Studies on cancer, climate change, and COVID-19 among the top YSPH research honored in 2023

Research studies focused on cancer, climate change, COVID-19, and Medicaid spending took top honors this year at the Yale School of Public Health.

Associate Dean of Research and Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases) Melinda Irwin announced the 2023 research award winners at a schoolwide faculty meeting on June 7.

Irwin explained the eligibility and review process stating: “Prizes were given to manuscripts published in 2022 by faculty with a primary appointment at YSPH. YSPH faculty published 1,214 papers in 2022, with 901 including primary YSPH faculty; 327 of those papers had YSPH primary faculty as the first or last author. Nominations were solicited, and a review committee was created to select the winners.” Each award comes with a $1,000 prize that will be deposited in the faculty member’s special use account.

Honors were awarded to faculty in the following five categories:

Reducing Disease Risk

Jeffrey Townsend, Elihu Professor of Biostatistics, Department of Biostatistics

Attribution of Cancer Origins to Endogenous, Exogenous, and Preventable Mutational Processes | Molecular Biology and Evolution | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

News Summary: Yale Study Identifies Causes of Cancers

Preventing Next Public Health Threat

Nicole Deziel, Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences). Other YSPH co-authors: Joshua Warren, Associate Professor of Biostatistics; Xiaomei Ma, Professor of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases); and Cassie Clark (first author, former PhD student now postdoc at YSPH)

Unconventional Oil and Gas Development Exposure and Risk of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Case–Control Study in Pennsylvania, 2009–2017 | Environmental Health Perspectives | Vol. 130, No. 8 (nih.gov)

News Summary: Proximity to Fracking Sites Associated with Risk of Childhood Cancer

Achieving Health Equity

Jacob Wallace, Assistant Professor of Public Health (Health Policy), and Chima D. Ndumele, Associate Professor of Public Health (Health Policy)

Disparities in Health Care Spending and Utilization Among Black and White Medicaid Enrollees | JAMA Health Forum | JAMA Network

News Summary: Reducing Disparities Among Medicaid Enrollees: What Can States Do?

Planetary Health

Kai Chen, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences). Other YSPH co-authors: Virginia Pitzer, Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases), and Dr. Robert Dubrow, Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)

Associations between long-term drought and diarrhea among children under five in low- and middle-income countries | Nature Communications

News summary: Drought Linked to Higher Diarrhea Risk in Children

Kai Chen, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences). Other YSPH co-authors: Daniel Carrión, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health), and Dr. Robert Dubrow, Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences)

Residential and Race/Ethnicity Disparities in Heat Vulnerability in the United States - Manware - 2022 - GeoHealth - Wiley Online Library

News Summary: National Heat Vulnerability Index Reveals Neighborhoods at High Vulnerability to Heat

Data Science

Virginia Pitzer, Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases). Other YSPH co-authors: Joshua Warren, Associate Professor of Biostatistics; Forrest W. Crawford, Associate Professor of Biostatistics, and Daniel Weinberger, Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Microbial Diseases)

Vaccination with BNT162b2 reduces transmission of SARS-CoV-2 to household contacts in Israel | Science

News summary: Delta Variant, Waning Immunity Reduced Pfizer Vaccine’s Effectiveness Against Household Transmission