News and Announcements - HBS PhD Newsletter - April 1, 2022

Laura Meyer will be honored this month for her role as a founding member of the Arizona State University COVID-19 Case Investigation and Community Response Team. The team’s student and staff workforce provide support to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health by interviewing cases, or individuals who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. 

In her recent publication, "Rising Pressure: Housing Costs in the Face of COVID-19" in Ethnographic Marginalia, Marisa Westbrook shares her perspective on the impact of the pandemic on housing a job security of a participant in her ethnographic research and the impact of the pandemic on the already troubling trend of rising housing costs and gentrification in Denver. "The housing crisis for low-income families extends beyond the pandemic," says Westbrook, "but the ongoing public health crisis brings in new barriers that have complicated situations further for residents."

Leah Pauline presented her talk, "The Paradox of Being an Adolescent Girl in Uganda During a Global Pandemic" on March 15th at the Population and Reproductive Health Dynamics under Covid-19 in Sub-Saharan Africa Conference organized by the Universtiy of Witwatersrand (South Africa), the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria) and University of Nigeria.

Preterm birth is a leading cause of neonatal mortality and is characterized by substantial racial disparities in the US. Despite efforts to reduce preterm birth, rates have risen and racial disparities persist. Incoming PhD student Gabriella Mayne (who will be joining the department in Fall 2022) and other researchers recently published "Understanding and Reducing Persistent Racial Disparities in Preterm Birth: a Model of Stress-Induced Developmental Plasticity" in the journal Reproductive Sciences. 

Patients who have felt that their symptoms were inappropriately dismissed as minor or primarily psychological by doctors are using the term “medical gaslighting” to describe their experiences. “We know that women, and especially women of color, are often diagnosed and treated differently by doctors than men are, even when they have the same health conditions." Karen Spencer, Women Are Calling Out ‘Medical Gaslighting’, The New York Times, March 28.

Hello to the Health & Behavioral Sciences Department! My name is Stephen and I am very excited to be working with such a wonderfully intelligent community of people. I am originally from New Mexico where I obtained my BA in Psychology and embarked on my journey of building a career in Behavioral Health. Working with my community in such a capacity has proven to be a very rewarding experience and encouraged me to continue growing both professionally and academically. Outside of work, I enjoy hiking with my dogs, running, swimming and (most recently/clumsily) snowboarding! So don’t be shy, stop in and say “hi”!

Join us on April 22nd at 2:00pm in the North Classroom first-floor atrium to greet our new faculty member Emma Bunkley, sample homemade chili, and reconnect with friends in the department!

Who will be there? HBSC Faculty, Staff, and graduate students are all invited to join us as well as our newest faculty member Emma Bunkley who will be visiting the campus from out of state.

What should I bring? If you are interested in taking part in the Chili Cook-off, bring a pot of your favorite chili recipe. If you’d rather just judge and enjoy the chili, bring an appetite!

RSVP Online

April 20, 2022, 12:00-1:00om: "Rapid Qualitative Analysis: Techniques for Rigor and Impact" with Karen Albright, PhD, Associate Professor, General Internal Medicine CU School of Medicine. Participants will be able to undersand when, why, and how to use a rapid qualitative analytic approach, and understand the opportunities and constraints offered by rapid approaches.

Dr. Albright has previously co-taught in our PBHL undergraduate program and collaborates regularly with Jean - we highly recommend attending her talk!

Register Online

HBSC Alumna Channing Tate is seeking research assistants at the CU Asnchutz campus. She has asked that you reach out directly to her for details about the available positions since they are not currently posted to the CU Anschutz website. Her email is channing.tate@cuanschutz.edu. 

CPHA invites you to submit an abstract for this year’s PHiR conference. They are accepting: 30-minute Program/Research Showcase (including time for questions), 1-hour Program/Research Showcase (including time for questions), 2-hour Skill-building Workshop, or a Poster Session. The deadline to submit is April 4.

Learn More and Submit Online