School of Medicine
Showing 101-200 of 226 Results
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Allison W. Kurian, M.D., M.Sc.
Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI aim to understand cancer burden and improve treatment quality at the population level. I have a strong focus on genetic risk assessment and precision oncology. I lead epidemiologic studies of cancer risk factors, clinical trials of novel approaches to cancer risk reduction, and decision analyses of strategies to optimize cancer outcomes.
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Lianne Kurina
David and Lucile Packard Foundation Professor of Human Biology and Professor (Teaching), by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy recent research has focused on the physical and mental health of military service members. I'm now working with colleagues at the VA.
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Angelle Desiree LaBeaud
Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases), Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment and Professor, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health and of Environmental Social Sciences
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsArthropod-borne viruses are emerging and re-emerging infections that are spreading throughout the world. Our laboratory investigates the epidemiology of arboviral infections, focusing on the burden of disease and the long-term complications on human health. In particular, Dr. LaBeaud investigates dengue, chikungunya, and Rift Valley fever viruses in Kenya, where outbreaks cause fever, arthritis, retinitis, encephalitis, and hemorrhagic fever. Our main research questions focus on the risk factors for arboviral infections, the development of diagnostic tests that can be administered in the field to quickly determine what kind of arboviral infection a person has, and the genetic and immunologic investigation of why different people respond differently to the same infection. Our long-term goals are to contribute to a deeper understanding of arboviral infections and their long-term health consequences and to optimize control strategies to prevent these emerging infections. Our laboratory also investigates the effects of antenatal and postnatal parasitic infections on vaccine responses, growth, and development of Kenyan children.
My lab at Stanford supports the field work that is ongoing in Kenya, but we also have several projects that are based locally. We strive to improve diagnostics of arboviral infections and are using Luminex technology to build a new screening assay. We also have created a Luminex based platform to assess vaccine responses against multiple pathogens. -
Tracy Lam-Hine
Postdoctoral Scholar, Epidemiology
BioTracy Lam-Hine (he/him), DrPH, MBA, is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and the Center for Population Health Sciences, a Research Education Component Fellow at the Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, and is affiliated via a Research Fellowship with the Temple University Center for Public Health Law Research. Dr. Lam-Hine is a social epidemiologist and population health scientist, studying how exposure to adverse childhood experiences, policy environments, and mid-life chronic disease burden shape the risk cognitive and functional aging in later life. Within this broad research area, he has a special focus on the health and social experiences of the US Multiracial population, surveillance data, methods to improve descriptive and population-generalizable research.
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Marvin Langston
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health and, by courtesy, of Urology
BioDr. Marvin Langston is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health. He is a member of the Stanford Cancer Institute and Urologic Cancer Epidemiology Lab. He is an epidemiologist by training who focuses on the fields of benign prostate and pelvic conditions and urological cancers including prostate and kidney cancers.
Prior to Stanford, he served as a Research Scientist in the Division of Research at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Dr. Langston received his PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Arizona’s College of Public Health followed by postdoctoral training in Cancer Prevention and Control at Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine.
His program of research intends to characterize and measure infectious agents, environmental toxicants, and lifestyle factors; to evaluate the role of these factors in urological cancer etiology and outcomes; and to identify populations at high risk of exposure to these factors. So far he has focused this research to address the following questions: 1) What role do sexually transmitted infections and other systemic infections have in prostate damage and ensuing prostate cancer risk? 2) How can we appropriately model and define early life risk factors for urological cancers? 3) Can we harmonize molecular and clinical aspects of urological condition diagnoses to produce well characterized outcomes for biomarker discovery and etiological investigation? He has primarily addressed these questions using a variety of molecular and clinical epidemiology approaches while developing expertise in the cross-cutting theme of cancer health disparities with particular interests in the cancer care experiences of sexual and gender minorities and racial/ethnic minorities.
Dr. Langston has been studying the impact of exogenous factors on prostate specific antigen (PSA) concentration in young men as a marker of prostate damage and inflammation for over a decade. As early life PSA has been found predictive of future prostate cancer mortality, he has now setout to optimize risk-stratified screening for prostate cancer. This promising approach uses men’s baseline PSA values to inform their risk of future aggressive and/or fatal prostate cancer and determine their frequency of further screening. Under this approach, men with high baseline age-specific total PSA levels receive more frequent screening and men with lower levels receive less frequent screening. Dr. Langston was awarded an R01 from NCI to evaluate this approach using historically collected biospecimen. His funded research trajectory to this point also includes four training awards (2-NCI and 2-NIDDK) and several internal grants. Dr. Langston was selected in the inaugural class of the White House Cancer Moonshot Scholars for his work. -
Jennifer Lee
Professor of Medicine (Endocrinology) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI am a healthcare lead and physician scientist for innovation, R&D, and advanced analytics, and oversee these aspects at VA Palo Alto/VHA, within Stanford-VA relationship. The VA has the US's largest health care system and longest running EHR. I prioritize enabling multiple partners (industry, government, academia, foundations), to innovate/R&D in the VA health care system. We prioritize mentoring students from various Schools to become future leaders in R&D, innovation, and healthcare.
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Mary Leonard
Arline and Pete Harman Professor, Professor of Pediatrics (Nephrology), of Medicine (Nephrology) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy multidisciplinary research program is focused on (1) the detrimental effects of glucocorticoids, sarcopenia and inflammation on bone development in pediatric diseases, (2) the long-term effects of childhood cancer on bone and muscle quality, (3) the assessment of renal osteodystrophy using novel micro-imaging techniques, (4) the effects of vitamin D deficiency on physical function and cardiovascular disease, and (5) the evaluation of biomechanical interventions as anabolic bone therapies.
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Zongbo Li
Postdoctoral Scholar, Health Policy
BioZongbo Li, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford Health Policy. His research focuses on applying simulation modeling and cost-effectiveness analysis to inform policy decisions related to substance use and infectious diseases. He evaluates overdose prevention interventions, including naloxone distribution and medications for opioid use disorder, with particular attention to vulnerable populations such as people who are incarcerated. His work also encompasses modeling infectious diseases and evaluating interventions for COVID-19, HIV, and HCV. Zongbo earned his PhD in Health Services Research, Policy & Administration from the University of Minnesota.
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Richard Liang
MD Student with Scholarly Concentration in Health Services & Policy Research / Global Health, expected graduation Spring 2026
Ph.D. Student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research with Scholarly Concentration in Health Services & Policy Research / Global Health, admitted Autumn 2022
MSTP Student
Master of Arts Student in East Asian Studies, admitted Spring 2024Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPrimary research interests include:
- applications of advanced epidemiological methods
- life course health and social epidemiology
- bridging population health and basic science research
Clinical & health services research topics have included:
- maternal/child health
- geriatrics/aging
- dermatology, particularly inflammatory skin diseases -
Eleni Linos, MD, MPH, DrPH
Ben Davenport and Lucy Zhang Professor of Medicine, Professor, of Medicine (Center for Digital Health) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
BioEleni Linos MD, MPH, DrPH, is the Director of the Stanford Center for Digital Health. She is a Professor of Dermatology and Epidemiology at Stanford University. Dr. Linos also serves as an Associate Dean for Research at Stanford Medicine, leading the training and mentoring of the next generation of translational research scientists.
Dr. Linos' research focuses on the use of technology in health, dermatology, public health, cancer prevention and the care of older adults. She is dually trained in epidemiology and dermatology and is the principal investigator of several NIH funded studies aimed at improving the lives of patients worldwide. She received her undergraduate degree from Trinity College, Cambridge and medical degree from Christ Church College, Oxford University in the UK. She then received a master’s and doctoral degree from the Harvard School of Public Health and completed her residency in Dermatology at Stanford University.
Linos has been continuously funded by the NIH since 2016, as principal investigator of several studies on technology, aging and dermatology. Her scholarly output includes over 200 peer-reviewed publications, an h-index of 51, and more than 10,000 citations across disciplines. Linos was awarded the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award and received the Paul Beeson Emerging Leaders Award in Aging.
As the Director of the Stanford Center for Digital Health, she has built and led infrastructure bringing together scientists and industry leaders across all Stanford schools to catalyze research across the fields of medicine, computer science, engineering, robotics, policy and public health.
Dr. Linos is committed to mentorship and training of the next generation of scientists in translational research. She has personally mentored over 60 physician-scientists, many of whom are now independently-funded investigators and leaders in academic medicine. She also serves as the co-PI of Stanford CTSA’s K12 Program, responsible for mentorship and training of 10 translational science faculty each year. Over the last seven years, she is funded by an NIH K24 mentorship grant award to mentor the next generation of physician-scientists in dermatology. In addition, Linos is committed to mentorship and supporting students across all levels of education to pursue their passions including students in high school and undergraduates.
Clinically, Dr. Linos is a Board Certified Dermatologist and cares for patients with skin disease in the Stanford Dermatology teaching clinics. -
Lili Liu
Postdoctoral Scholar, Epidemiology
BioLili (Larry) Liu, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Epidemiology & Population Health at Stanford University. As an integrative epidemiologist, Dr. Liu unifies molecular biomarkers, large-scale population cohorts, and real-world health data into coherent, hypothesis-driven research with a sustained focus on how early-life exposures, genetic variation, lifestyle, and pharmacological factors shape inflammation, biological aging, and chronic disease risk across the life course. Trained in cancer genetic and nutrition epidemiology with complementary expertise in pharmacoepidemiology, his doctoral research at Vanderbilt University included a multi-ancestry GWAS of urinary prostaglandin E2 metabolite (PGE-M), development of PGE-M–derived dietary and lifestyle scores via elastic net with extensive bootstrapping, and Mendelian randomization analyses linking PGE-M to colorectal cancer across ancestries. At Stanford, Dr. Liu extends his research to maternal–fetal and placental epidemiology, building nationwide claims-based pregnancy cohorts (e.g., MarketScan) to examine gestational diabetes and downstream liver disease risk, and creating mother–infant pair cohort to investigate systemic antibiotic exposure in relation to subsequent inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease. Parallel collaborations focus on extracellular vesicles and angiogenic signaling in placental health. Methodologically, Dr. Liu works at the interface of causal inference, pharmacoepidemiology, and machine learning with reproducible data engineering (R/Python, SQL, HPC), with the overarching goal of translating mechanistic insights into actionable biomarkers and risk tools for chronic disease prevention in diverse populations.
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Nathan Lo
Assistant Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsOur research group is interested in studying the transmission of infectious diseases and impact of public health interventions with an ultimate goal of informing public health policy. We study a diverse set of pathogens, both domestically and internationally, including vaccine-preventable infections (including COVID-19) and neglected parasitic diseases (such as schistosomiasis). Our group applies diverse computational methodologies, including tools from fields of epidemiology, mathematical and statistical modeling, simulation, and policy analysis.
A large emphasis of our work is translating scientific evidence into public health policy. Our track record includes multiple studies that have changed policy in the fields of neglected parasitic diseases and COVID-19. We work closely with policy organizations like the World Health Organization and the California Department of Public Health. Nathan was the lead writer of the World Health Organization guidelines on schistosomiasis (2022) and strongyloidiasis (2024).
Our current research focuses on the following areas:
(1) Vaccine-preventable infectious diseases (including COVID-19 and measles) in the United States, with a focus on studying vaccines, transmission dynamics, and re-emergence of vaccine-eliminated diseases
(2) Public health strategies for control and elimination of globally important neglected infectious diseases, such as helminths infections (schistosomiasis, strongyloidiasis) and typhoid fever
Our current NIH funded projects include:
(1) Real-time predictive modeling for public health departments to control infectious diseases (DP2 AI170485, PI: Lo)
(2) Precision mapping of Schistosoma mansoni risk for targeted public health control and elimination (R01 AI179771, PI: Lo)
Hiring
We are seeking to fill multiple research positions at all levels. Candidates interested in working on computational public health research related to infectious diseases with a strong quantitative background are highly encouraged to apply. If you an interested, please submit a cover letter, CV, and names of two references to Nathan.Lo@stanford.edu. -
Junjie Lu
Ph.D. Student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, admitted Autumn 2023
BioJunjie's research is centered on the social determinants of minority health, epidemiological methods, and clinical effectiveness. He is deeply committed to understanding the health disparities faced by minority populations. His clinical background helps bridge the gap between research and practical application, aiming to improve healthcare outcomes in real-world settings.
Junjie Lu earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where he concentrated on Health and Social Behavior. He also holds an MBBS and an MS from Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Junjie gained practical experience as an intern doctor at a university hospital for two years, during which he led a pilot randomized controlled trial on the effects of acupuncture on depressive symptoms. -
Ying Lu
Professor of Biomedical Data Science and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsBiostatistics, clinical trials, statistical evaluation of medical diagnostic tests, radiology, osteoporosis, meta-analysis, medical decision making
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Stephen Luby
Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine, Senior Fellow at the Woods Institute for the Environment, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Professor, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Luby’s research interests include identifying and interrupting environmental pathways of disease in low- and middle-income countries.
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Mitchell R. Lunn
Associate Professor of Medicine (Nephrology) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsLGBTQIA+ health
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David Maahs
Lucile Salter Packard Professor of Pediatrics and Professor, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
BioDr David M. Maahs is the Lucile Salter Packard Professor of Pediatrics, Division Chief of Pediatric Endocrinology, and Associate Chair for Academic Affairs in Pediatrics at Stanford University and the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. He earned his MD followed by Pediatric Residency at the University of New Mexico. After 3 years on New Mexico’s faculty, Dr. Maahs completed a Pediatric Endocrinology fellowship and a concurrent PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Colorado. He remained on Colorado’s faculty for 10 years, advancing to Professor of Pediatrics before moving to Stanford. Prior to his medical career, Dr. Maahs received a BA and MA in English from the University of Kansas and was inspired to pursue a medical career after serving in the Peace Corps with assignments in Tunisia and the Central African Republic.
Dr. Maahs’ leadership experiences include being a past co-Chair (2013-16) for Protocols and Publications with the Type 1 Diabetes Exchange for which he continues as Director of International Collaborations. This complements his role as President-elect for the International Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes (ISPAD, 2021-25) and Editor-in-Chief for the 2018 ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines. He served on the Professional Practice Committee for the American Diabetes Association (ADA, 2016-18), which writes the annual ADA Standards of Care. Previously, he served on the ADA Scientific Sessions committee representing the Council on Youth. He has also served on national committees for the American Heart Association, the Pediatric Endocrine Society, and multiple journal editorial boards and review committees.
His scholarly interest is improving care and preventing complications in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Along with Dr Peter Chase, he is author of the 12th and 13th editions of Understanding Diabetes, or ‘Pink Panther,’ which are the most widely used educational books for children newly diagnosed with T1D, distributed internationally by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund (JDRF). More specifically, he has conducted epidemiologic studies that help generate hypotheses for clinical studies, including trials to develop artificial pancreas systems to improve glucose control, lower disease burden, prevent the complications of diabetes, and reduce disparities in diabetes care. He is author or co-author of over 350 research publications. His multi-disciplinary research has been funded by the JDRF, the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the Helmsley Charitable Trust, and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Dr Maahs is Associate Director for the recently formed and NIDDK P30 funded Stanford University Diabetes Research Center (https://sdrc.stanford.edu). His collaborations extend to his role as Principal Investigator (PI) or steering committee member for NIH funded multi-center clinical trials including the FLEX, PERL, and ACTION studies as well as multiple Artificial Pancreas clinical trials. Education, mentorship, and training leadership includes being Program Director with Dr. Georgeanna Klingensmith on the Barbara Davis Center T32 and K12 training grants in Pediatric Endocrinology while at the University of Colorado. He is the PI on the Stanford NIH funded K12 "Training Research Leaders in Type 1 Diabetes.' Dr Maahs is also the Associate Chair for Academic Affairs for the Department of Pediatrics.
While in the Peace Corps, David met his wife, Christine Walravens, who is also a Pediatrician at Stanford. They enjoy outdoor activities and traveling with their adult children. -
Yvonne Maldonado
Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, Taube Professor of Global Health and Infectious Diseases, Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research focuses on epidemiologic aspects of viral vaccines and perinatal HIV infection. This includes the molecular epidemiology of factors affecting the immunogenicity of oral polio vaccine (OPV) in developing areas of the world, and now the epidemiology of transmission and circulation of vaccine derived polioviruses in order to assist in global eradication of polio. I also work in development of methods to prevent breastfeeding transmission of HIV in Africa.
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Mario Malički
Social Science Research Scholar, Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Role at StanfordAssociate Director of Stanford Program of Research Rigor and Reproducibility (SPORR)
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Maya Mathur
Associate Professor (Research) of Pediatrics, of Medicine (Biomedical Informatics) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsSynthesizing evidence across studies while accounting for biases
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Himaja Nagireddy
Ph.D. Student in Health Policy, admitted Autumn 2025
BioHimaja Nagireddy (she/her) is a PhD student in Health Policy at Stanford. She previously served as a Program Manager at the Kennedy Krieger Institute, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in Baltimore, MD.
Prior to this, Himaja served as the Deputy Associate Policy Director for First Lady Dr. Jill Biden at the White House, Briefings Manager for the Harris-Walz campaign, and Research Fellow at the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). She also served as the 11th Youth Observer to the UN from 2022-23. Himaja graduated with an MS in Environmental Epidemiology and a concentration in Infectious Disease Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in 2022, and her bachelor’s degrees in Physiology and Neurobiology, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Sociology from the University of Connecticut in 2020. -
Lorene Nelson, PhD, MS
Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, Emerita
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPrimary research interests:
- genetic, environmental and lifestyle determinants of neurodegenerative disorders
(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, migraine)
- innovative study design and data ecosystems in clinical and public health
Primary educational interests:
- Training of next generation scientists in advanced data science and analytic methods
in population, social, and behavioral health sciences. -
Mindie H. Nguyen, MD, MAS, AGAF, FAASLD
Professor of Medicine (Gastroenterology and Hepatology) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsWe conduct clinical trials and epidemiological, translational, and real-world studies of liver cancer, fatty liver (NASH, NAFLD), viral hepatitis B and C, liver cirrhosis, and liver transplant. We focus on risk identification for disease prevention and treatment for improvement of survival. We focus on sex, racial/ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities. We specialize in clinical trials, large international real-world consortium registry data, and large public/semi-public databases.
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Chloe Nobuhara
Masters Student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, admitted Autumn 2025
BioChloe Nobuhara is a fourth year general surgery resident at Stanford University, currently doing two years of research in acute care surgery and a Masters in Epidemiology. She completed her undergraduate studies at Northeastern University and her MD at Duke University School of Medicine. Prior to that, she worked at MGH studying Alzheimer's disease which spurred her interest in neuroscience. Her research interests include post-operative delirium, robotic surgery, and the application of machine learning and computer vision to surgical video review.
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Juno Obedin-Maliver
Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Gynecology & Gynecologic Specialties/Generalist) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
BioJuno Obedin-Maliver, MD, MPH, MAS, FACOG (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Juno Obedin-Maliver is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who provides excellent clinical care, while advancing scientific knowledge through her research, and supporting personal and professional development as a physician coach.
