Epidemiology students receive CDC dissertation awards

Bonnie Joubert (left) and Susan Mason

Bonnie Pedersen Joubert and Susan Marshall Mason, doctoral students in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Department of Epidemiology, have received Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) dissertation research awards for their projects on mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the relationship of residential segregation to preterm birth, the agency has announced.

Joubert received the CDC award to work on her dissertation project, “Genetic Susceptibility to Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.” Mason was recognized for research about “Residential Segregation, Neighborhood Social Environment and Preterm Birth Among 14 Ethnic Groups in New York City.” Each will receive a stipend this year of around $35,000, with the possibility of renewal in subsequent years.

“I am extremely grateful for and encouraged by this funding,” Joubert says. “It supports research in a very low-income population of mothers and their infants who are struggling with a high infectious disease burden. As the field of genetic epidemiology expands in methodology and applications to health care, it is pertinent to include populations from the developing world in our research efforts, in particular for HIV.”

Dr. Steve Meshnick, professor of epidemiology and Joubert’s research adviser, says, “Bonnie is ambitious, hard-working and very smart – a computer whiz when it comes to genomic analyses. She is one of very few individuals with solid understanding of, and experience with, both biological and epidemiological research methodologies. I think she will produce extremely important publications in the next year or two.”

Mason’s research explores the associations of neighborhood ethnic density with preterm birth, a major cause of infant mortality, in several ethnic and immigrant groups.
“Because residential segregation has been used to exclude ethnic minorities from resources and opportunities, segregation may contribute to ethnic health disparities,” Mason says.

“At the same time, some forms of segregation or ethnic clustering may be protective of health if they provide social support networks, prevent stressful inter-racial interactions, or, for immigrants, support the maintenance of healthful traditional food cultures.”

Dr. Jay Kaufman, associate professor of epidemiology, is Mason’s academic advisor and dissertation committee chair.

“Susan’s research proposal is an exciting and innovative approach to studying population disparities in reproductive health outcomes, with novel applications of demographic techniques for defining and measuring residential segregation,” he says.

“Her formal preparation in demography, epidemiology, biostatistics and maternal and child health gives Susan a unique perspective on questions about social inequality in birth outcomes, a question that is inherently interdisciplinary.”

CDC’s mission is to promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury and disability. Research sponsored and conducted by the CDC develops and presents scientific evidence that will enable CDC to foster true improvements in people’s lives by accelerating health impact and reducing health disparities.