March 2024 SPH Faculty Appointments and Promotions
Congratulations to the following BU School of Public Health faculty on their recent appointment or promotion.
Professor
Lora Sabin, PhD, Global Health, focuses on improving health in resource constrained settings. More specifically, her work focuses on identifying ways to improve HIV treatment outcomes, promoting child and adolescent health, and conducting mixed methods evaluations of novel interventions and health programs. She teaches courses in health economics, antiretroviral therapy management, public health ethics, and individual, community and population health for MPH and DrPH students. She has received four SPH Excellence in Teaching Awards from 2011-2016, as well as the school-wide Excellence in Teaching Award for Student Engagement in 2021.
Catharine Wang, PhD, Community Health Sciences, focuses on public health genomics, health communication, health literacy, health disparities, and cancer prevention and control. She studies the ethical, legal and social implications of genomic advances, and she has served as PI on multiple grants examining communication of genetic risk, barriers to genetic literacy among underserved populations, and adoption and use of genetic testing. Her ongoing research continues to examine how underrepresented and vulnerable populations comprehend and engage with population-based efforts to facilitate greater access to genetic information and services. She has designed and taught three graduate-level courses. Dr. Wang currently serves as a member of the National Cancer Institute’s PDQ Cancer Genetics Editorial Board.
Research Associate Professor
Stephanie Shimada, PhD, Health Law, Policy & Management, is a mixed-methods health services researcher whose work focuses on patient-facing virtual care technologies to improve the quality and safety of healthcare. She has been continuously funded by the Veterans Health Administration since 2009 and as a PI since 2012. Her research has had direct policy effects via her involvement with the VA Office of Connected Care, the office in charge of implementing the My HealtheVet patient portal, SMS texting for self-management support, mobile health apps and telehealth. She has led implementation science studies which have examined barriers and facilitators of virtual care, unintended consequences of patient portal implementation, and strategies to increase reach and adoption of virtual care interventions.