She practices full-spectrum gynecology including outpatient, in-patient, operative, and emergency care services. This specifically includes collaborative management of cervical dysplasia and abnormal pap smears, abnormal uterine bleeding, contraception and family planning, pelvic pain, abnormal discharge, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, and more. She specializes in the gynecological and reproductive health care needs of sexual and gender minority people which include but are not limited to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) people. This interest and experience drives her research interests towards promoting the health and well-being and equity of LGBTQ people.
Dr. Obedin-Maliver, is the Co-Director of The PRIDE Study (pridestudy.org), a multi-site online prospective longitudinal cohort of sexual and gender minority individuals based at Stanford. She also serves on the medical advisory board of the University of California San Francisco Center of Excellence for Transgender Health and is helping to author the next version of the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) Standards of Care. Dr. Obedin-Maliver has also been active in health policy, including involvement in helping to legally redefine consideration of sexually intimate partner status and to remove the Medicare Non-Coverage Determination ruling on gender -affirming surgeries.
Additionally, Dr. Obedin-Maliver continues her long-standing commitment to growth, healing, and empowerment as a Master Certified Physician Development Coach (Physician Coaching Institute, ICF Level I). In her coaching, Dr. Obedin-Maliver uses personal and professional development tools, mindfulness, and somatic frameworks to enhance health, agency, and creativity in partnering with individuals to help them achieve their professional goals and design their personal lives. She rejoices in partnering with diverse healthcare providers to use her broad skills to supercharge their authentic learning and growth, especially in times of challenge and resistance.
For more information about her research and career, please see: pridestudy.org and http://med.stanford.edu/obedin-maliver.html -
Michelle Odden
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMultilevel - from cells to society - epidemiologic study of healthy aging
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Latha Palaniappan, MD, MS
Professor of Medicine (Cardiovascular Medicine) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Palaniappan has published over 200 peer reviewed manuscripts, abstracts, and book chapters over the last 20 years in the areas of chronic disease prevention and treatment in diverse populations. She has expertise in epidemiological research using big data, use of electronic health records for research, and clinical trials.
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Lesley Park
Senior Research Scientist, Epidemiology and Population Health
BioStanford Advancing Health Equity and Diversity (AHEaD)
ahead.stanford.edu
Founding Co-Director (2020-present)
Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS)
Executive Director (2022-present)
Cancer Core Co-Director (2016-present)
International Workshop on HIV and Hepatitis Observational Databases (IWHOD)
iwhod.org
Chair, Scientific Secretariat (2024-present)
Dr. Lesley Park is a co-founding director of the Stanford AHEaD summer research program for college students from underrepresented and historically excluded groups in the health sciences. She is also the Executive Director of the VACS consortium, an international collaboration of methodologists, clinicians, and trainees who utilize the rich and valuable data from the Veterans Health Administration to do impactful research. VACS has been at the forefront of research to understand aging with HIV to improve patient care, particularly with respect to alcohol and other substance use, physiologic frailty, and polypharmacy. In recent years, the VACS mission has expanded to encompass other foci, including genomic research and most recently COVID-19.
Within the VACS, Dr. Park oversees cancer and COVID-19 outcomes research in persons with HIV/AIDS (PWH). Her research experience has focused on the intersection of cancer and HIV, examining epidemiologic methods for cancer research, cancer incidence trends, and cancer (particularly hepatocellular carcinoma) prevention in PWH. Dr. Park is an experienced epidemiologist, skilled in "big data" observational research, survival analysis, and SAS programming. She teaches courses in computing, data management, and epidemiologic analysis methods. Her prior experience includes research at the Yale School of Medicine and at the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research (CBAR) at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The International Workshop on HIV and Hepatitis Observational Databases (IWHOD) is an established scientific forum for the appropriate application of real-world data to emerging issues in infectious disease. Dr. Park leads the IWHOD scientific committee of internationally reknowned experts in infectious disease and is responsible for administrative and scientific coordination of IWHOD.
Previously, Dr. Park was one of the leaders of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences (PHS). PHS aims to improve the health of populations by bringing together diverse disciplines and data to understand and address social, environmental, behavioral, and biological factors. She oversaw all of the educational and training initiatives at PHS and was one of the founding directors of the PHS Data Center and PHS Postdoctoral Fellowship program. -
Anisha I Patel
Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Patel is a physician-scientist with a focus on community-engaged research (CEnR). She works to translate evidence to impact policies that can benefit children facing inequities due to their racial/ethnic background, poverty, and/or geography.
She leads the independently-funded research program, Partnerships for Research in Child Health, which collaborates with community partners to co-develop, implement, and evaluate innovative interventions aimed at preventing obesity and cardiometabolic diseases in low-income, minoritized populations. Over the past 10 years, Dr. Patel has led numerous studies to encourage healthy beverage intake among children and adolescents. These studies include analyses of large national data sets, conduct of randomized controlled trials in schools, child care, and community settings to examine how interventions to increase children’s intake of water instead of sugar-sweetened beverages impact child health, and the evaluation of policy efforts to improve the healthfulness of beverages offered in schools and community settings.
Long before the Flint water crisis, Dr. Patel was working with partners to address nitrate and arsenic contamination in drinking water supplies in California’s San Joaquin Valley, a rural region home to many low-income Latinx farm-working families. She secured funding from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to collaborate with researchers, nonprofits, water utilities, families, and advocates to develop innovative solutions to drinking water contamination in the region, helping to lead to the Agua4All program. The Agua4All initiative increased access to safe drinking water by installing filtered water stations in schools and community sites. The program’s success led to its national expansion and informed a $16.3 million-dollar water in schools grant program as well as California legislation to improve safe water access in public schools. Dr. Patel’s work with collaborators and communities was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Drink Up campaign and featured in Stanford Medicine’s award-winning magazine.
As an expert in CEnR, Dr. Patel leads initiatives at Stanford. She is Director of the Office of Community-Engaged Research at Stanford's Maternal and Child Health Research Institute. In this role, she is helping to lead several initiatives, including expanding grant funding for CEnR and implementing capacity-building training programs for both community partners and the Stanford community. She also serves as Associate Dean of Research in Stanford’s School of Medicine, where she works to enhance community engagement across the university. Dr. Patel is a Co-Investigator on Stanford’s Clinical Translational Sciences Award. She also helps lead mentoring of fellows and junior faculty in CEnR.
Dr. Patel has a diverse funding portfolio ranging from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research Program, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Patel has presented her research to local, national and international audiences. She has also been recognized for her research with awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Public Health. -
Javier Perez-Garcia
Postdoctoral Scholar, Epidemiology
BioJavier Perez-Garcia is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University. His research has been focused on the integration of multi-omic data (e.g., genomics, epigenomics, transcriptomics, and microbiome) to identify potential biomarkers of treatment response for complex diseases like asthma. His research background includes experience both in molecular biology techniques (e.g., DNA extraction and sequencing libraries preparation) and bioinformatic analyses (e.g., processing of raw omic data, association studies at genomic scale, or multi-omic integration through machine learning and quantitative trait loci analyses). He holds a Ph.D. in Health Sciences and a B.Sc. in Pharmacy from the University of La Laguna (Spain).
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Rachel Pham
Educational Program Manager, Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Role at StanfordEducational Program Manager
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Rita Popat
Associate Professor (Teaching) of Epidemiology
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMy research interest focuses on the epidemiology of Parkinsons disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, specifically evaluating the genetic and environmental contributions to these neurodegenerative disorders. I am also interested in studying the relation of cognition, estradiol exposure (endogenous and exogenous), and genetic factors.
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Alexis Reeves
Instructor, Epidemiology and Population Health
BioAlexis is a Propel postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health in the School of Medicine with Dr. Michelle Odden’s lab. Her research is broadly focused on the causes and consequences of racial disparities in accelerated aging. She is particularly interested in the interplay of structural and interpersonal racism, and the psychobiological mechanisms in which they produce early health declines in minoritized populations. Her work to date has focused on the health of Black women as they enter into life-stages, such as the midlife menopausal transition, where cardio-metabolic risk is high. Alexis also has a strong interest in causal inference, and applies causal inference theory and methods to these areas of research to mitigate and quantify bias.
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David Rehkopf
Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics, of Health Policy and of Sociology
BioI am a social epidemiologist and serve as a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and in the Department of Medicine in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health. I joined the faculty at Stanford School of Medicine in 2011.
I am Director of the Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences. In this position, I am committed to making high-value data resources available to researchers across disciplines in order to better enable them to answer their most pressing clinical and population health questions.
My own research is focused on understanding the health implications of the myriad decisions that are made by corporations and governments every day - decisions that profoundly shape the social and economic worlds in which we live and work. While these changes are often invisible to us on a daily basis, these seemingly minor actions and decisions form structural nudges that can create better or worse health at a population level. My work demonstrates the health implications of corporate and governmental decisions that can give the public and policy makers evidence to support new strategies for promoting health and well-being. In all of his work, I have a focus on the implications of these exposures for health inequalities.
Since often policy and programmatic changes can take decades to influence health, my work also includes more basic research in understanding biological signals that may act as early warning signs of systemic disease, in particular accelerated aging. I examine how social and economic policy changes influence a range of early markers of disease and aging, with a particular recent focus on DNA methylation. I am supported by several grants from the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities to develop new more sensitive ways to understand the health implications of social and economic policy changes. -
Zachary T Renfro
MD Student with Scholarly Concentration in Clinical Research / Immunology, expected graduation Spring 2026
Masters Student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, admitted Autumn 2023BioZachary studied biology at the University of Arkansas where he researched the impact of temperature on macrophage cytokine production across animal species as well as the neural basis of saccadic mislocalization. After graduation, he worked at the Arkansas Department of Health where he developed and implemented Arkansas' first plan to eliminate tuberculosis. Additionally he researched the contribution of epigenetic regulation on the susceptibility, development, and maintenance of chronic pain at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and participated in the front line response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
At Stanford, he is enrolled in the MD and MS in epidemiology and clinical research programs. His current research interests include emerging infectious diseases, immunological response to infection, queer health broadly and queer sexual health specifically. -
Thomas Robinson
The Irving Schulman, M.D. Professor of Child Health, Professor of Medicine (Stanford Prevention Research Center) and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsDr. Robinson originated the solution-oriented research paradigm and directs the Stanford Solutions Science Lab. He is known for his pioneering obesity prevention and treatment research, including the concept of stealth interventions. His research applies social cognitive models of behavior change to behavioral, social, environmental and policy interventions for children and families in real world settings, making the results relevant for informing clinical and public health practice and policy.
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Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa
Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health
BioDr. Patricia Rodriguez Espinosa, PhD., MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and also serves as the Associate Director of Research for the Office of Community Engagement at Stanford Medicine. Dr. Rodriguez Espinosa is also the Associate Core Lead for the Outreach, Recruitment, and Engagement Core of the Stanford Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. The ultimate goal of her research is to improve the health of diverse populations - including Latinxs, under-resourced communities, and older adults - through transdisciplinary and community-engaged scholarship. Her research aims to develop novel multi-level interventions and health promotion programs to improve health outcomes (e.g., around aging, multiple chronic conditions, cardiovascular disease) and that include multi-sectoral collaborations. Dr. Rodriguez Espinosa's research has also centered around developing the science of Community-Based Participatory Research, citizen/community science, and other participatory research approaches.
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Lisa Goldman Rosas
Associate Professor (Research) of Epidemiology and Population Health, of Medicine (Primary Care and Population Health) and, by courtesy, of Pediatrics
BioLisa Goldman Rosas, PhD MPH is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and the Department of Medicine, Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford School of Medicine. An epidemiologist by training, Dr. Goldman Rosas’ research focuses on addressing disparities in diet-related chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, depression, and cancer especially for those who face food insecurity. This research features rigorous quantitative and qualitative methodologies, participatory qualitative approaches, and shared leadership with patient and community partners. She is passionate about integrating patients, caregivers, community organizations, and other key stakeholders in the research process in order to affect the greatest improvements in health and well-being. As a reflection of this passion, Dr. Goldman Rosas serves as the Faculty Director for the School of Medicine Office of Community Engagement, Co-Director of Community-Engaged Research for the Office of Cancer Health Equity, and Director of the Outreach, Recruitment and Engagement Core for the Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. In these roles, she supports other faculty and patient and community partners to develop sustainable and meaningful partnerships to support transformative research. In addition to research, she teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has a special focus on increasing capacity in community engagement methods.
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Kristin Sainani (n e Cobb)
Professor (Teaching) of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsScience writing, science communication, biostatistics. Research areas: osteoporosis, stress fractures, sports injuries, female athlete triad.
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Lee M. Sanders, MD, MPH
Professor of Pediatrics (General Pediatrics), of Health Policy and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
On Partial Leave from 01/05/2026 To 03/27/2026Current Research and Scholarly InterestsI conduct interdisciplinary research to understand literacy as potentially modifiable lens for addressing maternal and child health disparities from birth through early adulthood. Applying mixed methods approaches (health-services, epidemiology, ethnography), I have been principal investigator on extramurally-funded research projects (NIH, PCORI, FDA) that aim to examine "natural experiments" in policy and/or to design, implement and test novel system-level interventions.
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Clea Sarnquist, DrPH, MPH
Clinical Professor, Pediatrics - Infectious Diseases
Clinical Professor (By courtesy), Epidemiology and Population HealthBioDr. Sarnquist focuses on applied teaching and research on the development, implementation and evaluation of interventions to decrease gender-based violence, improve mental health, and prevent HIV infection, especially among adolescents and children. She is particularly interested in rights-based approaches that tackle the complex interplay of factors that lead to poor health for many children and families. All of her work is applied, with direct links health practice and policy, and usually performed in conjunction with non-governmental organization and government partners. She works both globally and in the U.S., with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. She is also a medical educator, directing the scholarly concentrations program of the pediatric residency at Stanford, co-directing the global health concentration for residents, and teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in global health with a focus on children and women’s health.
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Gary M. Shaw
Rosemarie Hess Professor and Professor (Research), by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health and of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternal Fetal Medicine)
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsPrimary research interests include 1) epidemiology of birth defects, 2) gene-environment approaches to perinatal outcomes, and 3) nutrition and reproductive outcomes.
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Julia Fridman Simard
Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health, of Medicine (Immunology & Rheumatology) and, by courtesy, of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Maternal Fetal Medicine)
BioJulia Fridman Simard, ScD, is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health, and of Medicine in Immunology and Rheumatology and Obstetrics and, by courtesy, Gynecology in Maternal Fetal Medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine.
