Professor and Department Chair of Community Health
Categorical data analysis, survival data analysis, longitudinal data analysis, latent variable analysis, smoking behavior, substance abuse, major depression, disparity in financial access
Dr. Acevedo's research focuses on racial/ethnic inequalities in the access to high quality of health services, particularly those related to alcohol and drug use disorders.
structural racism and racial/ethnic health disparities across the lifespan
social support networks of older adults
caregiving and dementia
social determinants of healthy aging
dyadic analysis
Keren Ladin teaches courses in health policy, research methods, public health ethics, health disparities, and medical ethics. Professor Ladin incorporates quantitative, qualitative, and normative approaches to study how systemic disadvantage affects health and the ability of individuals to make and pursue lifeplans. Specifically, her research examines socioeconomic and racial disparities in transplantation, mental health treatment, aging, and immigrant health. She aims to better understand how social networks impact health disparities, acute medical decision-making, and resilience in major life transitions. Her research aims to: (1) understand the role of social networks in complex medical decision-making, (2) evaluate the impact of public policies on the health of vulnerable populations, and (3) identify barriers and interventions to improve health care utilization among vulnerable populations.
Professor Ladin is also the Director of the Lab for Research on Ethics, Aging, and Community Health (REACH Lab) at Tufts University.
Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Julia A. Okoro Professor of Black Maternal Health and Associate Professor
Currently, I am an Associate Professor within the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University. Additionally, I am the Principal Investigator of an NIMHD R01 (1R01MD016026-01) study entitled "Reducing Racial Disparities in SMM Post COVID19: Assessing the integration of maternal safety bundles and community based doulas to improve outcomes for Black women" Given my extensive training in community-driven participatory research, health disparities, maternal and child health, and qualitative methods, my participation in the BIRCWH Program as a mentor with a focus on health disparities will be an opportunity to further expand my expertise. For the past 15 years, I have worked successfully in communities of color on issues including advancing the understanding, prevention, and reduction of maternal mortality or morbidity among racial and ethnic minority women and socioeconomically disadvantaged women. I have spent substantial time building community-researcher relationships in urban communities, providing technical assistance, and serving as a member of various community-based organizations. Previously, as a recipient of an NIMH training grant, I served as the PI of a pilot study that focused on mother-daughter communication in HIV+ African American women. The pilot study, Project DASH (DIVAS Against the Study of HIV/AIDS) is a dyadic study that explores HIV risk for daughters with HIV+ mothers. This mixed methods pilot study utilized individual interviews and a quantitative survey to examine the quality and context of the mother/daughter relationship as a predictor of sexual behavior and HIV risk in the daughter.
Dr. Stopka's current research focuses on the intersection of opioid use disorder, overdose, and infectious diseases (HCV, HIV, STIs, COVID-19). He employs GIS, spatial epidemiological, qualitative, biostatistical, and laboratory approaches in multi-site, interdisciplinary studies and public health interventions. He currently leads and contributes to clinical trials and observational studies funded by the NIH, CDC, and SAMHSA to assess the effectiveness of a mobile, telemedicine-based HCV treatment and harm reduction model for rural opioid users in Northern New England, to reduce opioid overdose deaths by 40% in Massachusetts, and to evaluate the overdose prevention impacts of administration of medication for opioid use disorder in houses of correction. Dr. Stopka is also Co-PI of the Tufts research priority group focused on equity in health, wealth, and civic engagement. He teaches courses in GIS and spatial epidemiology, research methods for public health, and epidemiology. He enjoys mentoring research assistants, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty in ongoing research studies and collaborative publications.
Epidemics: Plagues, Peoples and Politics; Seminar in International Health Policy; AIDS: Social Origins, Global Consequences; The Politics of Knowledge; Qualitative Methods in Action; Local Epidemics
