Zita Lazzarini, J.D., M.P.H. Winner of UConn Health Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award
The 2023 UConn Health Board of Directors Faculty Recognition Award recipient is Zita Lazzarini, J.D., M.P.H. She is recognized for her advancement of medical education at UConn and dedicated public service to the State of Connecticut.
Nutrients is a peer-reviewed, open access journal of human nutrition published semimonthly online by MDPI. Dr. Helen Swede is a guest editor for the special issue “Vitamins and Micronutrients in Cancer”.
Dr. Stacey Brown will be honored for her powerful impact on the community at The 100 Women of Color Gala & Awards. From the event coordinators:
From UConn Today: “On, Friday, June 24, 2022, June Archer & Eleven28 Entertainment will celebrate the power of family, friends and community, as we honor the past, the present and the future. The 100 Women of Color Gala & Awards will recognize the contributions that these women of color in business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, government, public service and the impact they have made on the lives of people throughout the State of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts communities.”
The event, organized by June Archer & Eleven28 Entertainment, will recognize the contributions of UConn’s honorees on the lives of people and other women in the State of Connecticut. Also, other women of color will be recognized from across the fields of business, education, entrepreneurship, entertainment, government, and public service.
The gala’s goal is to provide financial support for programs that support the advancement of young women of color. Event proceeds will support scholarships for young women who graduate from high school and plan on attending College, leadership and mentorship programs.
Youngji Jo, PhD, joins us as an assistant professor from the Boston University Clinical HIV/AIDS Research Training Program, Boston Medical Center. She has studied infectious diseases such as TB and HIV in the US and internationally, using statistical modeling to assess cost effectiveness of interventions and inform policy decisions.
Dr. Jo is an Assistant Professor/ Dr. Jo’s research approach 1) explores ways to construct health systems/cost-effectiveness models that account for epidemiologic factors as well as supply and demand-side constraints to improve efficiency, equity, and financial sustainability of the health system 2) elucidates the underlying processes and mechanisms that contribute to the outcome, beyond simple association and prediction, and 3) integrates new sources of data, methods, and practice, such as Digital Health, in expanding our understanding of disease transmission pathways and improving current practice related to disease prevention and control. Her research has contributed to identifying the specific epidemic and health systems conditions and threshold points in which an intervention can achieve its optimal cost-effectiveness at scale or by targeting subpopulations. Dr. Jo’s current research interest includes developing a mathematical model to assess the clinical impact and cost-effectiveness for integrated and multi-month drug dispensing scenarios for people living with HIV and other chronic diseases to guide optimal drug dispensing strategy. Her long-term goals are to identify how dynamic trajectories of supply and demand-side factors might alter the existing understanding of causal relationships in the context of HIV/TB service delivery and develop a working model of health systems’ performance that can help design and implement HIV/TB prevention and treatment in resource-limited settings.
Wenqi Gan, MD, PhD, joins us as an associate professor in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Gan received systematic training in clinical and preventive medicine, environmental and occupational health, especially methodological training in epidemiology and biostatistics. He has a medical degree in Preventive Medicine from Shanghai Medical University, and a PhD in Environmental Epidemiology from the University of British Columbia. Over the past 20 years, Dr. Gan has worked as an Epidemiologist and Biostatistician in the areas of cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases, environmental and occupational health, and substance use disorders. He is interested and experienced in research methodology, including study designs, statistical methods, and data sciences. Dr. Gan actively pursues collaborative research and serves as a reliable resource for researchers who need assistance and support in research methodology at the School of Medicine.
Dr. Reichow’s current research interests include the translation of research to practice, the use of systematic review methods and meta-analytic methods to identify evidence-based practices, and applied research involving young children with or at risk of developing disabilities and their families.
Dr. Brian Reichow is an Associate Professor of Public Health Sciences and Associate Director of the University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service. His current research interests include the translation of research to practice, the use of systematic review methods and meta-analytic methods to identify evidence-based practices, and applied research involving young children with or at risk of developing disabilities and their families. He has been a technical advisor for the World Health Organization for over a decade assisting WHO with the development of practice guidelines and training materials to increase the identification, management, and treatment of children with developmental disabilities in lower- and middle-income countries. This work recently led to the release of the World Health Organization Caregiver Skills Training for Families of Children with Developmental Delays or Disabilities (https://openwho.org/courses/caregiver-skills-training), an open-source program that is available freely through WHO. Dr. Reichow is currently Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Early Intervention, the leading journal in the field of early childhood special education and early intervention and is Co-Editor of the Disability Coordinating Group of the Campbell Collaboration and Campbell Systematic Reviews.
Dr. Dillon is an Assistant Professor in the Center on Aging with a faculty appointment in the Department of Public Health Services. She is a sociologist and health services researcher who works closely with the Center on Aging team focused on evaluation of innovations in Connecticut Department of Social Services policy and programs for older adults and people with disabilities. She uses mixed methods and qualitative research to evaluate how to improve serious illness care and experience for patients and families, especially in the areas of hospice and palliative care, psychosocial care, and shared decision making. Her research also commonly focuses on access to and delivery of mental health care and the psychosocial well-being of patients, families, clinicians and other healthcare workers.
Dr. Lu is a new professor with tenure who was recruited from the Department of Medicine of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School where he served as the director of biostatistics for the Section of Clinical Sciences, and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard. He also previously worked at Brown University. His research expertise is design and analysis of clinical trials and observational studies, epidemiology and outcomes research in chronic diseases including rheumatic diseases, osteoarthritis, and cardiovascular diseases. He brings with him two active NIH RO1 grants.
Dr. Lu is a Professor in Biostatistics and Epidemiology. He has a multidisciplinary background in biostatistics, epidemiology, and medicine, with specific teaching and research interests in longitudinal analysis, design and analysis of clinical trials, statistical methods in epidemiology, and outcomes research of chronic diseases. As the PI, Co-I and lead biostatistician, Dr. Lu has been involved in numerous established and innovative projects in a variety of areas including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, cardiovascular disease, lupus, obesity, and women’s health. He has extensive experience in studies using large epidemiological data including the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Dr. Lu is an elected fellow of the American College of Epidemiology. He has served as an Associate Editor for Contemporary Clinical Trials, an international journal of clinical trial methodology, and Associate Editor for Arthritis & Rheumatology, a prestigious journal of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Lu’s statistical interests include design and analysis of clinical trials & observational studies, statistical methods in epidemiology, longitudinal data analysis, and causal inference.
