The UConn Department of Public Health Sciences is proud to welcome Dr. Monika Doshi as our newest faculty member.

Dr. Doshi’s research reflects a deep commitment to advancing health equity and addressing disparities among underserved, marginalized, and vulnerable populations. Her work has focused on HIV prevention, care, and treatment; mental health; women’s health; gender and sexuality; stigma and discrimination; chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes; and health and human rights.

In addition to these longstanding areas of scholarship, Dr. Doshi’s more recent research has expanded to examine how policy, community, institutional, and interpersonal factors influence the health and wellbeing of U.S.-based Latinx communities within the context of immigration. By investigating the multi-layered challenges these communities face, her work sheds light on the intersections between health, social justice, and policy.

With her broad expertise and dedication to public health, Dr. Doshi strengthens our department’s mission to improve population health and advance health equity through research, education, and community engagement. We are excited to see the impact her contributions will bring to both UConn and the communities we serve.

The UConn Department of Public Health Sciences is excited to announce the addition of Dr. Kate Ascetta to our faculty. Dr. Ascetta serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (CT UCEDD), where she coordinates technical assistance for higher education faculty through the Early Childhood Intervention Personnel Center (ECIPC). She also holds a joint appointment as an Assistant Professor in Public Health Sciences at UConn’s School of Medicine.

Dr. Ascetta’s scholarship focuses on the critical role of quality teacher preparation programs and professional development in strengthening the early childhood intervention workforce. With expertise in program of study development within institutions of higher education, she works to ensure future educators are equipped to make meaningful impacts in their communities.

A defining feature of Dr. Ascetta’s work is her commitment to equity. She has built strong community partnerships that elevate voices from traditionally underrepresented groups, ensuring systems of change are designed with communities rather than for them. Her approach reflects the Department of Public Health Sciences’ dedication to inclusive, collaborative solutions in public health.

We are proud to welcome Dr. Ascetta to our department and look forward to the innovation, leadership, and passion she brings to public health at UConn.

Explore more about our faculty and programs here: https://health.uconn.edu/public-health-sciences/

The Department of Public Health Sciences is proud to share exciting news about faculty promotions recently approved by the Academic Affairs Subcommittee of the Board of Directors.

• Dr. Jennifer M. Cavallari has been promoted to Professor.

• Dr. Shayna D. Cunningham has been promoted to Associate Professor with Tenure.

• Dr. Ellis C. Dillon has been promoted to Associate Professor.

These promotions recognize their exceptional contributions to public health research, teaching, and service. Please join us in congratulating Drs. Cavallari, Cunningham, and Dillon on their well-deserved achievements!

Dr. Megan O’Grady, Associate Professor in Public Health Sciences, received funding as a co-investigator for a newly awarded NIH/NIDA UG3-UH3 grant titled “Preventing Overdose in Supportive Housing: Stepped Wedge Randomized Controlled Trial of a Multi-Sector, Upstream Intervention” lead by NYU Langone (PI: Doran). This 2-phase, 7-year grant will partner UConn Health, Rutgers, and NYU to develop and test strategies for implementing evidence-based practices to prevent drug overdoses in permanent supportive housing settings.

Dr. Wenqi Gan, Associate Professor in Public Health Sciences, will serve as Co-investigator on a new $ 3,270,965 grant awarded to Dr. Changchun Liu titled “HIV Viral Load Testing Using CRISPR Cascade Signal Amplification” This 5-year project aims to develop a rapid, affordable, and sensitive CRISPR cascade signal amplification approach to examine HIV viral load in clinical samples. This clinical examination approach will enable acute HIV diagnosis and viral load testing at home and be appropriate for resource-limited settings where HIV is most prevalent.