Foundations of Biomedical Data Science Seminar Series: Leveraging Big Health Data to Answer Questions about Program and Policy Effects

Dr. Ahern will present research on leveraging big health data to understand the impacts of different forms of violence on health and health disparities in California, and the effects of programs and policies that may influence violence. The presentation will include examination of injuries and deaths due to legal intervention among young people, and examination of the effects of gun shows on firearm injuries in the post-implementation period of California’s 1999 gun show legislation. 

Dr. Jennifer Ahern, PhD MPH, is Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Epidemiology at University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health. She examines the effects of the social and physical environment, and programs and policies that alter the social and physical environment, on many aspects of health (e.g., violence, substance use, mental health, and gestational health). Dr. Ahern has a methodological focus to her work, including application of causal inference methods and semi-parametric estimation approaches, aimed at improving the rigor of observational research, and optimizing public health intervention planning. Her research has been supported by a New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Director, and she is a Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator.