Research and Publications - Spring 2024

SPHIS Faculty Among Most Cited in the World

Drs. Rick Baumgartner, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Epidemiology and Population Health, Bert Little, Professor and Interim Chair, Dept. of Health Management and Systems Sciences, and Paul McKinney, Interim Dean, were among 100+ University of Louisville researchers who are the top 2% most cited in the world according to Stanford University and Elsevier. The list includes researchers whose work was the most cited — that is, referenced by another researcher — in either calendar year 2022 or over the course of their career. The list spans 22 disciplines, from business to engineering to medicine.

American Heart Association grants UofL $750K to research AI in cardiac surgery

Bert Little, PhD, is a Co-Principal (PI) Investigator and alumnus Hunter Epperson, MS ’22, is a data scientist collaborating on an AI project, with funding from a $750,000 American Heart Association grant. They are using Cerner and University of Louisville Hospital data to ensure accuracy, replicability of data used in assisting in the prevention of acute kidney injury associated with coronary surgery. Dr. Little is a Professor and Interim Chair in the Dept. of Health Management and Systems Sciences, and Mr. Epperson is an alumnus of the MS in Health Data Analytics program at SPHIS. The project’s PI is Dr. Jiapeng Huang, Professor and Vice Chair, Dept. of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine, UofL School of Medicine.

Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in West Africa: A systematic review

Madeline Tomlinson, PhD ’22, MPH ’19, published “Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in West Africa: A systematic review,” in the African Journal of Reproductive Health. The literature review examined menstrual hygiene management (MHM) across adolescent girls in Anglophone, West Africa to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices of MHM across English-speaking West African countries. Findings suggest more implementation and evaluation of menstrual hygiene management materials, education, and facilities are needed to address the educational, physical, and social disparities that exist among girls in West African countries. Co-authors include Dept. of Epidemiology and Population Health faculty, Drs. Anne Wallis, Muriel Harris, Natalie DuPré, and Richard Baumgartner, as well as Dr. Friday Okonofua, Professor, University of Benin.

Long-term exposure to air pollution and risk of stroke by ecoregions: The REGARDS study

Alumnus and adjunct assistant professor in the Dept. of Epidemiology and Population Health (DEPH), Daniel W. Riggs, PhD ‘22, MS ’10, published, “Long-term exposure to air pollution and risk of stroke by ecoregions: The REGARDS study,” in the Journal of Environmental Pollution. This study evaluated associations of air pollution with stroke risk by ecoregions in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. The research team found the associations between long-term exposure to air pollution and risk of stroke varied by ecoregion, and the results suggest that the type, quality, and quantity of the surrounding ecology can modify the effects of air pollution on risk of stroke. Co-authors include DEPH faculty Drs. Kathy Baumgartner, Richard Baumgartner, and Stephanie Boone, Dr. Suzanne Judd, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Dr. Aruni Bhatnagar, UofL Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute.