NCID-1089
Jana Hirschtick
Research Investigator, Epidemiology, School of Public Health
University of Michigan
Education/Degree:
1 Epidemiology (University of Illinois at Chicago)
About
Jana Hirschtick is a social epidemiologist at the University of Michigan. She received her MPH from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Although her academic training provided the skills necessary for conducting public health research, Jana gained a passion for quantifying and addressing health inequities while working as an epidemiologist at Sinai Health System, a safety net hospital system on the west side of Chicago. During her time at Sinai, Jana learned the importance of research that is co-led by community members, disseminated widely (beyond academia), and translated into programs and policies that address health inequities.
Current Work
Jana is co-investigator on a surveillance study of Michigan residents diagnosed with COVID-19, the Michigan COVID-19 Recovery Surveillance Study (MI CReSS), conducted in partnership with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. MI CReSS is collecting detailed information from COVID-19 survivors, including access to care, illness severity, and social factors like loss of employment and food insecurity. Jana's current COVID-19 research focuses on identifying inequities in persistent COVID-19 symptoms weeks or months after diagnosis (COVID "long haulers"). She is also leading efforts to convene a Community Advisory Committee, with representatives from across the state, to provide oversight and guidance for MI CReSS. Jana is also studying inequities in tobacco product use and related health effects as a member of the Center for the Assessment of Tobacco Regulations at U of M, which provides information on the impact of potential tobacco control policies to the FDA.
Research Area Keyword(s)
community-engagement, health inequities, Social Epidemiology