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Abstract: My research develops biosocial network models to inform policies to increase population health equity. In this area, I will describe some recent efforts that are concerned with the embedding of such networks in social and geographical space in Chicago: (1) the impact of incarceration and recidivism on HIV incidence among young Black men who have sex with men; (2) the networks of syringe sharing among persons who inject drugs and the impact of these networks on Hepatitis C transmission; (3) leveraging the social networks of older Black women to consider how patient navigation can help increase screening and early diagnosis of breast cancer. Results demonstrate the impact of social mixing on health outcomes, and identifies intervention points that are embedded in social space. All studies that I will describe share the common threads of addressing challenges in health equity from a perspective of social networks embedded in spatial-temporal space, computational modeling, and addressing barriers to care.

Bio:  Dr. Aditya Khanna is a computational epidemiologist and statistician in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences at the Brown University School of Public Health. He serves as core faculty at the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. His research primarily uses network analysis, agent-based modeling and predictive analytics to inform initiatives to achieve health equity, primarily with regards to HIV/STIs and breast cancer. Incorporating psychosocial (e.g., substance use) and structural (e.g., incarceration, employment-related mobility) barriers to care are key themes in his work, and he has lately started to use molecular epidemiology to inform partner service initiatives. Outside of work he spends his time learning Capoeira, reading novels, and learning Portuguese.