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Kendra Ratnapradipa, Ph.D. |
Kendra Ratnapradipa, Ph.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC.
- Name: Kendra Ratnapradipa, Ph.D.
- Hometown: Agency, Iowa
- Title and department at UNMC: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health
Research/professional interests:
Geospatial influences on health disparities, with a focus on transportation as a social determinant of health impacting cancer diagnosis, treatment and outcomes. Populations of interest include older adults and rural residents.
How I fell in love with social epidemiology: I grew up in the rural Midwest but have also lived in large cities relying on public transportation, so I am acutely aware of transportation as an upstream determinant of health and health disparities. My professional experience has shifted from working with clients facing health and mental health challenges to a broader public health approach utilizing epidemiology to identify prevention and intervention targets.
Degrees:
- B.A., English, history, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 1993-1997
- M.S.W., Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah, 2001-2003
- Ph.D., public health studies-epidemiology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, 2014-2017
- Postdoctoral fellow, injury epidemiology, Center for Injury Research & Policy at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, 2018-2019
Memberships:
- American College of Epidemiology
- American Public Health Association
- Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists
- Society for Epidemiologic Research
- Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research
- Society of Behavioral Medicine
- Transportation Research Board
Three things people may not know about me:
- In high school marching band, I marched in the annual American Gothic Days Festival (Eldon, Iowa) celebrating Grant Wood’s “American Gothic” painting.
- As an undergraduate, I studied abroad for a year at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland.
- I enjoy reading juvenile/young adult fiction.