Research Projects

We conduct research across a wide range of areas, integrating approaches to public and community health, biostatistics, epidemiology, and computational biology to address critical problems affecting human health. Some examples of our on-going research projects are highlighted below.

young girl hugging grandmother around her neck
Diverse Ancestry Dementia Study

Jonathan Haines, PhD, has been studying genetics and Alzheimer’s Disease for over 20 years and is researching the genetic factors that may or may not contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s Disease in individuals 60 years of age or older.

digital display of data points in red and green
Biomedical Informatics Research

The PQHS team is conducting research and/or advising on research in the areas of neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease and multiple sclerosis, neurological conditions including epilepsy, ophthalmological conditions including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), age-related cataract and Fuchs Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD), as well as several types of cancer and cancer precursors.

Man sitting in front of computer wearing skull cap measuring brain activity
Biomedical Big Data: Neuroscience and Provenance

Dr. Satya Sahoo aims to characterize the role of brain connectivity in neurological disorders such as epilepsy using integrative graph models and highly scalable computational techniques. 

row of straw hats hanging on a wall
The Genetics of AMD in the Old Order Amish

For over two decades, Dr. Jonathan Haines has studied genetic factors that contribute to diseases of aging and “successful” aging in the Old Order Amish. 

hands snapping a cigarette in half
The Epidemiology of Tobacco Use

Dr. Erika Trapl uses a classical epidemiological approach to study what is both a health and social issue: the use of cigars, cigarillos, and little cigars (CCLC) by adolescents and young adults. 

fruits and vegetables on display at farmers market
FoodNEST: The Future of Food in Your Neighborhood

The Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods and the Center for Reducing Health Disparities are actively studying how changes in the neighborhood food environment affect the health of a community. 

Close up image of tuberculosis cells
The Genetics of Tuberculosis Resistance

Dr. Cathy Stein is a genetic epidemiologist who is conducting a study in Uganda to examine individuals that are presumed resistant to M. tuberculosis infection, also called RSTRs.

5 small barefoot children walking away in an outdoor setting in Papua New Guinea
Eradicating Lymphatic Filariasis

Dr. Daniel Tisch is an infectious diseases epidemiologist studying methods to eliminate lymphatic filariasis.