. A., Platt, J., Newman, A. B., Siscovick, D. S., Mukamal, K. J., & Lovasi, G. S. (2024). Associations of neighbourhood food retail with disability and death in older adults: Cardiovascular Health Study. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health.
• Abdalla, S. M., Assefa, E., Rosenberg, S. B., Hernandez, M., Koya, S. F., & Galea, S. (2024). Perceptions of the determinants of health across income and urbanicity levels in eight countries. Communications Medicine, 4(1), 1–10.
• Hernandez, M. A., Modi, S., Mittal, K., Dwivedi, P., Nguyen, Q. C., Cesare, N. L., & Nsoesie, E. O. (2022). Diet During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Analysis of Twitter Data. Patterns, 100547.
• Abdalla, S. M., Hernandez, M., Koya, S. F., Rosenberg, S. B., Robbins, G., Magana, L., Nsoesie, E. O., Sabin, L., & Galea, S. (2022). What matters for health? Public views from eight countries. BMJ Global Health, 7(6), e008858.

Contact: mah557@drexel.edu

Diana Higuera-Mendieta, MD, ScM

Degrees: MD from Universidad de los Andes, Bogota Colombia; ScM in Epidemiology from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Focus: Exploring the mechanisms that produce health disparities in urban settings and assess how cities can implement strategies to reduce such fundamental causes.

Research Interests:

• Urban health
• Social determinants of health
• Health disparities

Professional Experience: After completing her medical training in Bogotá, Colombia, she worked exploring the eco-bio-social determinants of Aedes aegypti productivity in urban settings, which led her to pursue a Master's in Epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University.

Soon after graduating, she enrolled in the SALURBAL team in her country, where she collaborated in the harmonization efforts to have a data platform that integrates health outcomes with physical and social environment data in 11 Latin American countries. She has participated in different interdisciplinary efforts to evaluate urban interventions and their effect on the health of urban populations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she got involved in mathematical modeling efforts that informed selective lockdowns in Bogotá, dose spacing of mRNA vaccines, and antiviral purchases for Colombia. Besides her work involving epidemiologic techniques, she is a lecturer on epidemiological methods at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia.

Publications:

• Higuera-Mendieta D, González S, Chrisinger B, Rodriguez Castañeda N, Rosas LG, Banchoff A, García J, Mejía-Cancelado C, Triana C, King A & Sarmiento OL (2023). Our Voice in the Ciclovía: exercising recreation and health rights through Citizen Science, Cities & Health, 7:1, 122-136, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2022.2119815
• Higuera-Mendieta D, Uriza PA, Cabrales S, Medaglia AL, Guzman LA, Sarmiento OL. Is the built-environment at origin, on route, and at destination associated with bicycle commuting? A gender-informed approach. Journal of Transport Geography.2021; 94:103120. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2021.103120
• Ortigoza AF, Tapia Granados JA, Miranda JJ, Higuera-Mendieta D, et al (2021) Characterizing variability and predictors of infant mortality in urban settings: findings from 286 Latin American cities. J Epidemiol Community Health 2021;75:264-270. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/jech-2020-215137
• Sarmiento OL, Higuera-Mendieta D, Wilches-Mogollon MA, Guzman LA, Rodríguez DA, Morales R, Méndez D, Bedoya C, et al. Urban Transformations and Health: Methods for TrUST—a Natural Experiment Evaluating the Impacts of a Mass Transit Cable Car in Bogotá, Colombia. Front. Public Health. 2020.8:64. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00064
• Higuera-Mendieta D, Cortes S, Quintero J, Gonzalez C. KAP surveys and dengue control in Colombia: Disentangling the effect of sociodemographic factors using multiple correspondence analysis. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2016 Sep 28;10(9):e0005016. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0005016
• García-Betancourt T, Higuera-Mendieta D, González-Uribe C, Cortés S, Quintero J. Understanding Water Storage Practices of Urban Residents of an Endemic Dengue Area in Colombia: Perceptions, Rationale and Socio-Demographic Characteristics. LaDeau SL, ed. PLoS ONE. 2015;10(6):e0129054. doi: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0129054
• Fuentes-Vallejo M, Higuera-Mendieta D, García-Betancourt T, Alcalá-Espinosa L, García-Sánchez D, Munévar-Cagigas D et al. Territorial analysis of Aedes aegypti distribution in two Colombian cities: a chorematic and ecosystem approach. Cad. Saúde Pública. 2015. Mar;31( 3 ): 517-530 10.1590/0102-311x00057214
• See all publications on Google Scholar