Dr. Simard earned her Masters and Doctorate of Science in Epidemiology degrees at the Harvard School of Public Health. During that time she trained with investigators at the Section of Clinical Sciences, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Cardiovascular Epidemiology Research Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. In 2008, Dr. Simard relocated to Sweden to begin a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Epidemiology at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. She became an Assistant Professor in their Clinical Epidemiology Unit in 2011, and was later honored with a Karolinska Institutet Teaching Award. Leveraging the population-based registers of Sweden, Dr. Simard initiated a national register linkage study to examine the utility of registers in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) research and develop an extensive data repository for future epidemiologic investigations.
While maintaining a close collaboration with the Karolinska Institutet, she joined Stanford’s Epidemiology faculty in 2013. Dr. Simard studies outcomes such as malignancy, stroke, infection, and mortality, in patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases with a focus on systemic lupus erythematosus. Recently her primary research focus has shifted to the intersection between reproductive epidemiology and rheumatic disease fueled by a K01 career development award from the NIH (NIAMS) to study maternal and fetal outcomes in systemic lupus pregnancy. This led to collaborations with colleagues at Stanford, throughout the US, and abroad, and a series of projects focused on the diagnosis of preeclampsia and associated risks in pregnant women with systemic lupus. Dr. Simard was awarded a Peter Joseph Pappas Research Grant from the Preeclampsia Foundation for her lab's work examining preeclampsia risk in high-risk populations, and a McCormick Faculty Award from Stanford Medicine to take important steps towards disentangling preeclampsia from lupus nephritis. Dr. Simard is leading an international study of hydroxychloroquine in lupus pregnancy leveraging mixed methods in partnership with qualitative researchers, patients, clinicians, and epidemiologists in Sweden, Canada, and in the United States.
In addition to these issues of misclassification in reproductive rheumatology questions, Dr. Simard's lab is also interested in how misclassification, missed opportunities, and misdiagnosis contribute to disparities in complex conditions such as systemic lupus. In addition to methodologic issues around misclassification and bias and the largely clinical epidemiology focus of her work, Dr. Simard's work examines social determinants of health and health disparities. Dr. Simard was recently awarded an R01 from NIH (NIAID) to study the role of cognitive errors in clinical decision making for female-predominant diseases including lupus and multiple sclerosis. This work evaluates this bias in multiple clinical specialties, including rheumatology, neurology, and primary care, and uses mixed methods. -
Shamsi Soltani
Ph.D. Student in Epidemiology and Clinical Research, admitted Autumn 2021
BioShamsi Soltani is a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health and a trainee with the Center for Population Health Sciences, both in the Stanford School of Medicine. For three years, she was a fellow in the Training in Advanced Data Analytics for Behavioral and Social Sciences (TADA-BSSR) program, supervised by Drs. Abby King and Lorene Nelson. Her dissertation work revolves around modifiable risk factors for suicide in LGBTQ+ populations and is mentored by Dr. Mitchell Lunn.
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Marcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D.
Professor (Research) of Medicine (Stanford Prevention Research Center), of Obstetrics and Gynecology and, by courtesy, of Epidemiology and Population Health
Current Research and Scholarly InterestsMarcia L. Stefanick, Ph.D is a Professor of Medicine Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and by courtesy, Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health at Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Stefanick’s research focuses on chronic disease prevention (particularly, heart disease, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and dementia) in both women and men. She is currently the Principal Investigator the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Extension Study, having been the PI of the Stanford Clinical Center of the landmark WHI Clinical Trials and Observational Study since 1994 and Chair of the WHI Steering and Executive Committees from 1998-2011, as well as PI of the WHI Strong and Healthy (WHISH) Trial which is testing the hypothesis that a DHHS-based physical activity intervention, being delivered to a multi-ethnic cohort of about 24,000 WHI participants across the U.S., aged 68-99 when the trial started in 2015, will reduce major cardiovascular events over 8 years, compared to an equal number of “usual activity” controls. Dr. Stefanick is also PI of the Osteoporotic Study of Men (MrOS) which is continuing to conduct clinical assessments of bone and body composition in survivors of an original cohort of nearly 6000 men aged 65 and over in 2001. As founding Director of the Stanford Women’s Health and Sex Differences in Medicine (WHSDM, “wisdom”) Center, she plays a major role in promoting research and teaching on Sex and Gender in Human Physiology and Disease, Women’s Health and Queer Health and Medicine. Dr. Stefanick also plays major leadership roles at the Stanford School of Medicine, including as co-leader of the Population Sciences Program of the Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford’s NCI-funded comprehensive cancer center.
Dr. Stefanick obtained her B.A. in biology from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (1974), then pursued her interest in hormone and sex difference research at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, after which she obtained her PhD in Physiology at Stanford University, focusing on reproductive physiology and neuroendocrinology, with exercise physiology as a secondary focus. Her commitment to human research led to a post-doctoral fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, which has been her academic home for nearly 40 years.