Contact: drh89@drexel.edu

Justin Jones, MPH

Degrees: MPH, Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases & Global Health, Yale School of Public Health; BS, International Health & African American Studies, Georgetown University

Focus: Justin is working with Dr. Seth Welles, professor in the Epidemiology and Biostatistics department. His bachelor’s thesis focused on HIV/TB co-occurring infections in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. His MPH thesis focused on chronic disease manifestations in persons living with HIV in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. He also completed and published an independent research project on malaria resistance gene emergence in sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining Drexel he worked as the research coordinator for two large NIDA funded projects at Texas Christian University focused on HIV and opioid overdoses in parolees in Texas, Illinois and New Mexico.

Research Interests:

• HIV
• Tuberculosis (TB)
• Malaria

Professional Experience: Justin worked in emergency medicine research and as a EMT before obtaining his MPH from Yale.

Nykesha Johnson, MPH

Degrees: MPH in Epidemiology from Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health (Graduate Minor in Biostatistics); BS in Public Health from Rutgers University – New Brunswick (Minors in Biological Sciences and Women & Gender Studies)

Focus: Nykesha is a Doctoral Fellow at the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements, and Population Health Equity. Her research interests center on understanding how structural determinants of health shape population health outcomes and contribute to racial health disparities, with a particular interest in examining how neighborhood features influence these relationships at smaller geographic levels. Beyond identifying and examining these patterns, Nykesha is also interested in exploring opportunities for structural-level solutions and equipping communities with the data and evidence needed to advocate for meaningful change.

Research Interests:

• Health Disparities
• Built Environment & Health
• Social Epidemiology
• Spatial Analysis

Professional Experience: Before returning to Drexel for her doctoral studies, Nykesha worked as a Statistical Analyst at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she contributed to several NIH-funded studies examining the relationship between structural and interpersonal discrimination and adverse health outcomes. Previously, she also served as a Research & Data Associate at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health, where she supported the surveillance, analysis, and evaluation of the city's tobacco control program.

Select Publications:

• Krieger, N., Johnson, N., Chen, J. T., Reisner, S. L., Marini, M., LeBlanc, M. E., Mayer, K. H., Oendari, A., Valdez, G., Khan, T., & Bright, D. M. (2026). Psychological distress, racism, sexism, cissexism, heterosexism, ageism, and sizeism: Analyzing patterns of association using explicit and implicit measures of discrimination. AJE Advances: Research in Epidemiology, 2(1), uuag007. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajeadv/uuag007
• Reisner, S. L., Johnson, N., Chen, J. T., Marini, M., LeBlanc, M. E., Mayer, K. H., Oendari, A., Bright, D. M., Callender, S., Valdez, G., Khan, T., & Krieger, N. (2025). Analyzing multiple types of discrimination using implicit and explicit measures, comparing target vs. Dominant groups, in a study of smoking/vaping among community health center members in Boston, Massachusetts (2020–2022). International Journal for Equity in Health, 24(1), 110. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02456-9
• Krieger, N., Testa, C., Chen, J. T., Johnson, N., Watkins, S. H., Suderman, M., Simpkin, A. J., Tilling, K., Waterman, P. D., Coull, B. A., De Vivo, I., Smith, G. D., Diez Roux, A. V., & Relton, C. (2024). Epigenetic Aging and Racialized, Economic, and Environmental Injustice: NIMHD Social Epigenomics Program. JAMA Network Open, 7(7), e2421832. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.21832

Contact: nrj42@drexel.edu

Apollo Kivumbi, MBchB, MPH, MMed

Degrees: MBchB from Makerere University; MPH from Johns Hopkins University; MMed (Psychiatry) from Makerere University

Focus: Apollo's focus is on neurodevelopmental disorders.

Research Interests:

• Autism spectrum disorders

Professional Experience: I worked as a research coordinator and later as a principal investigator on a multisite NIH funded study as well as an R21.I have also worked as a psychiatrist in a child and adolescent mental health clinic in Mulago Hospital in Uganda.

Publications: View Apollo's publications on PubMed

Contact: ak4337@drexel.edu

Francesca Mucciaccio, MPH

Degrees: MPH in Health Policy from Emory University; BA in Linguistics (focus on linguistic anthropology) from Reed College

Focus: Francesca is a Doctoral Fellow at the Urban Health Collaborative.

Research Interests:

• Measurement approaches to address racial, ethnic, and spatial disparities in chronic disease
• The effects of neighborhood-level factors and built environment on the development of chronic disease in urban contexts

Professional Experience: Previously, she was a public health analyst at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, working on federal policy and strategy development and science translation. Through the years, she worked in multiple areas, including chronic disease, emergency response, global health, and sickle cell disease.

Contact: fam47@drexel.edu

Ana Lucía Peralta, MD MSCI

Degrees: MD from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala; MPH in Epidemiology from Universidad Rafael Landívar; MSCI from Tulane University

Focus: Ana Lucía’s current research examines the distribution of storms, population exposure, and their association with city characteristics in urban areas, including disparities in exposure. She is also exploring  the magnitude of storm-related mortality in Latin American cities and the factors that modify it. 

Research Interests:

• Epidemiology of chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, mental health)
• Climate change and health
• Social epidemiology
• Health disparities
• Urban health 
• Implementation science

Professional Experience:: Prior to joining Drexel,  Ana Lucía worked as a research assistant at Tulane University School of Public Health on the CATCH Study, contributing to the development of a team-based care strategy to improve hypertension control in Colombia and Jamaica, and on the CHERISH Study, conducting data analysis for a needs assessment to guide its intervention.

At the Research Center for the Prevention of Chronic Diseases (CIIPEC) in Guatemala, she coordinated the field implementation of an effectiveness-implementation trial for Hypertension control. She has also delivered primary care services in under-resourced communities in the country. 

Publications:

• Peralta-Garcia, A., Laurent, J., Bazzano, A. N., Payne, M. J., Anderson, A., Alvarado, F., Ferdinand, K. C., He, J., & Mills, K. T. (2024). Barriers and Facilitators to Improving Cardiovascular Health in Churches with Predominantly Black Congregations. Ethnicity & Disease, DECIPHeR(Spec Issue), 96–104. https://doi.org/10.18865/ed.DECIPHeR.96
• Paniagua-Avila, A., Ramírez, D. E., Barrera-Pérez, A., Calgua, E., Castro, C., Peralta-García, A., Mascayano, F., Susser, E., Alvarado, R., & Puac-Polanco, V. (2022). Mental Health of Guatemalan Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Baseline Findings From the HEROES Cohort Study. American Journal of Public Health, 112(S6), S602–S614. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306648
• Paniagua-Avila, A., Fort, M. P., Glasgow, R. E., Gulayin, P., Hernández-Galdamez, D., Mansilla, K., Palacios, E., Peralta, A. L., Roche, D., Rubinstein, A., He, J., Ramirez-Zea, M., & Irazola, V. (2020). Evaluating a multicomponent program to improve hypertension control in Guatemala: study protocol for an effectiveness-implementation cluster randomized trial. Trials, 21(1), 509. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-020-04345-8

Contact: alp395@drexel.edu

Katherine Roshak-Durst, MPH

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Degrees: MPH in Epidemiology from Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health; BS in Biology with a minor in Spanish from Ursinus College

Focus: Katherine’s dissertation research is centered around Lynch syndrome and Lynch syndrome-associated cancers. Katherine is working with Dr. Thersa Sweet.

Research Interests:

• Cancer epidemiology
• Genetic epidemiology
• Epidemiologic methods
• Autoimmune diseases
• Big data

Professional Experience: Before returning to Dornsife for her PhD in Epidemiology, Katherine worked in the pharmaceutical industry, specializing in clinical trial operations for oncology investigational medicines. Katherine works as an Oncology Lead Local Operations Manager at Johnson & Johnson and is pursuing her PhD in Epidemiology part-time.

Publications:

• Edwards CJ, Roshak K, Bukowski JF, Pedersen R, Thakur M, Borlenghi C, Curiale C, Jones H, Marshall L. Efficacy and safety of etanercept in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A post-hoc analysis of randomized controlled trials. Drugs Aging. 2019;Sep;36(9):853-862.
• Edwards C, Roshak K, Bukowski J, Pedersen R, Thakur M, Marshall L, Jones H. Efficacy of etanercept in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR 2018). 2018;24(3S):S1-S174.
• Edwards C, Roshak K, Bukowski J, Pedersen R, Thakur M, Marshall L, Jones H. Efficacy of etanercept in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2017;69(S10):3466.
• Edwards CJ, Bukowski JF, Burns S, Jones H, Pedersen R, Roshak K, Sopczynski J, Thakur M, Marshall L. An analysis of real-world data on the safety of etanercept in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2018;70(S9):1712.
• Edwards C, Roshak K, Bukowski J, Pedersen R, Thakur M, Marshall L, Jones H. Safety of etanercept in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2018;77(Supp2):574-575.
• Marshall L, Sopczynski JM, Suehiro R, Roshak K. Etanercept, adalimumab and methotrexate utilization by juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients and the occurrence of uveitis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2017;76(Suppl 2):390.
• Roshak K, Sopczynski JM, Suehiro R, Marshall L. Etanercept, Adalimumab, and Methotrexate Utilization by Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Patients and the Occurrence of Uveitis. Arthritis & Rheumatology. 2017;69(S10):3231.
• Roshak K, Sopczynski JM, Suehiro R, Marshall L. Etanercept, Adalimumab, and Methotrexate Utilization by Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Patients and the Occurrence of Uveitis. Pan American League of Associations for Rheumatology (PANLAR 2018). 2018;24(3S):S1-S174.
• O’Mahony A, Berg EL, Jones HE, Fitzpatrick B, Hassett B, Vicik SM, Marshall L, Roshak K, Choy E. BioMAP® phenotypic signatures of two different samples of originator etanercept reveal equivalent biological activity consistent with conserved mechanisms of action. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. 2018;77(Supp2):1225.

Contact: kmr396@drexel.edu

Victoria Ryan, MSPH

Degrees: MSPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; BA in English from the College of William and Mary

Focus: Victoria’s dissertation focuses on substance use patterns, overdose risk, and population size estimation of people who inject drugs in Philadelphia.

As a doctoral research fellow, she has analyzed data for NIH-funded projects, including “Food Security, Neighborhoods, and Young Children's Growth” and “Medical Marijuana, Emerging Adults, and Community: Connecting Health and Policy.”

Research Interests:

• Substance use disorders and mental health
• Infectious diseases, including HIV
• Longitudinal data analysis

Professional Experience: Before joining the doctoral program, Victoria worked as a data manager and analyst on a randomized, controlled trial examining screening and treatment for toddlers with autism, and on a study examining the association of community-level factors with the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Prior to this, she served as a strategic information advisor for the US Agency for International Development for HIV/AIDS programs, supporting program monitoring, evaluation, and strategic planning.

Publications:

View publications on Google Scholar.

Contact: vdr28@drexel.edu

Koichi Sakakibara, MHS

Degrees: MHS in Social Factors in Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; BA in Liberal Arts (Social and Behavioral Sciences) from Soka University of America

Focus: Neighborhood-level social environment and its life course impacts on health

Research Interests:

• Social epidemiology
• Social behavioral science
• Social and behavior change
• Health service access and utilization
• Life-course epidemiology
• Maternal, adolescent, and child health
• Implementation science

Professional Experience: Prior to joining the program, Koichi worked as a senior research assistant at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where he focused on social and structural factors of chronic health issues in the U.S.

Publications:

• Sakakibara, K., Hernandez, S., Lawrence, J. A., Zannas, A., Cuevas, A., Kawachi, I., Coe, C. L., & Surachman, A. (2026). Perceived Social Cohesion Moderates the Association Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Deprivation and Epigenetic Aging. Biopsychosocial science and medicine, 88(7), 633–643. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001500
• Sakakibara, K., Tobin, K., & Latkin, C. (2026). Social Network Characteristics as Predictors of Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Utilization among People Who Use Drugs with Hepatitis C Infections in Baltimore, MD. Substance use & misuse, 1–11. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2026.2671343
• Sakakibara, K., Kawahara, T., Nawa, N., Murakami, K., Ohseto, H., Takahashi, I., Narita, A., Obara, T., Ishikuro, M., Orui, M., Noda, A., Shinoda, G., Nagaie, S., Ogishima, S., Sugawara, J., Kure, S., Kinoshita, K., Hozawa, A., Fuse, N., Tamiya, G., … Surkan, P. J. (2025). Household income modifies the association between social capital and gestational diabetes mellitus in Japan: Results from TMM BirThree Cohort Study. Journal of Diabetes Investigation, 10.1111/jdi.70101. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/jdi.70101
• Sakakibara K, Dean LT. Exploring the Landscape of Social Epidemiological Research: A Scoping Review of AJE Publications. Am J Epidemiol. Published online July 30, 2024. doi:10.1093/aje/kwae211

Contact: ks4298@drexel.edu

Tai Simpson, MPH

Pronouns: they/them

Degrees: MPH with an emphasis in Epidemiology from the University of Louisville; BS in Psychology from the University of Louisville

Focus: Tai is working with Dr. Stephanie Hernandez to understand social and structural factors that contribute to health disparities and access to healthcare among sexual and gender minorities (SGM) using an intersectional lens.

Research Interests:

• LGBTQ+ health
• Rural health
• Racial and ethnic minoritization
• Social and structural determinants of health
• Mental health
• Health disparities

Professional Experience: Tai worked as a research assistant at the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences where they conducted community-engaged research on health-related decision-making among Asian-American communities. Tai also assisted with the HEAL study, a part of the Green Heart Louisville Project at the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.

Contact: ats348@drexel.edu

Andrea Tristan Urrutia, MPH

Preferred Pronouns: she/her

Degrees: MPH in Epidemiology from Emory University; BS in Public Health from the University of South Florida

Focus: Andrea is currently supporting research examining the prospective association of individual- and community-level psychosocial stressors, social factors, and physical features with the incidence of Steatotic Liver Disease.

Research Interests:

• Social Determinants of Health
• Health Disparities
• Urban Health
• Spatial Analysis
• Implementation Science
• Chronic Disease Prevention

Professional Experience: Before starting her doctoral studies, Andrea worked on various studies focused on the social determinants of health. Her work included directing the implementation of a produce prescription program tailored for pregnant, low-income Latina women in Hartford, CT as a research associate for the nonprofit organization, Hispanic Health Council; examining the association between pharmacy accessibility, structural racism, and heart failure outcomes as a research assistant at the Rollins School of Public Health; studying vaccine effectiveness and disparities across different groups in Panama as a research coordinator; and investigating the impact of regular drinking water supply and improved sanitation systems on COVID-19 outcomes in Panama for the Ministry of Health.

Publications:

• Fields, N. D., Tristan Urrutia, A., Morris, A. A., Kramer, M. R., Lewis, T. T., & Patel, S. A. (2024). Historical Redlining and Heart Failure Outcomes Following Hospitalization in the Southeastern United States. Journal of the American Heart Association, 13(8), e032019. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.123.032019
• Calvo, A. E., Tristán Urrutia, A. G., Vargas-Zambrano, J. C., & López Castillo, H. (2024). Pertussis vaccine effectiveness following country-wide implementation of a hexavalent acellular pertussis immunization schedule in infants and children in Panama. Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, 20(1), 2389577. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2024.2389577

Contact: agt48@drexel.edu

Rachel Vecchione, MPH

Degrees: MPH from Thomas Jefferson University; BS/BA in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and French from the University of Georgia

Focus: Rachel currently works at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute where she focuses on the impact of maternal diet on ASD outcomes.

Research Interests:

• Impact of environmental factors on autism spectrum disorder

Contact: rv422@drexel.edu